Recently, the boys and I joined some friends for a tour of the capitol building in Santa Fe. The Capitol “Rotunda” is really quite beautiful. Largely hidden by trees (at least on the side we came in on!), you realize immediately that the building is round. What you don’t see right away is that it is actually in the design of the New Mexico emblem – the Zia.
There are tours offered nearly every day, and they’re free. You just have to call up the office and schedule your group for one of the available slotted times. We had a fantastic guide, James Phelps, who managed to keep a group of kids – ages 1 to 13 – relatively engaged for 45 minutes. We started our tour in the center of the building, around the seal of New Mexico.
James gave us a brief overview of New Mexico’s history and the story behind the Rotunda. We enjoyed the gorgeous marble and artwork throughout the building and ended up in the “Gallery” which is where the State Senate meets.
Apparently, there is a program set up where kids as young as 6 (!!) can participate as a “Page” for the day for their senator or representative. You simply call up your congressperson’s office and request that your kid serve as a Page at some point while congress is in session. The Pages run errands such as getting drinks or snacks, handing around notes, gathering documents, etc. I wouldn’t quite trust my kids to do that, yet, but I think it’s a fun way to get kids more interested and involved with their state government.
We had a fun discussion about law-making while sitting in the community room, and then we got a brief walk through the Governor’s Office to look at the beautiful photography exhibit currently installed. There is some really spectacular artwork throughout the entire building. My boys enjoyed the life-size Buffalo head made entirely of trash and recycled materials collected from the various counties of New Mexico. (The reflective quality of the eyes is actually created with clear plastic spoons!)
We ended our outing with a picnic on the grass in front of the Rotunda. I think the boys’ favorite part was running around like wild animals in front of the building….
The tour overall, was a little over my kids’ heads. With Bodie only being 6.5, we haven’t really covered the separate branches of government and what they do, so that was lost on all of them. But, it is definitely a worthwhile activity. It could even be a fun date – wander through the Rotunda and then hit up one of the many restaurants down on the Santa Fe Plaza for lunch or dinner.
Parking in this area can be a little complicated. We were given a tip, though. At the time this post is published, the 30 minute parking in the lots right in front of the Rotunda is not enforced. So, you can park there for your tour and you shouldn’t have to worry!
