Over the next couple days, you may feel a twinge of jealousy every time you visit your favorite social media platform.
You’ll likely be seeing a lot of pictures of your friends, family or coworkers walking on the south lawn of the White House. This weekend, the White House Gardens and South Grounds are once again open to the public for tours.
“We expect to have between 30-40,000 people come through the White House gardens this weekend,” said Elizabeth Alexander, first lady Jill Biden’s communication director.
Alexander explained that the tradition dates back to 1972.
“Twice a year, the presidents and first lady open up the White House and the South Grounds and the White House gardens to the public so they have a chance to experience ‘the people’s house,'” said Alexander.
The fall garden tour offers more than beautiful flowers.
“You get to see the doors of the Oval Office,” said Alexander. “You get to see the beautiful and historic West Colonnade, you get to see the South Grounds of the White House’s South Lawn, where Marine One takes off. You see that on the news all the time, and you get to be there, right there, in person.”
This is Alexander’s second stint working at the White House.
“(This) is now probably my seventh year working in the White House, across the Obama-Biden administration and the Biden-Harris administration. And every day, when I walk in the East Wing, it still takes my breath away. There’s so much history and beauty that is here. It’s an honor to serve the public working here,” she said.
Tickets to the White House’s fall garden tour are free and are given out on a first-come first-served basis starting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the White House Visitor Center — at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
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