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Capital Area Visitor Services
Capital Area Visitor Services / Add Tour
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Booking

Capital Area Visitor Services / Add Tour

Welcome to Capital Area Visitor Services, where your visit matters! Please utilize the links provided below to select your tour/visit date. If you should need assistance with this process, Please do not hesitate to give us a call at 919-814-6950 or 919-814-6951.

When visiting with us...

Please note that all sites require a two week notice to schedule a visit. Please also note that CAVS can not guarantee a visit to the Executive Mansion , Legislative building, or State Capitol as these sites have either limited tours or limited availability.

Admissions Tickets

NC Legislative Building (Guided Tour)

ATTENTION: RESERVATIONS FILL QUICKLY. BOOK EARLY IN THE SEASON.
This site must be booked at least two weeks in advance, no exceptions. Groups to the Legislative building are limited to 60 people.Please plan to arrive five minutes before your scheduled tour time. Late arrivals, no matter the circumstances, are not guaranteed a tour. Due to other activities at the Legislative building, we cannot make exceptions for late groups.Tours run from 8:30am - 3:30pm on 30 minute intervals.

GUIDELINES FOR VISITING THE NC GENERAL ASSEMBLY – LEGISLATIVE BUILDING
Welcome to the North Carolina General Assembly! We are looking forward to your group visiting the Legislature and appreciate you scheduling the visit through the Capital Area Visitors Center. There are multiple tours scheduled throughout the day and we must begin each tour promptly. We ask that you please make every effort to arrive on time with your entire group. Below are several strongly suggested guidelines to keep in mind while visiting the General Assembly to ensure the best and most enjoyable experience possible.

• ARRIVAL AND REGISTRATION - Upon arrival to the General Assembly, please have your students gather in a single file line behind the visitors and guests sign at the front entrance of the building located on Jones Street. The teachers are responsible for the registration of their group. Please enter through the door marked appropriately for registration. Parents, adults, and chaperones should not be responsible for any part of registration. Teachers should come to the front desk to register, receive classroom materials, be given specific instructions, and meet their Building Guide.

• SECURITY AND SCREENING - The Legislative Building now has a NEW security screening procedure in place for all visitors. In order to ensure the best possible experience, there are several recommendations that will expedite screening. All students, teachers, parents, adults, and chaperones will be required to go through screening upon entry to the building. In order to accelerate this procedure we are requesting that students leave all non-essential items including backpacks, cell phones, etc. (excluding medical items), on their respective bus. We also ask that items not left on the bus, including souvenirs, be left outside with 2 or 3 adults while the tour takes place. Below are prohibited items inside the Legislature:

PROHIBITED ITEMS THROUGH SCREENING PROCESS
Aerosol containers
Electric stun guns, martial arts weapons or devices
Knives of any size
Mace and pepper spray
Guns, replica guns, ammunition, and fireworks
Any weapon facsimile
Razors and box cutters
Pets or animals (Guide and assistance animals are permitted)
Batons and nightsticks
Signs on handsticks
Any other item or device that can be considered a dangerous weapon

The Building Guide will lead the group into the screening area. The Building Guide must be followed by the teacher, students next for screening, with parents, adults and chaperones remaining at the end of the line to be screened last.

We recommend following the above listed procedures carefully as any failure to follow the above guidelines may result in a delay for your group. We greatly appreciate your cooperation with these NEW security measures. We look forward to seeing you at the General Assembly and serving the needs of your group during its upcoming visit to the State Legislative Building!

Duration Approx. 30 minutes

This activity is free
Book Now!

NC Museum of History (Self-Guided Tour)

Welcome to the North Carolina Museum of History! Visitors from around the world travel to the North Carolina Museum of History to discover fascinating secrets and hidden gems from our state's past. Located at 5 East Edenton Street in the heart of downtown Raleigh, across from the Capitol, the state history museum welcomes more than 465,000 visitors a year, including 83,000+ school groups. The North Carolina Museum of History is now open to the public with some new procedures in place to help ensure the safety of staff and visitors. Limiting visitors to 250 people at a time in the museum, to allow a comfortable visit to the museum. Requiring cloth masks to enter the museum, as outlined in Executive Order 163. All exhibits will be open except the smaller Tar Heel Junior Historian Discovery Gallery. Installing hand sanitizer stations and increasing the frequency of cleaning high touch public areas and restrooms. Installing protective barriers at sales counters and information desks. Our Museum Shop will be open with reduced hours and limited capacity. Interactive exhibit features will be paused or modified. A map will highlight safety measures (sanitizer stations) and paused or “no-touch” (removed or blocked) visitor experiences. A QR code will be available for a touchless experience. Admission is FREE. Tickets are NOT required for entry. Hours of operation will be as follows: Tuesday – Saturday: 9 am – 11 am for immunocompromised and senior citizens Tuesday – Saturday: 11 am – 5 pm for the general public Sunday: 12 pm – 5 pm for the general public “We are very excited to welcome the public back to the museum," said Ken Howard, Director of the North Carolina Museum of History. "We, as an institution, believe in the importance of learning from history, including events happening in the present day. The Museum has adopted new safety procedures, following NCDHHS guidelines, to present our visitors with the safest and most enjoyable experience." Visitors are expected to follow the “Three W’s” as outlined by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services – WEAR a cloth mask over your nose and mouth, WAIT in line at least six feet away from others, and WASH your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer. If you are experiencing symptoms of illness, we ask that you postpone your visit. Nearby the museum is convenient parking, restaurants, and many other family-friendly attractions. The Museum is closed on New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. You can contact the Museum at (919) 814-7000. The fax number is (919) 733-8655​. “The North Carolina Museum of History, our spectacular downtown monument to all that is North Carolina.” – The News and Observer
Duration Determined by group

This activity is free
Book Now!

NC Museum of Natural Sciences (Self-Guided Tour)

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCSM) is located in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Duration Determined by group

This activity is free
Book Now!

NC Executive Mansion (Guided Tour)

Thank you for your interest in scheduling a tour of North Carolina’s Executive Mansion. Tours of this site must be booked a minimum of two weeks in advance. We strongly encourage you to make reservations as early in the school year as possible because the Mansion is a very popular destination with limited availability. Please note that because the Executive Mansion is the home of the Governor and the First Family, as well as the site of numerous ceremonial events and meetings, CAVS must work within strict guidelines to schedule groups and cannot guarantee availability.

Thirty-minute guided tours of the home are available for a maximum of 60 participants per time slot, including chaperones. Individuals or groups of fewer than 10 wishing to visit should contact Mansion tour coordinator Natalie Rodriguez (natalie.rodriguez@ncdcr.gov or 919-715-3962) to schedule. Tours run seasonally and are held on Wednesdays and Thursdays only at 9:45 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 1:45 p.m., 2:15 p.m., and 2:45 p.m. Please plan to arrive at the front gates of the Mansion at your scheduled tour time. Late arrivals, no matter the circumstances, are not guaranteed a tour. Due to other activities at the Mansion, we cannot make exceptions for late groups. All visitors to the Mansion are subject to security screening upon entering the property.

Fall 2019 Mansion Tours available September 18 to November 7 (Wednesdays and Thursdays only).

Spring 2020 Mansion Tours available March 18 to June 11 (Wednesdays and Thursdays only).




Duration Approx. 30 minutes

This activity is free
Book Now!

NC Executive Mansion Gardens(Guided Tour)

ATTENTION: RESERVATIONS FILL QUICKLY. BOOK EARLY IN THE SEASON. This site must be booked at least two weeks in advance, no exceptions. Groups to the Executive Mansion Gardens are limited to 30 people.Please plan to arrive at the front gates of the Mansion ten minutes before your scheduled tour time. Late arrivals, no matter the circumstances, are not guaranteed a tour. Due to other activities at the Mansion, we cannot make exceptions for late groups. Tours are available at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. Restrooms are only available at the N.C. Museum of History. For more information, contact Natalie Rodriguez (natalie.rodriguez@ncdcr.gov or 919-715-3962)

Fall 2019 Garden Tours available September 25 to October 24 (Children tours Wednesday, Adult tours Thursday).

Spring 2020 Garden Tours available April 1 to May 28 (Children tours Wednesday, Adult tours Thursday).
Duration Approx. 1 hour

This activity is free
Book Now!

Test Info

Contact Information

North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
109 E. Jones Street
Mail Service Center 4601

Raleigh, NC 27601

(919) 814-6800

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