Now that all the fuss is over, the new First Family is in the White House, the crowds have gone home and city hotel prices are down to almost reasonable, plan now for a springtime trip to Washington. You’ll enjoy seeing all the famous sites in bloom, including the Mall and famed cherry trees. Also, to get your city journey started and decide where to go and when, it may be worth a tour of the new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center below the the historic building.

The $621 million, many-roomed underground structure features interesting exhibits, contemporary video presentations, historical documents and artifacts, photos of Washington through the years, a theater and restaurant. Admission is free, but if you go, expect to be subjected to a security screening. After all, just a few feet above you could be Congress in session. The structure is sound-proofed, so you won’t hear any filibusters during your visit.

There are three underground levels in the Center, but to ease the feeling visitors may get of being trapped underground, the Center has skylights that give beautiful daylight views of the Nation’s premiere government building above them. About three million visitors are expected to come to the new Center this year.