See billions of dollars at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s (BEP) state-of-
the-art Tour and Visitor Center located in Fort Worth, Texas. As the U.S.
Government’s security printer, the BEP is responsible for the design, engraving,
and printing of all U.S. paper currency. Over half of the nation’s currency order is
produced in Fort Worth. Visitors have the opportunity to walk through two floors
of interactive exhibits and displays, view the high-definition theater movie, take a
free guided tour on the elevated tour walkway, and purchase uncut currency and
souvenir items in the Moneyfactory Gift Shop.

The first level of the visitor center showcases exhibits and displays dedicated to
the history of U.S. paper currency and the history of the BEP, both in Fort Worth
and Washington D.C. Also featured on the first level is a recently restored, fully
operational, turn-of-the-century spider press as is a fully stocked engraver’s work
bench. Both the press and the bench are utilized for special events to give
visitors an insight into both Intaglio printing and the engraving process. Additions
to the first level are a display which allows visitors to touch engraved plates, a
million dollar “Do The Math” display, and a graduated “tower” of shredded
currency entitled “How Tall Are You Worth?” While on the first level, guests may
shop at the Moneyfactory Gift Shop.

A quick trip by elevator or escalator transports the visitor to the second level of
exhibits and displays. The theater is the first stop where “The Buck Starts Here,”
a high-definition, 14-minute educational film on the production of currency is
shown. Coming out of the theater, guests receive a guided tour on the quarter-
mile long elevated walkway overlooking the currency production floor. Upon
finishing the guided tour, visitors can interact with exhibits highlighting each
section of currency production. Exhibits provide information on Platemaking and
Engraving, and continue with Offset, Intaglio Plate Printing, Mechanical
Examination, and COPE Operations, and end with Packaging Operations.
Continuously looped worker videos give the visitor an opportunity to see
interviews with production employees and see the sights and hear the sounds of
the production floor. A giant $20 bill turns on sequentially in the order of the
production process, beginning with the paper layer. Text and photo panels give
details about the paper and ink used and the roles of the electro-machinists and
management control. A mutilated currency redemption area on the west end of
the second level provides visitors with information about what is involved in the
redemption of mutilated currency.

Getting to the Tour and Visitor Center is easy. Guests are transported from the
Transfer Station on Blue Mound Road to the Visitor Center on a shuttle.

The Tour and Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday, excluding Federal
holidays, as follows:

Hours of Operation: August to May
Tours
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. - Public and Group Tours
Visitor Center
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Hours of Operation: June to July
Tours
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. - Public and Group Tours
Visitor Center
8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Tours are available in American Sign Language and Spanish upon request.
Assisted listening devices are on-hand for use in the theater by the hearing-
impaired as are audio description wands for the exhibits and displays to assist
the sight-impaired. Wheelchairs are also available. The Bureau of Engraving
and Printing is a secure facility; all visitors, including children, are required to
pass through security screening. Cameras, video equipment, tape recorders, cell
phones, food and drinks are not permitted on the premises. The free, 45-minute
tours may be arranged by calling the tour scheduler at (817) 231-4000 in the
Dallas-Ft. Worth area or toll-free at (866) 865-1194 (For either line, press 2 to
speak directly with the tour scheduler).