Standing across from the Capitol, the Supreme Court's marble façade and iconic columns have guarded American justice since 1935. This is where landmark decisions — from Brown v. Board to Roe v. Wade — shaped the nation. Look up at the inscription above the entrance: 'Equal Justice Under Law.' Few phrases carry more weight in American history.

Just steps from the Capitol sits the largest library in the world, and arguably its most beautiful building. The Library of Congress holds over 170 million items — from Thomas Jefferson's personal book collection to the first map to use the name 'America.' Guests who step inside the Great Hall are often stopped in their tracks by the breathtaking Beaux-Arts interior, a jaw-dropping mosaic of marble, murals, and gilded detail that rivals any museum in the world. More than a library, this is the nation's memory — and every American has a membership.

Few buildings on earth carry the weight of this one. The Capitol has housed Congress since 1800, and inside the Rotunda, guests find themselves standing beneath one of the most breathtaking interiors in the world. Nearly 180 feet above, Constantino Brumidi's Apotheosis of Washington — a nearly 5,000 square foot fresco painted in 1865 — watches over all who enter. Eight monumental paintings line the walls, each capturing a defining moment in America's founding story. Designed to inspire awe, the Capitol Rotunda has been doing exactly that for over two centuries.

Beneath the Capitol's east plaza lies one of Washington's best kept secrets — a 580,000 square foot underground visitor center that welcomes over 3 million guests a year. This is your gateway to the heart of American democracy, housing exhibition halls, historic artifacts, and the original plaster cast of the Freedom statue that crowns the Capitol dome. Before we head inside, take a moment to look up — that dome took over 10 years to complete and was finished during the Civil War, a deliberate symbol that the Union would endure.