A Capitol idea � new visitor center opens at the heart of Congress

Coinciding with a tremendous surge in interest in US politics around the world, a brand-new $621million Capitol Visitor Centre opens at the very seat of government next month in Washington, DC. Designed to present a lively and informative view of the workings and history of Congress, the legislative process and the architecture of the building, this new facility covers 580,000 square feet on three levels below ground. It also links through to the Library of Congress with a pedestrian tunnel. www.aoc.gov

When it opens on 2 December, the Visitor Centre will provide visitors to the Capitol with a variety of amenities, including an exhibition gallery, orientation theatres, a 550-seat cafeteria, gift shops and toilet facilities all within a secure public environment.

The Capitol Visitor Centre is the largest project in Washington, DC�s 215-year history and is approximately three quarters the size of the Capitol Building itself. The entire facility is located underground on the east side of the Capitol so as not to detract from the appearance of the Capitol and of the grounds designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1874. It also features a link to the Library of Congress. The planting of 85 new trees, the restoration of historic fountains, lanterns and seat walls, and the addition of skylights, water features and granite paviors across the East Front Plaza will all serve to revitalise the historic landscape. www.aoc.gov

Steel yourself for an architectural treat

The long-awaited brand new Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke opens on 8 November 2008 and its building design has already won a prestigious American Architect�s Award. Featuring 35,000 square feet of stainless steel paneling for the roof and 785 glazed panes forming a curtain wall to the atrium, it will �change the face of art in Virginia�. www.artmuseumroanoke.org

Designed by Randall Stout, the galleries in this cutting-edge building will provide a stunning home for more than 1,900 objects in the art museum�s permanent collection. This comprises exceptional works that explore and celebrate the art and culture of its region within the larger narrative of American art. The museum actively collects nineteenth and early twentieth-century American art, modern and contemporary art, as well as design and decorative arts with a strong emphasis on the southern Appalachians.

The collection also includes several smaller areas including European art, and ancient Mediterranean art and has significant international works in modern and contemporary art and design.

Fun facts: � The smallest works are photographs no larger than 1x1.5 inches � The largest work is a sculpture by James Harold Jennings that is 10 feet tall � The highest point of the atrium soars 80 feet into the sky � The museum has had to �rent� the air space into which it extends into the City of Roanoke, beyond its natural footprint.

Entry is priced at just $3 per person, with children under 12 years free and the galleries are open 10am � 5pm Tuesday-Saturday and 1pm � 5pm on Sundays.

The Taubman Museum of Art is located at Center in the Square, One Market Square, Roanoke, within blocks of a more than a dozen great restaurants and unusual shops, as well as the Historic Farmers Market, the oldest continually operating outdoor market in Virginia. www.artmuseumroanoke.org

Raising the flag on the Star-Spangled Banner - National Museum of American History reopens following $85m �make-over�

The Smithsonian�s National Museum of American History enters a new dawn on 21 November, when it re-opens its doors to the public following a major $85 million, two-year renovation. One of the centrepieces will be a new �climate-controlled� gallery displaying the 200-year-old Star-Spangled Banner, the flag which inspired the American anthem. On opening, the museum will also provide a rare chance to see the White House copy of President Lincoln�s Gettysburg Address. www.americanhistory.si.edu

The building�s central core has been dramatically transformed and visitors will now enter through a dramatic five-storey sky-lit atrium, surrounded by artefact displays filled with more than 400 objects showcasing the breadth and depth of the museum�s three million objects representing the cultural, social, technological and political history of the United States.

An architectural representation of a waving flag - constructed from reflective tiles - frames the entrance to the Star-Spangled Banner gallery. The gallery itself is a state-of-the-art chamber designed to evoke the �dawn�s early light.�

All aspects of American life, history and popular culture are reflected in the artefacts and objects on display. The set of �treasures� exhibited as as eclectic as Dorothy�s ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz movie, Kermit the Frog and the original M.A.S.H. sign from the TV series of the same name to George Washington�s Camp Chest and Mohammed Ali�s boxing gloves and robe. www.americanhistory.si.edu

National Park Service launches Presidential trail

As one might expect from a new Presidential travel trail launched by the National Park Service, Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland boast a significant presence on the itinerary, which explores the lives and contributions of all 43 American presidents. www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/presidents/index.html

The new American Presidents itinerary is the latest in the �Discover Our Shared Heritage� series offered by the National Park Service. It seeks to promote public awareness of history and encourages visitors to explore historic places such as the White House or Washington Monument in DC; Monticello, Mount Vernon and Ash-Lawn Highland in Virginia and the George Washington Memorial Parkway running through Virginia and Maryland. Presidents such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, in particular, had strong links with the Capital Region. www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/presidents/index.html

100 Miles of Lights

If you thought that Blackpool�s Illuminated �Golden Mile� was the only place in the world to attract tens of thousands of visitors each festive season � think again! Seven Virginian cities, including Williamsburg, Richmond, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton and Virginia Beach are lit by millions of twinkling lights from mid-November through to early January each year in a programme of festivities, parades and called 100 Miles of Lights. www.100milesoflights.com

Threaded along the 100 miles or so from Richmond to Virginia Beach, drive-through light shows are everywhere to be seen, including the state�s oldest drive-through light show, Celebration in Lights, in Newport News which features 700,000 lights in more than 200 displays. Richmond�s GardenFest of Lights boasts more than 500,000 lights arranged in botanical themes throughout the Lewis Ginter Garden. (Both events are open daily from 27 November to 1 January from 5.30pm to 10pm.)

The Boardwalk at Virginia Beach on the Eastern Seaboard lights up the wintry night skies with more than 450,000 bulbs in 250 animated nautical and holiday-themed light displays from 20 November to 1 January.

McDonald�s Holiday Lights at the Beach stretch from 2nd Street to 33rd Street along the Boardwalk, with festive fish, jumping dolphins, frolicking porpoises, all illuminated by thousands of twinkling coloured lights. Sailing boats gently rock in the breeze and mermaids calling out to the �landlubber� visitors complete the nautical theme of this unusual light display. More than 100,000 visitors cruise the Boardwalk each holiday season to see the illuminations, a surfing Santa and three-storey Christmas tree. Lighting up time is 5.30pm daily, until 10pm Sunday -Thursday, or 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. For full details of all the events and timings visit www.100milesoflights.com

Winterfest of Lights Not to be outshone, Ocean City in Maryland presents Winterfest Village where dazzling lights on winter nights will to put you in the mood for the holiday season. www.ococean.com Board the Wintefest Express and sing Christmas carols as you glide past spectacular lighted displays including the Twelve Days of Christmas and your favorite Fairy Tales, Jurassic Park and much more. The admission to ride the train is $4.00 for those 12 years and older and FREE for those 11 years and younger. While in Ocean City take a drive through the Tunnel of Lights at the Inlet Lot lights boasting a nautical theme. Enjoy the Avenue of Trees on 15th � 32nd Streets. Baltimore�s Annual Parade of Lighted Boats On Saturday, 6 December Baltimore's nautical spirit will be all aglow for the annual Parade of Lighted Boats. More than 50 boats and pleasure crafts, bedecked and sparkling in their seasonal finery, make their way from Baltimore's world-famous Inner Harbor to Fells Point, festooned with festive lights. Father Christmas has also been known to swap his sleigh for a schooner for the occasion! www.baltimore.org

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For further information about travel to Washington, DC, Virginia or Maryland visit www.capitalregionusa.co.uk For media enquiries please contact: Eugene Roberts or Kylie Whitfield at KBC PR on 01825 76 36 36 Eugene.roberts@kbc-pr.com / Kylie.Whitfield@kbc-pr.com www.capitalregionusa.co.uk