Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Do you want to know how to make money? In the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, you’ll learn how to make money, literally. Or more accurately, you’ll know how money is printed. Making money is actually very easy. You just need to have equipment that will allow you to print money. Of course, you’ll also need special paper and special ink. But most importantly, you need to have authorization from the U.S. government. If you don’t have any of this then you can just take a tour of the building that makes money for Americans. Here in this article, you’ll learn important things about the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. You’ll also learn why you should include the place in your itinerary on your next visit to Fort Worth, Texas. 
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is one of the offices allowed by the U.S. government to print money. They only make paper currency and not coins. They operate under the Federal Reserve, which is the government agency that determines the amount of currency that is going to be put in circulation. Billions of dollars per year are printed by the BEP. So you can imagine how stringent the security is in its building. But they are open to those who want to learn more about money and how it’s printed. It’s one of the most interesting places to visit in Fort Worth.
If you are planning to visit BEP, then you should know that tours are only available on weekdays. Since it’s a government office, it’s closed on weekends. It’s also closed from December 25 to January and on all national holidays. So before you visit, it’s a good idea to check their calendar first. The best thing about the tours at BEP is that they are completely free. But hours and methods of entry vary so again it’s advisable to check their website first before you go. Late August to early March is considered off-season. If you’re planning to visit within this period, then all you need to do is to go to the place and take the next available tour. You don’t need to get tickets. There are tours every 15 minutes, from 9:00 am to 10:45 am and then from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm. But if you belong to a group consisting of ten or more members, then you can request for a group tour from 11:00 am to 12:15 pm.
It’s a totally different story during peak season. You need to have tickets to enter the building. You can get the tickets from Raoul Wallenburg Place. The Ticket booth opens at 8:00 am but people start lining up as early as 7:00 am. So if you want to make sure that you’ll get a ticket, it’s highly recommended that you come early. Tickets don’t easily “sell-out” though. During peak season, tours are held from 9:00 am to 11:00 am and from 12:30 pm to 6:00 pm. You get the luxury of choosing your preferred tour time when you get your ticket.
The place has an ingenious system for distributing tickets. The tickets are pre-printed with different time slots. There are also cars displaying the time slot on the window. When a certain time slot runs out, the person in the ticket booth will simply remove the card that corresponds to the time slot. So people can only choose from the time slots that are displayed. So when you go up to the ticket booth you need to choose a time slot, say how many tickets you need, and then get your tickets. The efficiency of ticket distribution makes the line move fast. Good news for people who are impatient and who hate long lines.
Taking pictures inside is absolutely not allowed in the manufacturing areas. The tour will walk you through viewing platforms of the actual rooms where U.S. currency is being printed. You must keep in mind that what you are seeing is not a show. You are seeing real people who are doing their jobs. And they are manufacturing real money. And the whole place contains millions of dollars in bills at any given time. It’s a fast-moving tour and at the end, you’ll be led to the gift shop.
