Last September around Labor Day, I visited the grounds of the WA State legislature. Everything was in bloom so beautifully. It has taken until now to get this post up, I’ve been backlogged with fashion events etc.

Spring has finally started showing up here in the northwest, and it’s warming up! This is a perfect time of year to make a visit to the capitol.

The Washington State Capital is located in the city of Olympia. It is located along the I-5 corridor, about 40 minutes south of Tacoma. The campus sits on a grassy knoll overlooking Capital Lake and the southern tip of Puget Sound. The main capitol building with the rotunda, is considered one of the most magnificent capitol buildings in the United States.

The beautiful dome had me in awe! It’s made from brick and sandstone and rises 287 feet to the top of the cupola. This dome is the tallest one in North America. It was interesting to find out the exterior sandstone on the building was extracted from quarries, close to Mt. Rainier.

The ceiling of the interior dome rises 175 feet above the rotunda floor. The chandelier was magnificent too. It’s made from pure bronze , hangs from a 101 ft chain, and boasts over 200 light bulbs. The chandelier was made in New York by Tiffany Studios, and brought here by train.

The second floor of the capitol is open to explore as well. Here you will find the four executive offices: The offices of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor , Secretary of State, and the Treasury.

The awe inspiring campus includes a splendid flower garden and 50 landscaped acres. Hello-Central Park in Washington State! The gardens are known for a spectacular show of flowers, bulbs and trees. The grounds were designed by the Olmstead brothers in 1927- the actual planners of Central Park in NYC.

You are free to roam around on your own or join complimentary public tours that are offered hourly. Visits are allowed from 10 – 3 pm , Mon-Fri. On weekends the tours start at 11 am and end at 3 as well. Also located not far down the road, is the Olympia Farmers Market. It’s huge, has the most amazing eats, and beautiful scenery too. I have a post coming in the future, featuring the market.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and will make a visit soon. Oh, and can you believe it?! I managed to view the campus and not get deported wearing a Canadian T-shirt! ( I have to stay true to my roots!) We were supposed to go to Victoria on this day. The weather turned bad, so we changed plans right quick.

Have you visited your state capitol yet ?