March 25, 2026. Raleigh North Carolina and Columbia South Carolina (with a little Congaree in between).
After passing security, the tour desk worker stamped our passport and handed us a slick 6-panel, trifold brochure for our self-guided tour of the North Carolina State Capitol.
Back to another short capitol tour! We thought an hour on the parking meter would barely suffice, but we were in and out and down the road before my 45-minute timer went off on my Apple watch. The North Carolina Capitol only does guided tours on the weekends, or for school groups during the week. We were there on a Wednesday, while passing through after eating our cooked-to-order breakfast (French toast) at a hotel along the way.
This is the second Capitol building to be built on this location. The first building was a simple, two-story brick State House, completed in 1796, later enlarged to add a third floor, dome, rotunda, and eastern and western wings. That one burned down in 1831 when workers were fireproofing the roof and accidentally set it on fire (ironic, eh?). The current building was built in the Greek Revival style, popular in Europe and the United States at that time. The roof and dome are made of copper, which patinaed to a green/blue over time.
Immediately after picking up our brochure, we were greeted by a larger-than-life statue of George Washington underneath the dome, the same one pictured on the cover of the brochure, but very different from the regal, marble statue we saw yesterday in Richmond. Washington was sculpted to look like a Roman General, wearing the tunic, sandals, tightly fitted body armor, and a short cape fastened at the shoulder. He didn’t look like George at all! The idea was intriguing, but we didn’t really care for it. The original statue by Antonio Canova was destroyed in the State House fire. An Italian artist Romano Vio used his working model to create the replica, which was placed here in 1970. In our opinion, they should have gotten a clue from the fire. But what do we know?
Governor’s Office
Only the Governor’s office remains active here (encompassing the first floor including staff). Official business also occurs from time to time including press conferences, bill signings, oath of office ceremonies, special sessions of legislature, and commemorations.
Senate and House Chambers
Regular senate and house sessions are no longer held in this building. The second floor holds the two old chambers of Senate and House, restored to their original charm, serving as a museum for visitors like us. First we walked into the Senate, and then the House.
Second Floor.
Plaques line the hallways around the staircase leading to the second floor. Several display information about the slavery that took place in North Carolina. One plaque I found interesting revealed information about the State Treasurer John Haywood, who served 40 years and died in office. Not long after his death, they discovered nearly $70,000 missing from the treasury. (That’s about $2.36 million today!) His peers vouched for his character, claiming it must have been an error; however, the state required his personal estate to pay back the debt. They sold all his belongs, including 100+ slaves, at a public auction in 1828, leaving his heirs with no inheritance. The title of the plaque: “110 Valuable Slaves.”
Another slave story is found in the brochure. Local enslavers rented their slaves to the project for the construction and state operated quarry. We can thank over 130 enslaved African Americans who worked on the Capitol from 1833 to 1840 as “quarrymen” and general “laborers.”
Pen-Check Stairs.
Fun Fact! There are two of these staircases between the second and third floors. I don’t feel like rewording the description from the brochure, so I’ll just include it here. “Two free-standing stone staircases…are carved from solid stone and joined so that the weight of each step is directed on the one below it. Ultimately, the weight of the entire staircase is supported by the base step, which is embedded in the stone floor.” Amazing design!!
These stairs lead to the galleries as well as the State Library. We skipped the third floor in the interest of time (and legs). We had a late night last night, and a full day ahead.
Capitol Grounds
On the way back to the car, we saw some flowering trees as well as very large trees. One of the biggest magnolia trees I have seen is below, and look at the tree by Tim in the third picture below. Can you find him? It was still a bit chilly for us Texans, but the blue skies made a beautiful backdrop.
On to South Carolina!
Congaree National Park
This was a fairly easy National Park for us to get to and it was on our drive path where we caught five capitols and a National Park on our road trip home from Connecticut. Tim had two onsite visits with churches who are looking for pastors in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. It’s a long way from our home in Texas, so it’s fortunate we like to be together since we spent a lot of time in the car! We didn’t take the Airstream on this trip, so we will come back one day and stay in South Carolina in the Airstream, but now we can stay where we want instead of vying for space near downtown Columbia or Congaree.
Congaree National Park protects the largest remaining tract of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in North America. It contains over 26,000 acres, with 15,000 of those acres designated as a wilderness area. The park received its official designation in 2003 as the culmination of a grassroots campaign that began many years earlier, in 1969. They welcomed 287,833 recreation visits in 2025 (ranking 49th out of 63 National Parks). The park is gaining popularity as this increased from 145,929 visitors in 2018 when it ranked as the United States’ 10th-least visited national park. By comparison, Smoky Mountain National Park (#1) received 11.5 million visitors last year.
The Visitor Center.
The Visitor Center is a pretty standard looking building, but it had some visuals to demonstrate the heights and breadth of the trees in this forest. Those were pretty cool. We got another National Park stamp as well!
The Boardwalk.
This is a nice park to visit when you are time-limited. You don’t have to hike a long way, or see multiple sites that are miles and miles apart from one side of the park to the other (think: New River Gorge). Congaree is basically a walk through the woods on a nice wooden boardwalk.
We walked about 15 minutes or so, then turned around as our time was limited. There are approximately 2.4 miles of boardwalk, but half of it was closed due to repairs while we were there. It’s a peaceful path through an ancient place surrounded by sounds of nature. Well, mostly peaceful. We thought it was a bit crowded for a Wednesday and there is some construction.
I would like to go back to Congaree and spend a bit more time there walking the entire boardwalk. I would also like to see the fireflies. This is one of the only places in the world where you can see synchronous fireflies, all lighting up at the same time while trying to find a mate. The females have a lot to choose from!
And now, on to our final Capitol on the eastern seaboard.
South Carolina State House
A morning visit to North Carolina’s State Capitol, an afternoon walk through the Congaree National Park, and a final stop to see the building and property at the State Capitol in South Carolina rounded out our long, yet fulfilling, day.
This Capitol was … okay. Not overwhelming. Not underwhelming. We did not get a guided tour…again. It seems we find the capitol buildings less interesting when we have to go it alone, although Tim does make it entertaining!
A Few Fun Facts. If you like history, read the plaque on how the Civil War impacted this building. And then the plaque on how the Poinsettia (yes, the Christmas flower) got its name. Or, keep on scrolling …
Mirror twin wrought-iron staircases face each other, with famous portraits and paintings on the walls. The banisters incorporate the state flower, yellow jessamine.
The Dome.
The Dome is in two parts – an interior and exterior dome. This is a false interior dome, for aesthetic purposes, which fits inside the exterior dome. The exterior dome is made of steel and wood, finished with copper.
Senate and House Chambers.
Legislature was in session, which meant lots of men and women in suits hanging around (and we were in t-shirts and jeans 🥴🤪😂). We were permitted to watch from the gallery upstairs, and take a picture as the Senate debated about bathrooms in the stadium. That was interesting. Or not. 😂😂😂.
We were able to take a quick picture of the House while they were on a break. I’m sure a docent would have fun telling stories about this room!
There were a few of these beautifully stained-glass pieces of art. This has the state seal, I believe, with some other state symbols.
The Capitol Grounds
The grounds were some of the most fascinating we have seen to date. They even have a scavenger hunt for school groups to encourage discovery of all the statues and monuments out there. We had fun with the clues. I enjoyed the century-old trees planted around the grounds, in addition to the flowers throughout the landscaping. We probably spent more time outside than in the building, as there was that much to see. This turned the Capitol from “meh” to “cool!”
Notice the statue of George Washington. It’s the same one we saw in Richmond, only this is a replica. There are only six copies of the original marble statue. Notice his walking cane is broken, I couldn’t remember how that happened so I looked it up. According to the University of SC Libraries, the lower part of the cane was broken off in February 1865 by soldiers in General William T. Sherman’s Union Army, who threw rocks and bricks at the statue during the Union occupation of Columbia, aimed at the monument in an act of contempt. The statue is made of bronze on a Missouri Red Granite base.
Also take note of the third picture below. Bronze stars are affixed to the walls in random places, where Civil War cannonballs hit the building.
This southern magnolia tree was planted as a memorial to General Robert E. Lee. Massive! It surpassed the one we saw in North Carolina. Here’s a video for perspective.
The weather was gorgeous, and we were so thankful God had set the sun in the sky for our enjoyment and warmth. I hope you enjoyed the tour of our day, with the three fun stops we took along our path. You can do anything through Christ who gives you strength! Even conquer those steps.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
“I am the Lord, who heals you.” ~Exodus 15:26
My relationship with Jesus Christ motivates me to keep blogging. Though I have metastatic breast cancer*, my faith helps me survive, thrive, and feel alive while staying active. Without Him, I couldn’t achieve anything. With His help, well, my accomplishments speak for themselves on my blog. If you’re interested in learning about building a relationship with Jesus, feel free to comment below. I will never sell or share your email.
*Metastatic breast cancer is Stage IV cancer. Metastatic, or metastasis, means the cancer has spread beyond the original location (breast and immediate lymph nodes). In 2016 the doctors found significant metastasis to my bones, skull, liver, and lungs; then in 2018 to the brain. However, with chemo, immunotherapy, gamma knife, and of course my faith in the Lord, it is all undetectable at this point. I continue in treatment every three weeks via infusions, and receive multiple scans on a regular basis. If you or someone you know has metastatic breast cancer, I recommend these organizations for additional support:
Metavivor and Unite for Her (also for ovarian cancer)
