The public has not been allowed in the White House for over a year because of the pandemic, but limited tours are up and running again.
Tours were restarted on April 15, and so far, only four days of tours have gone through the people’s house. They are only available on Friday and Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“We hope by the summer, we’ll be back in full swing,” Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, told WTOP. “It’s just a wonderful opportunity for the people of our country to have access to the house — it’s the people’s house — and to be up close and personal with their White House.”
If you want a tour, you’ll still need to contact your representative. The White House requires a lead time of at least 21 days before your visit.
“It’s a nice equitable system, that everyone across the country can approach their member of Congress for access to the White House,” said McLaurin.
With tour again resuming, the public will get to see historic rooms like the Green and Red rooms — but they’ll also see many rooms the president and first lady use every day, like the State Dining Room and the largest room in the White House, the East Room.
“And then, you see some very special rooms, the White House Library, the China Room where there are samples of all the presidential china. You see the cross hall where portraits of the presidents hang,” said McLaurin.
McLaurin said his favorite room is the presidential library.
“But I could take each room and say something about it that, to me, has a special meaning and purpose,” he added.
