Washington DC Bureau of Engraving & Printing
If you choose Washington D.C. as the destination
for your student travel or adult bus tour group,
you should know in Washington many of the
government buildings are accessible to the public
without an appointment, however, there are those
that do require a reservation.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is a
fascinating place to visit and is by appointment
only. The employees who print the US currency
are masters of design and color and as an
observer, watching the printing process is very
interesting.
Each sheet of money is scrutinized and if there
is even a hint of difference in one of the bills
the entire sheet is destroyed. Those who are
working the presses know they are being watched
and for the most part they do their work without
interacting with the guests aside from the
occasional wave of the hand.
As you walk along watching the process through
continuous glass hallways the smell of the ink is
distinct. Hopefully by the end of the tour you
have adjusted to the smell and there are no ill
effects.
If there are no appointments available for the
date or time you are touring, your group can
arrive early at the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing and stand in line for timed entry
tickets for that day. Each individual can be
issued up to eight tickets and the tickets will
be stamped with the time the ticket holder can go
in for their tour.
You may consider contacting a travel company who
specializes in your group type or the destination
you are interested in. Appointment dates and
times can be difficult to manage and time
consuming to coordinate.
At the end of the tour be sure to visit the gift
shop. There are many fun things that have been
made from the money that is disqualified as
currency such as rings and pencils. A great
souvenir that you can actually purchase for the
hard-to-buy-for person is an uncut sheet of
currency. Buying money that is not spendable,
how cool is that?
To build a well planned, completely organized
trip for yourself or for an entire group, contact
a Group Travel Professional and wherever the road
leads you, enjoy your travels.
Vickie Dodson
Find out more at www.adventurestudenttravel.com
& www.exploringamerica.com
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