Touring the Capitol

 

 On Thursday the temperatures plunged from the balmy 70's down into the 30's. We still ventured out though, this time to the Texas State Capitol. We had driven by it a few times but I was really eager to see inside and it was well worth it. We arrived and got a parking spot right our front (yeah for weekday visitation!) We spent a few minutes walking the grounds because there are some statues and sculptures and great views of the exterior but it was so damn cold we didn't last too long and ventured into the warmth of the Capitol.

Brr!

Once inside we had to pass through metal detectors before we joined up with a tour. Our tour guide was amazing. Her name was Georgia and she was a sweet southern lady who absolutely loved the state of Texas and all its history. I think tours are supposed to be a half hour but we were with her for about an hour because she had so much to share. What I absolutely loved about this building was the freedom it allowed visitors. You can wander anywhere you want to see your government in action (the house and senate weren't in session though).

Senate

House

The capitol rotunda features portraits of every person who has served as governor and apparently when a new governor comes around EVERY picture gets shifted so the most recent is on the ground floor. Imagine what a job that is to move every portrait!

Rotunda

The rotunda is beautiful to gaze up at but the details throughout the building are pretty interesting too.

Door hinges

The top of the rotunda and the lighting fixtures spell out Texas!

The most fascinating thing to me was the underground portion. It was completed in 1993 to add more space to the building and its all completely underground but its designed to let light in via skylights. We headed down there to get some really cool views of the Capitol from below ground.