White House tours will finally reopen fully to the public, after almost a year and a half of disruptions.
President Trump’s White House only briefly suspended tours due to the coronavirus pandemic despite guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They were fully suspended when President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. In April 2022, limited tours began again (only on Friday and Saturday mornings).
On Monday, the White House announced that the free tours would finally return to their normal schedule as of July 19. The tours are available to anyone, but requests must be made through your member of Congress between one and three months before your visit.
Tours of the White House include glimpses into the histories of many past Presidential residents and their families. Tours are occasionally guided by congressional staff members, sometimes even your Congress representative themselves. If you wind up self-guided, as happens often, there is an app called the White House Experience recommended.
The tours include the public rooms in the East Wing, which includes the Blue, Red, and Green rooms, the State Dining Room, the China Room, and hallway views of many more. Each room has Secret Service members posted for security, who are able to answer questions about history, architecture, and procedure. Don’t expect any inside gossip, though.
While the White House tours include a view of the Rose Garden, that’s actually a separate tour, only available for a few days a year in spring and fall. Tickets for that are available through the National Park Service.
One important caveat: there are no restrooms available to those touring the White House. No, you cannot go where the President goes. Restrooms are available in the Ellipse Visitor Pavilion, outside the White House ground.
The full tour schedule, reopening July 19th, is 7:30 to 11:30 am Tuesday through Thursday, and 7:30 am to 1:30 pm Fridays and Saturdays. The White House is closed to the public on Sunday and Monday, and all tours are subject to last minute cancellations based on the needs of the First Family, the Secret Service, or the official White House schedule.
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