This is also a great question and as a former bride-to-be, I can totally understand why someone planning a wedding would ask this. Now as a photographer though I can totally understand why it isn't always possible or relevant to the wedding day itself. Of course distance is a factor so I wouldn't drive 7hrs to view someone's venue before their wedding day but I would drive up the day before to stay overnight, and if appropriate, I might pop past the venue on my way in.
However, the reason it's not relevant to the day is basically light. Light is what makes a photograph a photograph... photography literally translates to "painting with light" and so if I view your venue on a cloudy day, and on your wedding day it's sunny, it will look completely different in photos and we might even do your photos in a different part of the venue depending on the light. I can understand couples wanting to show me around though so I will visit if it's local and not in the middle of wedding season, or a weekend as that's when I have most shoots, however if it's further afield then most venue websites have good photos or video I can look at. I always also get to a venue earlier than I'm due to start so I can look around and familiarise myself with the layout before I am officially due to start the day.
In terms of having worked at a venue before, in the UK this is like the chances of winning the lottery almost as there are soooo many wedding venues. I live in Kent which is called the Garden of England, and there are so many venues that I'd have had to be doing photography for many many many years to be able to do at least one wedding at each of them! However, there are some venues I've shot at maybe once or multiple times where if they look after me and my couple then I add them to my recommended supplier list.
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