The White House Is Finally Offering Public Tours Again Starting This Spring
You can see the Oval Office IRL and tour the executive mansion come April.
Looks like you can finally add 'White House tour' back to your Washington, DC tourist activities, alongside stops at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of the American Indian. After putting the tours on an indefinite hiatus in March 2020 due to the pandemic, the Biden Administration plans to reinstate the offering this spring.
The White House will begin offering tours of the People's House starting in April. The tours will begin on Friday, April 15, and from there, they'll take place on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 am to 12:30 pm, according to a White House press release. Showings will, of course, not be available on federal holidays. Luckily, tours are totally free and are ticketed on a first-come, first-served basis.
To get your tour booked, a request must be submitted anywhere between 21-90 days before your visit. According to the White House website, interested parties will have to submit a request through "a Member of Congress and their Congressional Tour Coordinator." Interested parties may reach their Member of Congress and Congressional Tour Coordinator through the US House of Representatives Switchboard at 202-225-3121, the US Senate Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or online at www.congress.gov/members.
As for COVID-19 safety protocols, the White House is suggesting all tour participants adhere to CDC guidelines. The White House is also requesting that you stay home if you or someone in your party have, within the past 10 days, tested positive or come in contact with an someone who tested positive.