Here, the Speaker of the House Tom Murphy, D-Bremen, acknowledges applause after being introduced to both houses of the General Assembly by Gov. Roy Barnes. Special to the Savannah Morning News Show time under the Dome By Ronell Smith Savannah Morning News For political junkies, the Georgia General Assembly is a spectacle worth following as closely as a Bulldog game. The legislature has begun its 2001 session under the golden dome of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. For the tens of thousands of Georgians who visit each year to watch the proceedings, the events are a learning experience. There are guided tours for individuals, school groups and other organizations.
Individuals can park at several lots within a couple of blocks of the capitol.
After viewing the tape, visitors walk across Washington Street and into the second floor of the capitol past the governor's office, the lieutenant governor's office and the secretary of state's office. The capitol has been undergoing renovations since 1997. Visitors are not allowed to enter the chambers when the legislature is in session. Instead, they are taken to the fourth floor, where they can look out over the session in progress from the House and Senate galleries. People are also taken to a museum on the fourth floor that houses such artifacts as a two-headed calf provided by a Georgia farmer.