The new Capitol Visitor Center opens its doors tomorrow, December 2nd.

You already opened your wallet to help build it. The $621 million final price tag amounts to about $6.30 per U.S. family, or $2 per person. The original cost estimate was $265 million, with a completion date of December 2005.

But it’s going to be a real improvement for visitors to the Capitol, who have been waiting in line and suffering slow entry through cluttered doorways not designed for magnetometers and the security checks we have today.

Between the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the U.S. Botanic Garden, you could spend a full day all within a few square blocks and get some real insights into the workings of the government – and some exotic plants.

The best times of year to visit are spring and early fall. You get about two weeks of nice weather between when it’s too cold and when it’s too hot and humid.

So what are you waiting for? You already paid for it! Come on check out your new Capitol Visitor Center!