The Michigan State Capitol: a domed landmark you can tour for free

If you’re in Lansing, the building you can’t miss is the Michigan State Capitol, its tall cast-iron dome rising over downtown. Lansing has been the state capital since 1847, but this is actually Michigan’s third capitol building — the first two were lost to fire. This one was dedicated on January 1, 1879, and it was the first statehouse designed by architect Elijah E. Myers, who went on to design the capitols of Texas and Colorado as well. Myers modeled the dome on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, and Michigan’s helped popularize the domed statehouse that became an American icon. After more than a century of hard use, the building was carefully restored in the early 1990s, bringing back its remarkable hand-painted interiors; it’s now a National Historic Landmark and still the working home of the state legislature and the governor’s ceremonial offices. Being the seat of state government shapes Lansing beyond this one building, too — it makes the state one of the area’s largest and steadiest employers, which tends to give the local job market a more even keel than a single-industry town. Best of all for visitors, the Capitol is free to tour — both guided and self-guided tours are offered as a service of the state. You’ll find it at 100 North Capitol Avenue in downtown Lansing.