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Visiting and Directions to the Capitol

Visiting the Capitol The Senate Gallery is open to the public any time the Senate is in session or during guided Capitol tours. Guided tours of the Capitol are available daily and free of charge. For Capitol tours, groups of 10 or more should make reservations, by phone, two weeks in advance by contacting your Senator, or the New York State Office of General Services Plaza Information Office at (518) 474-2418. It is also recommended that all visitors call ahead to confirm the daily schedule.

Directions From the North: Take Interstate 87 (Northway) to Interstate 90 (East) exit, proceed east to Interstate 787 (South) and take Empire Plaza exit. From the South: Take New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) to Exit 23 - straight through toll booth to Interstate 787, and then take Empire Plaza exit. From the East: Take Interstate 90 and cross Hudson River. Take exit to Interstate 787 South, along river. Take Empire Plaza exit. From the West: Take the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) to Exit 24, proceed east on Interstate 90 to Interstate 787 South, along river. Take Empire Plaza exit.

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New York State Capitol Tours

• Albany-Rensselaer
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Stroll atop Albany's State Street, the seat of government for New York since the late 19th century. Tour the architectural marvel that was hand-built of solid masonry over a 25-year period.

Photo Courtesy of Andrew Frey

Explore four floors of New York State history! The New York State Capitol sits at the top of Albany’s State Street hill, and serves as the house of New York’s government since the 1880’s. Guests can tour the 19 th century architectural building that took 32 years to be build for free.

Tour the Capitol

Tours are available on weekdays without a reservation or on Saturdays with a reservation.

Tours that run on Monday through Friday meet at the Capital State Street Lobby Information Desk. Tours on Saturday begin at the Plaza Visitor Center and Gift Shop. All tours are free and will last for approximately one hour. By taking a tour, visitors have access to a complete history of the building including ghost stories, unfinished carvings, famous inhabitants and all!

Self-guided tours are also available at the New York State Capitol during normal building hours. Guests can use audio files free of charge and can explore the building at their own leisure. Start the tour at any of the 20 stops, including the Senate Staircase, Senate Chamber, the Legislative Process, Governor’s Reception Room, Hall of Governors, the Flag Room and more. Make sure to visit this educational day trip that is perfect for any family, school or group!

Take Amtrak to New York State Capitol Tours

Experience the architectural marvel via Amtrak to Albany-Rensselaer Station  in Albany-Rensselaer -Don’t forget to use Amtrak’s  See New York and Save  15% discount !

Get picked up from Albany-Rensselaer Station and taken to your reserved NYTRAIN  Enterprise Rent-a-Car.  Click here to reserve your car  or call the Albany-Rensselaer office today at:  518-472-1111.

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Stroll atop Albany's State Street, the seat of government for New York since the late 19th…

Tour the New York State Capitol: What to see, when to go, where to park

• Updated: Sep. 15, 2023, 8:28 p.m. |
• Published: Apr. 24, 2015, 5:01 p.m.
• Tim Knauss | [email protected]

The New York State Capitol took more than 30 years to build, beginning in 1867 and ending in 1899 when Gov. Theodore Roosevelt declared the building complete. It cost more than $25 million, making it more expensive than the U.S. Capitol. You can tour it for free.

What to expect

The Capitol is a marvel of late 19th-century architectural grandeur, built by hand of solid masonry.  In places its walls are four or five feet thick. Five architects worked on its design. Highlights of the tour include the Senate and Assembly chambers, the governor's reception room, the grand staircases and the Hall of Governors. Museum-quality exhibits on New York State's history have been installed throughout the building.

Guided tours last 45 to 60 minutes. No reservation is required unless you are part of a group of 10 or more. A maxium of 45 people can participate in each tour. All tours begin at the information desk in the State Street Lobby of the Capitol.

You can also take a self-guided tour any time the building is open, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. The audio tour can be downloaded  or accessed with a smart phone at various stops in the building.

Visitors are required to pass through metal detectors and have any bags scanned through an x-ray machine. Personal belongings such as backpacks and large bags should be left behind. Sharp objects, such as pocket knives and nail clippers, will not be allowed into the building.

State St. and Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12224

The Capitol is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Guided tours are offered Monday through Friday at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. The building is closed on weekends and holidays.

Admission and tours are free.

The nearest parking location is the V-Lot beneath the Empire State Plaza. The lot is accessed from Interstate 787 at the Empire State Plaza exit. Parking costs $10 if you enter before 11 a.m., and $5 after 11, on weekends and holidays. Other nearby parking lots  are also available.

For more information, visit the website  or call the Plaza Visitor Center at 518-474-2418.

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Great tour and guide - New York State Capitol

• United States    
• New York (NY)    
• Albany    
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• New York State Capitol

Great tour and guide

Awesome tour guide . Over an hour and 15 minutes. So informative. One of the best tours we’ve taken of state capitols. Only problem…. Good luck finding a parking place when the visitors parking lot is full.

One of the most impressive looking Capitol buildings that we've ever visited. Unique architecture.

Had a wonderful time, the downtown area was clean and we felt safe. The tour of the Capital is worth doing. Very imformative. Across the road is the NY. Museum. Very nice also. plan for a full day. Food in cafeteria was decent and reasonable. You can go in winter time also, there is a underground walkway. Easy to get around.

The New York State Capitol building is full of hand carved detail unlike anything I’ve seen before. The tour was free and our guide was fabulous! She was knowledgeable about the construction of the building and pointed out many unique details. It’s well worth a visit. There is also a neat I Love New York sign on the plaza across from Capitol- great photo opp!

Visited here when it opened in the morning to avoid any crowds. Not into group tours so I did my own walk through. Lots of interesting architecture thorough out, especially the staircases. A couple of them really felt like they should have been in a Stephen King movie. A lot of history in here too, highlights for me was the Battle Flag collection and a couple links from the chain that the American Revolutionists put across the Hudson River to stop the British ships. The security staff here was very friendly and helpful too. Had a great talk with one of them about some of the history and events that occurred here. Overall had a great visit and recommend it if your into history and/or architecture.

The exterior is beautiful and so much different from other Capitols, the interior is amazing too (except some really plain corridors). The upsetting part was that some rooms that are typically open to the public in other Capitols were locked here (for example, where the Senate resides). There are some renovations going so some parts are closed to public

New York State Capitol Hauntings Tour

• Albany/Albany County
• Capital/Saratoga Region

The Haunting

Brave visitors will make their way through the Capitol to the exact spot where a night watchman died in a fire before exploring the legend of the "Secret Demon" near the Great Western Staircase. Discover which two Presidents visited the Capitol after they died and learn about the state Assembly Chamber's hidden murals and the tormented artist who created them. 

100 South Mall Arterial (Visitor Parking) Albany, NY 12242 P: (518) 474-2418 Guided Tours

Opportunities for visitors:

Capitol Hauntings tours, explore the legends, folklore, and tales of unexplained occurrences connected to the historic State Capitol, including mysteries behind the Capitol's most notorious carvings and the deadly fire of 1911. Guided tours; motorcoach friendly. Call for groups of 10 or more. 

For current COVID protocols and updates, visit: empirestateplaza.ny.gov.

Days/times of operation:

Building open Monday-Friday, 7am-7pm (closed government holidays).

Haunted tours take place on select dates/times, late September-October. 

FREE. Reservations required.

Handicap Accessible:

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Hunt For Ghosts Galore on an Albany Road Trip

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New York State Capitol Tour: Albany First Fridays

• Presented By: Office of General Services Location: New York State Capitol Washington Ave and State St, Albany, NY 12224 Albany, NY 12224
• Dates: April 5, 2024 - December 6, 2024
• Recurrence: Recurring monthly on the 1st Friday
• Price: FREE
• Phone: (518) 915-0026
• Visit Website

This tour is offered in conjunction with  Albany First Fridays  and will be held on the first Friday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are not required for our monthly, First Friday Tours. Please note, that this tour is reserved for individuals and smaller groups of less than 10. If a group of 10 or more shows up for this tour, we may be unable to accommodate them due to the group's size. If you have a group of 10 or more, please contact the Plaza Visitor Center at 518-474-2418 to plan your visit accordingly. About First Fridays

On the first Friday of each month, Albany comes alive with arts and culture. Enjoy events, specials, exhibits, and much more throughout the city.

About the Capitol

Sitting atop Albany’s State Street hill, the New York State Capitol has served as the seat of government for New York since the 1880s. The building is a marvel of late 19th-century architectural grandeur, built by hand of solid masonry over a period of 32 years. Highlights of the 45-minute tours can include the legislative chambers, Hall of Governors, Governor’s Reception Room, Hall of New York, historic staircases, and carvings.

Security: Visitors to the Capitol must pass through metal detectors and have bags scanned through an x-ray machine. Personal belongings such as backpacks and large bags should be left behind. Sharp objects, such as pocket knives, nail clippers, weapons, and nuisance devices such as whistles and noisemakers are not allowed into the building. 

When: First Friday of the Month Times:  5:30 p.m. Location: Information Desk in Capitol’s State Street lobby Reservations : Reservations are NOT required, walk-ins are permitted. If a group of 10 or more shows up for this tour, we may be unable to accommodate them due to the group's size. If you have a group of 10 or more, please contact the Plaza Visitor Center at 518-474-2418 to plan your visit accordingly.

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From Classroom to Capitol: Touro Social Work Students Engage in Legislative Process

Dr. jennifer zelnick leads students in advocacy efforts for social justice.

Touro University Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) students traveled together to Albany last month with other social work schools in New York State to advocate for bills that would create positive change through social policy.

The effort was part of a national and local initiative that takes place every year in March, which is celebrated as “Social Work Month.”   Students further their education by participating and engaging in the legislative process.

Titled Legislative Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD), the trip is organized every year by GSSW Professor Dr. Jennifer Zelnick, who chairs the social welfare policy sequence.  

“The LEAD event is often the highlight of students’ first-year policy training. It is amazing and inspiring to watch them go through this experience,” said Dr. Zelnick. “Social work is a practice and introducing students to 'policy-practice' is empowering and a key part of social work education.”

Kyra’s Law, Miranda Rights Top the Agenda

For Touro’s social work students, the event began officially at 6 a.m. when they climbed aboard a bus for the four-hour ride to the state capitol. But preparation started earlier with a series of zoom meetings with their peers from other social work schools in New York.

At the prep meetings, students learned about the bills they would be promoting and how the day likely would unfold. The bills were:

• Kyra’s Law (A. 3346A), which would require judges to consider a parent’s history of abuse or neglect in child custody cases more than is now required;
• Family Miranda Rights Act (S.901), which would require Child Protective Services to notify parents and caretakers of their rights at the outset of an investigation;
• Anti-Harassment Reporting (S.902), a bill that would require a caller reporting suspected child abuse to leave their name and contact information.

The students organized into small teams composed of students from different schools, with each one having a role to play – from introducing the bills and why they had come to Albany, to advocating why the bills should pass, to closing the meeting.

Tiffani Santiago, who works as an advocate at a foster care agency on Staten Island with foster youth, was in foster care herself as a child and is passionate about protecting children and families.

One of the most powerful moments of the trip, she recalled, was standing behind Jacqueline Franchetti, Kyra’s mother, while she held a press conference in support of the bill at the top of the “Million Dollar Staircase” in the capitol.

“Social workers should be involved in policy making. A lot of the time legislators are so busy with the political side of things…they lack the knowledge and experience of the actual populations that are affected,” she said. “So it’s important to have that social work perspective to bring to light the impact the bills will have on lives.”   

Music | This Silicon Valley city has been named the…

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Music | google to stop showing links to california news reports, music | this silicon valley city has been named the swiftie capital of the u.s., roughly 137,000 fans attended the two ‘eras tour’ shows at levi’s stadium last summer.

When Santa Clara ceremonially changed its name to Swiftie Clara last summer in honor of Taylor Swift’s record-breaking “The Eras Tour” coming to town, it was supposed to be a fun gesture for two nights only. But the moniker seems to have stuck, as new data suggests the Silicon Valley city is the nation’s Swiftie Capital.

So how exactly did it nab such a distinction? The online gambling and research website Casino.org recently analyzed the 20 cities Swift visited on the 2023 U.S. leg of her tour, looking at tour attendance, Google searches, TikTok posts and the number of Swift-themed events around the concerts, among other metrics.

Santa Clara got the only perfect score.

The study found that roughly 10,700 TikTok videos were recorded during the pop sensation’s July 28 and 29 shows in Santa Clara. One of the most viral of these, with 4 million likes and 19 million views, shows Swift pointing to the crowd during the “Enchanted” musical interlude as fireworks from Great America shoot up in the background, leaving attendees wonderstruck.

@ervinoutfitters The fireworks were not even her show’s fireworks😭 talk about perfect timing #taylorswift #erastour #erastoursantaclara ♬ original sound – erv

“Do you know why they were doing that?” Swift said later in the show. “It’s because I’m the mayor.”

Actual Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor, who bestowed Swift with the title of honorary mayor ahead of her late July visit to the Mission City, said she was “super proud” her city is the Swiftie Capital.

The mayor admits that while she wasn’t a Swiftie before, all the excitement around the singer’s visit has made her a convert. And nine months later, Gillmor said she still gets asked about all the fanfare around Swift’s visit.

“People are still very much aware that she was here,” she said. “I do think it has had a lasting effect.”

Casino.org estimated that approximately 137,000 fans attended the two “Eras Tour” shows at Levi’s Stadium, which is about 10,000 more people than the population of the city.

Santa Clara Councilmember Anthony Becker was one of the tens of thousands of fans who won “The Great War” — snagging one of 2023’s hottest concert tickets.

Becker has become a “Taylor Swift fan by default” through his husband, who he described as a big Swiftie. While he may not know Swift’s whole discography across her 11 albums — soon to be 12 when “The Tortured Poets Department” drops next week — he said his favorite songs are “The Man” and “Look What You Made Me Do.”

“Going to see what my husband is part of with this group of Swifties was pretty incredible,” Becker said. “To see how much energy Taylor Swift has is pretty incredible, and to now know that Santa Clara is the center of the Swiftie Empire, that’s pretty significant in itself. I’m very proud of that.”

Christine Lawson, the CEO of Discover Santa Clara, said she isn’t surprised that Santa Clara is getting recognized for having the most Swifties per capita. She called the anticipation around Swift’s arrival “palpable.”

“Though we’ve hosted remarkable artists and sold-out shows before, the ‘Eras Tour’ brought unparalleled exposure to our city,” Lawson said. “The immense media attention from the tour’s early stops sparked our creativity in devising a unique welcome for Taylor.”

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