Alaska State Capitol

This is our trip on the Nieuw Amsterdam from Vancouver BC all over Alaska/ Juneau/ Skagway... it's just gorgeous with the trains. Juneau, you can do mine tours and it's absolutely gorgeous.... Right now we're in Glacier Bay going into the College fjords Then to Denali national Park.

Is this building the most beautiful, architecturally attractive and aesthetically pleasing state capitol? Not by a long shot. However, its uniqueness of being “just another historical building” and ease of access in the heart of Juneau makes it worthy of visiting. Start from the 5th floor by using the wood adorned elevators and work your way down, all while seeing the house and senate chambers, Governor’s Office and offices that allow you to visit. I was pleasantly surprised to run into a staffer for a state senator and she gave tailored recommendations for what to do in the area and history of the state and what her job entails and the government construct of the 49th state. It’s people like her that really made the visit worthwhile. Definitely worth checking out if you have the time.

Juneau is a beautiful capitol. We had the best Red King Crab legs. We also went to the top of the 1800 ft. Mountain on a tram.

I love to visitvisit a state Capitol building. The staff here was very friendly and informative. Government was not in session so there were not a lot of people around. We got to visit both galleries and saw a lot of interesting newspaper clippings.

This is an awesome capitol building. You're able to view just about every single office. Very welcoming unlike my home state capitol... awesome history in the walls like old newspapers and such. Maybe an hour to do a self guided tour. Very short walk if you're a cruise passenger. Lots of great photo opportunities.

Lovely stop in Juneau. Spent about an hour wandering around. It's a great place to go for some history of Alaska and see some beautiful Art Deco architecture. And to the person who puts out the tiny trinkets for kids to find (and the gentleman who told us about them), thank you! You helped my kids enjoy the time even more so that I, their nerdy mom, could enjoy all the building has to offer.

Super fun! We all enjoyed it very much, and would highly recommend. It’s so cool that you are allowed to go on a self guided tour. And see where our legislators work. There is so much history on the walls, we couldn’t see it all! The security guard on duty (that I unfortunately forget the name of) was extremely helpful and gave us all the useful information to find our way around. Don’t skip the documentary on the ground floor, it was excellent and highly educational. Also, there is more on the ground floor, so don’t forget to look at that. I also got to see a picture of Sarah “I can see Russia from my front porch” Palin, presumably practicing her concept of “chill baby chilla”, so that was pretty cool too. All around, our visit to the capital was highly awesome, and I very much recommend.

Interesting internal architecture, lots of informative displays and plaques. The internal architecture/appointments are an interesting mix of 19 cty woodwork and neo-classical. Very friendly to visitors.

June, 2025. Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. *Quick. How long does it take to drive from Anchorage to the Capitol in Juneau? That was actually a trick question. The Capitol city can only be reached by plane or sea (cruise ship, ferry). *How tall is the Capitol dome? That was another trick question. Completed in 1931, the Capitol was originally constructed as a territorial and federal building. Upon becoming the 49th state in 1959, building ownership was transferred to Alaska to serve as the state Capitol. It currently houses the state legislature as well as offices of the governor and lieutenant governor. Due to its original purpose, the building lacks the traditional dome of most other state capitols. Juneau was a port stop on our recent Alaska cruise. My husband and I walked (uphill ) from the cruise terminal to visit the state Capitol building. (Note that there are no public parking lots in the area, and street parking is very limited). In addition to admiring its original (restored) 1931 art deco design, visitors can venture inside to explore historic displays, artworks, photographs, and cultural artifacts celebrating Alaska's rich heritage. Entry to the Capitol was easy, and admission was free. After being screened by security, we were given a Visitor's Guide, with the recommendation to start our self-guided tour on the top (5th) floor. Points of interest there are both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Finance Cmte rooms, as well as historical photographs showcasing the state's judicial divisions. The fourth floor houses Lawmaker's offices. The hallways are lined with historical newspapers highlighting important historic events in Alaska. The 3rd floor houses the offices of the governor and lt. governor. Of note on this floor is a unique map of Alaska crafted from a section of the 48" pipe used to construct the Trans--Alaska pipeline. The Hall of Governor's honors past leadership. The second floor is the central location for legislative activity. There are also artistic tributes that honor Alaska's history and leaders. The first floor accommodates the offices of the Senate President and the Senate Rules Chair. Finally, the ground floor is the unassuming entrance to the Capitol. See a replica of the Liberty Bell, stone-fired murals, ceiling accents, and a bust of Elizabeth Peratrovich, a champion for civil rights. Note that the legislature was not in session on the day that we visited so we had access to all of the committee rooms and non-private spaces. We were pretty much left alone to wander to enjoy the building and its historic and cultural contents. The building is air-conditioned and has plentiful restrooms.

We got off the beaten path when in port in Juneau to see the Alaska State Capitol building. They free offered tours on the hour you could register for or you could go on a self guided walk around on your own time. With our limited time in port, we opted for the self-guided. They had a cool movie room with the history of the state. They allowed you to view the house and Senate meeting rooms, as well as walk the halls with some interesting memorbilia and artifacts from the state. We saw the governor's office and some other interesting department offices. The marble bathrooms were also open to visitors and very nice and clean. A really interesting free stop if you're in port!

We went on a self guided tour which was very informative. We originally went to the capitol to get a US capitol tourist stamp and the security officer allowed us the tour the building.

Great experience, nice staff, it was great to see all the different rooms that different meetings commence in. There are 5 floors so plenty of places to walk and explore. Make sure to collect your stamp before leaving!

This was a fun stop to go and "play tourist" at. The capitol building is easy to reach if you are at one of the hotels downtown or coming off the cruise ships to explore. It's always fascinating going to a state's capitol building as they are all built differently or have different features to them. We went in and went to the security person at the front in which she explained some of the floors were tourable and self guided. So we checked out the first floor some and then went to the other floors we were allowed to explore. Lots of fun and perhaps a bit strange going into different rooms where Alaska's politicians do their thing but a good experience nevertheless. Touring around is free so that's a nice bonus! Definitely recommend if you want to absorb some Alaskan history!

Cool place to check out if you're visiting Juneau. They're open weekdays from 7 am to 5 pm for self guided tours. Guided tours are available Tuesday-Friday at 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm through September 30, 2021. There's a sign in sheet in the lobby, however, we just walked in and joined the 3:30 tour. Parking was difficult since there's no public parking lot for the capitol so you'll have to find street parking or find a private paid lot or garage. After driving around for 10 min, we were lucky to find street parking about 2 blocks away. If you've been to any other state capitol you'll notice how small this one is. The building contains both houses of their state legislature as well as the offices of the Governor and Lt. Governor. They have lots of cool art in the hallways and it was cool how they allow everyone to walk around the halls freely as long as you don't walk into offices or disrupt their daily business. The legislature wasn't in session when we went, but it was still cool to check out the gallery seating in the House and Senate chambers. I believe if you go when they're in session you can still go into the gallery to observe. Whether or not you attend the guided tour, the visit is free and there is no admission charge. Their gift shop is located in the Juneau-Douglas City Museum next door

Welcome to the state capitol of Alaska! This small but powerful building in Juneau is host to the state government including legislature and governor. It is located in downtown Juneau within walking distance of the cruise port. There is no parking at the capitol. One of the benefits of visiting the state capital is that it opens early at 7 AM. This allows early cruise visitors something to do before everything else opens. Because Alaska is such a new state, capital is relatively new but has a great vintage feel. They offer tours, but they also have a good self guided tour. You can wander around the capitol to your heart's content and maybe even run into a couple meetings or legislators. There's a surprising amount of stuff to see in the capitol including a lot of old newspapers and pictures. It may be a little boring if there's no actual activity or hearings, and visiting a government building may not be your ideal vacation destination. However it's a fairly quick stop and something unique that you can put on your bucket list. Even though it's pretty close to the port, you do need to walk a decent amount up some hills to reach the capital. If you do want to also go to the Alaska state museum they are pretty close to each other. The gift shop is actually located in the city museum next door. Juneau is a great stop on your cruise, and I wouldn't blame you for visiting the glaciers or wildlife tours. However visiting the Alaska State Capitol is free and interesting if you don't want to venture far.

Juneau state capital is the smallest capital building I have been to. Their state senate is only a few seat. The speaker chamber is small but effective. The house chamber is larger. I think the room hold at 40 seat. The observer can seat on the back. The entire building is 6 floors high. Not sure they have the basement. The entrance has two mural curve in stone. One in harvest of the land with hunting scene. The state capital building is free entrance. There few floors you can visit.

Glad that my family left the big tourist part of Juneau to come see the state capitol building. It literally is just an office building but inside there is some good history and exhibits to see. They also offer tours in the summer months. It's small but it is worth a visit if you are interested in state government! enter on the side until the construction at the front of the building is done. There are five floors to explore and plenty of portraits and news articles to read about Alaska become a state.

As my friends and I were exploring Juneau we happened upon the Capitol Building. It is so tiny. I think my local public library is bigger. One of my friends wanted to go in. The facade was nice, but I didn't understand why she would want to go in. Whatever, it was rainy, I wasn't going to protest. When we walked through the doors something immediately struck me as odd -- no metal detectors or security at the door. As we started to walk around inside something else struck me as even odder -- no one was there. The security desk stood empty. The office doors were closed. The only sound other than our footsteps was the water fountain that they have going all the time. My Australian friend almost screamed when she saw a stick holding down the handle to the small porcelain water fountain. She's from the land of extreme drought and was about to stop the fountain when we all saw the sign. Apparently, Alaska has so much water that they can waste it. Lucky them. Show offs.

We just strolled in to the capitol building while walking around Juneau. We were asked if we wanted to take the tour, so we decided to. The young man who did the tour (sorry I forgot his name) was very nice and taught us so much about Alaska! We really enjoyed it!

We stopped by the Capital building and Governor's Mansion on a short walk from the downtown cruise ship area. It was quite small by California standards. Unlike California, they must operate efficiently. There were only a few people working there but they let us in and gave us a quick tour. We also went around the corner up the street to the Governors Mansion that is close by. Cool!