Today we are taking a trip to Raleigh North Carolina as a start to our sixth trip. We decided it was time to see the capitol of our home state. We plan to complete the rest of our sixth trip during the summer
After a short drive from home, we arrived at the capitol. It was a very nice day.
Our first stop on our self guided tour was the Senate Chamber. From the gallery you get a good idea of the relatively small size of this chamber. While not as ornate as many state capitols, the room is well appointed.
The House chamber is much larger than the Senate space. We took a photo from the gallery and from the House floor to get a sense of the full size of the room.
The entire architecture of the North Carolina Capitol is very understated for a capitol. You can see that the dome is very well built and attractive, but not as ornate as most.
Under the dome is an area decorated with statues and busts. This room shows that the area is much better lit than the photo of the dome would indicate.
There are some different types of details included inside the capitol. They are both classic and modern at the same time. The various colors used throughout the building help to create this unique combined style.
The Raleigh Capitol has sections around the building that serve as a museum. The museum documents some of the original rooms that were included in the original use of the facility. Here is a picture of the State Library from the early days of the capitol.
On the Capitol grounds there are a variety of monuments and statues. Several are dedicated to prior governors. Others honor educators and others that have contributed to the growth and history of North Carolina. Here are two that honor Governor Vance and Governor Aycock.
One of the statues honors three US Presidents that were born in North Carolina. The unique fact about all three of them is that they lived in South Carolina when they were elected President of the United States.
It was a quick fun trip to visit the North Carolina Capitol in Raleigh.