We apparently were quite fortunate to be able to get into the White House on this trip as wed put a request in for the tour less than a month before our vacation and Id heard youd need to request a tour several months in advance. Security is tight, as one could imagine, so be sure to follow all the prescribed rules very carefully. The security stationed around the home are quite friendly and informative, giving the history of each room in which theyre stationed to all who ask. Our timing was great, as we got to see the presidential motorcade leaving right as we showed up.

The White House was dressed up beautifully for Christmas. Our trip was easy fun and stunning. We requested our tickets three months prior through our representative. We showed up 1 hour early to the White House Visitor Center, where we discovered that the entrance is across the street. The White House Visitor Center was a great place to start, with a 12 minute informative video, models and Miniatures of the White House, and artifacts with information about the life in the White House. We also picked up several gifts for family members at the gift shop at the White House Visitor Center. 30 minutes prior to our appointed visit time we made our way to the security entrance across the street from Pershing Park. There are three separate screening areas, but all were easy and non-intrusive. The White House itself was fully decked out for Christmas. It looked and smelled like the holidays. The tour is self-guided, but there are Secret Service agents everywhere who are very friendly and willing to provide information about the room in which theyre posted. We highly recommend this tour for anyone.

Today was one of the most profoundly Inspiring days of my life! It was almost overwhelming.I was in the place where everything that is our Country has been done. The Power was Incredible. I am proud of the service I gave to my country. And today I was given the honor to walk the halls and be in the rooms that have witnessed the most important decisions made in our country. And even the world.It was humbling and exhilarating, scary and wonderful, and i was Proud! Its hard to describe what it was like. Everything was perfect, and in good working order. The people working were the absolute professionals and incredibly nice. I was able to be inside the building that has seen Elvis, Abraham Lincoln, JFK, Teddy Roosevelt, Mohammed Ali, the Queen of England, the Heads of State to almost every Nation since it was built.It has been burnt to the ground and re built but the walls have always been there. The walls have heard death and children playing. Goats have lived and dogs have played. every war except one has been played out in it. Peace has been kept and won, all for a simple idea. For the People by the People.I saw the desk that was used to sign the Civil rights act and help organize NASA. National parks were made on it and Nixon resigned. Winston Churchill was there and the room that witnessed the death of Osama bin laden and Benghazi. Terrible and Amazing things happened in it and it made me feel...everything! I was in the White House! IT WAS SO FREAKING AWESOME

Great place to learn about the history of the White House. Really enjoyed the amount of artifacts that this center had, not too overwhelming if you have small kids.

Very cool place and I wish it was advertised better. Once you find it it is a great museum, full of information about the beginnings of the White house. Also it tells of the evolution the building went throw over time. Cool artifacts that show the people who interacted with America, old house hold items that were used to entertain guests and old furniture the past presidents sat on. Pretty quick museum over all in comparison to all the other museums at the National Mall.

Interesting and varied displays. Not as much content as I thought there would be. Due to our groups early entrance time, we visited the White House before walking down the the visitors center. Even the hallways in the White House have been a part of history and the entire place is a museum. It would have been nice if the we could have reversed the order. We would have had more background information before stepping into the White House.

Truly came in here just to use the restrooms, but had a great time here! The gift shop is really nice with a great variety of items with many different price points. There is a lot of historical information throughout the visitor center. Great place to stop! Going through all the security before entering didnt make a lot of sense to me just for a visitors center, but staff were kind and explanatory. Bathrooms were in nice shape, properly clean and well maintained. Great place to stop before (or after) heading to the White House.

The tour is for appx 45min. Its good but not as expected. Worth visiting once

White House Visitor Center.I used to see the White House on the screen of a television or sometime in cinemas. A place that symbolizes the freedom of mankind, a big country and as a melting pot of all nations in the world.It would not easy for me to come here, at least I need to fly for about 21 hours. Then one day I have a chance to visit Washington DC and I wont let myself miss the opportunity to visit the White House and join the tour.When I got there on Tuesday and I didnt lucky, therere very long queuing of people along the fence and the tour already close then I come back again very early on Thursday and finally succeeded.The security procedures are very tight a lot of Secret Service persons seen there and I saw the signboard of restriction before entering the place such as; no pet, no aerosol, no gun, no knife, no smoking, etc.Once you are inside, the tour is self-guided and will take about half an hour including the public rooms in the East Wing, which includes the Blue Room, Red Room and Green Room; the State Dining Room; the China Room; and a view of the White House Rose Garden.Only in my imagination I can meet the President and visit the Oval room.Nice experience and forget not to drop by a while at the souvenir shops to buy something there, as proof that you have been there.

Must see..we didnt get a White house tour. However, we did enjoy the visitors center after a few pics at the gate. The video of past presidential families living in the White house was very interesting...actual interviews and pictures. Must see.

So, if youre like me and didnt do your due diligence before coming to Washington, then you would have been pretty surprised to find out you need to book your visit to the white house 21 days to 3 months in advance. If youre a US citizen, you will need to ask your congressman or woman to set up a visit. Otherwise, you need to go to your countrys embassy to schedule a visit.However, the silver lining is that this place is wonderful to visit as a consolation prize. Its a wonderful little museum that looks at the history of the White house and its inhabitants. I really enjoyed my time here. Just like most places, you will need to pass airport like security before entering and there is a gift shop. I enjoyed the gift shop, its pretty cool to get an official white house notebook.

I really enjoyed the tour but the only thing that disappointed me was that the tour was not long enough. It is more or less a self-guided tour but there are a Secret Service agent in each room to answer any questions you may have. Wished we could see more but we knew that was not possible because of security concerns. We would recommend this tour.

The visitor center is a good place to acquainted with the great history of the US symbol.

I would skip this one for one of the others if you are short on time. Some interesting stuff but not much

The White House is one of the places you need to see if you’re in Washington D.C.I would recommend the tour inside and also to admire the architecture and beauty of the building itself.

Take the guided tour. Very informative. Great history and an opportunity to see areas you wouldnt normally be able to view.

Nice visitor center with much information about the White House (presentation boards, information boards, cinema show and so on).A gift shop is also on site where you can buy a lot of souvenirs and other things. At the entrance you have to pass a security check.

Informative about the White House. You can see the room inside on the screen. A small visitor center tho

Interior is beautiful! Not much to see so it doesnt take long to get through it (maybe 30 min). Gift shop has unique gifts. Good stop if you want out of the weather for a bit.

Some neat artifacts and items on display. Young kids may not want to stay long.Woman in gift are was awesome. She thoroughly went through the details of most of the ornaments. Pretty neat.

It was difficult to find (look for the blue awnings just off thr main road INSIDE the department of commerce. Because its inside the commerce building it was a bit confusing to recognize from 15th street. The displays and artifacts inside are really informative.

I loved seeing pictures of the White House kids and grandkids playing on the grounds. Lots of neat things to see there, plus Christmas ornaments of the White House pets!

Excellent place to visit. Restricted access, however, you can enjoy the beautiful views from behind the fence.

Great introduction to the White House. There is an awesome model display of the White House. Many presidential artifacts to purchase except,Obama’s.

You can get all kinds of knick knacks and gifts from here. You cant buy them online. So, its something special that really shows support for the White House! They have an amazing Lego White House model on display for Christmas. Its ADORABLE!

While we didnt really plan to visit the White House Visitors Center, it was an enjoyable experience. We were actually just looking for a rest room and we were told by the White House Park staff to go to the White House Visitor Center. This place is free to visit and has many interesting item to see that once belonged inside the White House or were once gifts to previous US Presidents from other nations. I would recommend coming here.

Short wait to get in the day I visited. The Rangers at desk were wonderful. Smiling and full of helpful advice. Made my day. Friendly and genuinely happy with the job. Thank You.

Semi-decent tour of the White House, however there isnt much to see and the communication system for narrating the building is a hit or miss.

Great history lessons. Tight security, had small pocket knife and had to dispose of it. The security rules use no common sense. Lady behind me had a 3 closed umbrella with a spike on the end and she was allowed in with that weapon? Just does not make good sense to me. Im not complaining about my pocket knife, just the rules enforcement.

Definitely worth a visit,should take about 1hour to see everything.

Very nice visitor center. Close in proximity to other desirable places to visit in Washington, DC. Beautifully decorated and maintained well. Many independent shops set-up that offer high-quality merchandise for reasonable prices.

Realy good overview about the White House. I can prefer the movie. Some prominent people talk about the White House.

Security was rude and slow. The actual museum is wonderful and the guides very nice and helpful!

If you not able to get into the White House tour there is the Whitehouse visitors centre which is a fantastic insight into the workings of the Whitehouse. There is lots to see and there is even a gift shop. The room itself is worth looking at too. The staff here are fantastic and friendly. they are also very knowledgeable about the history of the Whitehouse

This was a great stop, especially for families with children. You can spend as long as you like here, but it is probably a place to spend around 45 minutes at most. Kids can do activities and even get a junior ranger badge, so if you need to induce some active participation, this is a good option.

Your the white house at Christmas! This was absolutely stunning. The White House is such an amazing storied place. All the rooms you have always heard of(except if course for the oval officeb which we did not get in to) were decorated for the holidays and was absolutely breathtaking. The staff running security was efficient, polite and had a sense of humor. Really a great experience!

Only come here if youre a fanatic of the white house and DC. Be prepared to pay for an overpriced EVERYTHING. Plain shirts with a simple picture are about $40. And dont get me started on the security check they had us do before we came in. The people there werent rude, but were definitely unprofessional. So not worth my time. Even as a tourist I wouldnt recommend it. Youre better off visiting actual historic places and taking pictures of them yourself rather than paying for someone elses touched up pic of the white house.

Security folks friendly but professional. Tours are self guided. Facility is amazing... as one would expect of the home of our head of state. Amazing amount of history, but you have to bring your own resources, as the secret service agents, with one amazing exception, volunteered no information.

The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. The term White House is often used as a metonym for the president and his advisers.The residence was designed by Irish-born architect James Hoban[3] in the neoclassical style. Hoban modelled the building on Leinster House in Dublin, a building which today houses the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature. Construction took place between 1792 and 1800 using Aquia Creek sandstone painted white. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) added low colonnades on each wing that concealed stables and storage.[4] In 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set ablaze by the British Army in the Burning of Washington, destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior. Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed Executive Residence in October 1817. Exterior construction continued with the addition of the semi-circular South portico in 1824 and the North portico in 1829.

Highly recommend taking this tour! All of the employees are super nice and helpful! We really enjoyed ourselves!

Truly a member whole experience. Taking a step back 200 years of history and more like a museum.

I enjoyed walking by the White House on the weekends. You never know who you might see. I saw George H.W. Bush, his wife and their dog Millie. When I went around to the front, I saw Dan Quayle stopping to pick up The President of Turkey. On my last visit, I saw the White House and snapped a photo while on a Segway. I once took the tour inside as well.

The home of the most powerful head of state in the world, yet it’s actually smaller than most other such buildings. It took me 30 years to see the White House. It was beautiful. There’s also a lot of security. And protestors.

A lot of information and very interesting documents and pictures! Professional service! Very good shop too :)

Kudos to this place. It has a nice bathroom prior to heading to to a bathroomless white house tour. It also has a respectable gift shoo to commemorate a visit to the seat of democracy. On top of that - its a respectable historic museum to give some context to what youll see at the actual white house, so right on that. Ill also concede that we did have a US president named Andrew Johnson - did not believe that for a long time.

We were hoping for a White House tour, but we did not make the cut. It was still a great experience at the center to see the history of the White House. It was an honor to experience this great place with my wife and children. One disapointment, as it was at many of the national sites there was not much available about our current president Donald Trump. No data memorabilia or souviniers. It should not matter what party you favor, hes our preside t and we should honor him at these historic sites. They should Fix this. I had to buy stuff from a vendor on the street.

Expect to spend a couple of hours here. We walked in without a reservation time and we were still able to get tickets for the next tour, for which the wait was only 15 minutes!The orientation movie was an amazing and very interesting history lesson and all packed into 13 minutes!Just one FYI...when they say NO food or drinks can be brought into the visitor center, they are not kidding! But dont throw out your water bottle! Just pour the water out and keep your empty bottle, because after the tour, youre allowed to fill it back up!Also, if youre not coming with a bus load of people, there are more than one set of visitor entrance doors. Plus the one from across the street...

We didnt get tickets for the WH tour so Visiting the White House welcome center was really great. You learn history about the White House as well as view actual items from over the years as well. Highly recommend the movie narrated by some of our previous presidents and our current one as well. Loved learning the personal stories too from the leader usher, electrician.

The White House Visitor Center is a nearly 1,600 square foot museum-caliber visitor experience featuring interactive exhibits, a large-scale model of the White House, numerous tactile exhibits, museum galleries, a temporary exhibit area, and the White House Historical Association retail shop. The Visitor Center provides a window into the Executive Mansion and its history as a companion to a White House tour, or as a stand-alone experience for those without a tour. Nearly 100 artifacts are on display, some for the first time—such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s desk.The White House Visitor Center is operated by the National Park Service and is housed in historic Baldrige Hall in the Department of Commerce building. The Center includes a flagship retail store for the White House Historical Association that features new and treasured items that support their mission of enhancing the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the White House.The Visitor Center was designed with a strong focus on accessibility for all visitors, and the project team worked closely with the National Center for Accessibility to achieve a fully accessible experience. To plan your visit to the White House Visitor Center, please visit the National Park Service website.

Friendly... But dont bring anything they tell you not to! Or youll lose it!

Alot of information about White House construction and architecture,presidents life style and history and important artifacts collected over time. Enjoyed the interactive display.

We didn’t think we’d enjoy it but we did. A beautiful collection and so nice to restore perspective on everyone who has built where we are today. Fun to learn more about First Ladies and first families.

Good place to visit and know a little more information about the white house if you dont have the chance to do the tour in the white house.

This place has a lot of interesting information on the White House. There are interactive screens that let you tour the house. There is a short movie you can watch on the house with recordings of different presidents. There is a gift shop. If youre looking for more merch, I would recommend checking out the White House Gift Shop down the road a little.

There is a documenyary style movie that is wonderful for learning the perspectives of past and current presidents, the whole building is like a museum too.

The security agents were a bit stiff and didnt seem to mind when the metal detector went off when I walked through. The lady told me not to take off my coat because her shift was almost over. I didnt mind too much but would rather security take their jobs a bit more seriously given all the violence in the world today.The second security guard that I met walking through the second set of doors completely ignored me when I smiled at her and said hello, so that ticked me off...Aside from that, there was some pretty cool stuff to look at and an interesting film being played on the large screen in the back. The gift shop was alright, just a bit pricey.

So much to see and do. A good half day is needed here

Super efficient and hardly any wait time for our tour of the White House.

Ducked in just to get out of the rain and was pleasantly surprised at how cool it was. Had a lot of fun exhibits from the history of the White House. Definitely stayed well past the rain stopping.

Do checkout the national christmas tree right infront of the white house. Due to new laws tourists and public now cannot enter the white house. Sad. Wished to go in n explore.

Great historical account of the White House.

Its a lifetime experience.You will be able to take a look on previously used rooms for theater,dinning area, meeting rooms, pictures of previous Presidents etc.Security check is high and one take pictures but not videos.

It was a nice place. Inside during the brief rainstorm, great little movie, some nice displays. And a clean and accessible bathroom. There are TWO junior ranger badges you can get here - the White House, and the Presidents park. Its an easy booklet.

The White House Visitor Center is very well done. It tells the history well through a variety of displays. We visited early in the morning, missing the crowd, and had a pleasant visit. The staff was very pleasant and helpful. The gift shop had variety of unique items.

Very informative! I learned the President Gerald Ford was the only president to serve as a park ranger. My kids swore in as junior park rangers. An unforgettable experience!

Absolutely must make this a priority stop on your next visit! So much history and information!!

Very interesting place / museum to learn everything around the White House and its history. There is also a screening of a documentary about the importance of White House, in which you can hear the voices of a lot of ex presidents of the United States. The entrance is free of charge, there is only a security control that all visitors have to pass (nothing exaggerated). A place that I highly recommend to visit to every tourist that comes to Washington!

This is nice place to visit because it gives the history of the White House. People can see how it was build and extended over the time. There is also a video where presidents speak about life in the White House. I recommend this place

It’s a great place to visit

We had actually requested to the Member of Congress for a White House tour but they said that they dont have an opening on the date we requested. When we visited the White House, we couldnt even access it from the front yard, so they must have closed it for some reason, which is disappointing.

Really cool and short visit museum that’s free. Not a lot to see but worth the 1hr it takes to look around at things. I found it interesting to learn about our whites house and see some items donated to the museum.

It’s inside the department of commerce building so you must go through security to get to the visitor center. The visitor center is pretty interesting with various displays about the White House throughout history. The gift shop has a wide range of items for various tastes and gifts and other items. Prices at the gift shop are typical and do not seem to be too expensive. I’ve paid far more for the same number of items I purchased here at museums in other cities.

This is probably one of the nicer visitors centers you’ll find in DC. A great video to watch about the families who’ve occupied the White House, and lots of fun facts about the building and what’s it grown to become. Do the junior ranger while you’re in to learn even more and to claim your junior ranger badge!

We came by to get a White House ornament for this year and last year. The security staff is rude and expects you to read their minds. I was sent outside to leave some property that couldnt be brought in and they went ahead and put my wallet and phone through the check. Luckily I wasnt outside very long. Inside the staff was amazing.

Very neat. We actually did the White House tour and although it was cool to say we went, it was very short and you dont see much at all. The visitor center had a lot more info (which I assume they planned it that way).

Highly organized city. Beautiful Roman architectural buildings. Highly organized traffic. A place worth to visit. Any tourists entire the US should never miss to visit and walk around the entire federal buildings, the White House etc. Truly impressive!!!.

Very cool. They have so many buildings and museums to visit for free! This visitor center had a ton of belongings from our past presidents. Very cool video they show as well. I love the behind the scenes stuff they show.

A bit of insight into stuff from the white house.

This was an interesting place to visit. You only see the white house from a distance when you visit, so it was nice to see a bit more about the history and workings of the place.

Had a great time visiting the White House. Wish we could have seen more.

Information center is a good way to start your trip in dc

The actual visitor’s center is a bit hard to find but once you do the exhibits review the history and construction of the building itself.

The tour was incredible. Definitely talk to the secret service agents. Thats what really makes the tour great

Wonderful collection of White House memoribilia. Lots to see, but manageable size to visit. You dont want to miss it, especially if you arent able to tour the White House.

Worth seeing but if Id never got in I dont feel Id have missed much.Airport style security to get in, then its self-guided once inside.Lots of info to read up on & historic pictures to look at.

The White House Visitors Center was actually really cool. It was a lot later than I had anticipated. Of course there is security and metal detectors to go through to enter the building. Inside there are loads of different items such as furniture to dishes to random trinkets from various presidential families. Also a really awesome place to sit on benches and watch a video about the presidential families present and past. This would be an amazing place to go in the middle of the day when its super hot in the summer.

Interesting to learn more about the White House. Also some items on display

Very knowledgeable and helpful staff. Layout and design was well done.Gift shop with quality made items.

I liked to go and see the White House.But you dont have clear view much because of barricades they put, so you have to view from long distance...But I still recommend to take your kids to show white house and other near places, will give your kids great experiences...Good luck!

I enjoyed the visitors center. I especially enjoyed chatting with Denise, who works in the gift shop. The people who work security take their jobs very seriously, and tend to bicker in front of visitors. To the point that the young woman working on this day was on tears after her coworker kept griping at her. Other than that, it was a good visit.

Loved this long hall with tons of information and artifacts from the white house

What a great stop while touring our nations capital. It’s nice and cool inside with some nice historical information about the White House as well having a fun little scavenger hunt for the kids. Upon completing the tasks in the book your kids will recite the pledge and get your certificate stamped and a badge. There is also a gift shop inside which has some of the gifts that can be found in the White House East wing tour gift shop, some are exclusive to the White House only though, but the visitor center does have some cool gifts.

Serious security outside and inside. Staff were genuinely helpful and though we had reserved a time, and were there early, staff advised we could take our tour early since the lines were free. Informative film, knowledgeable guide, high tech audio system. Enjoyed every moment!

It is best alternative to know White House. There are many information and stuff from White House. Furthermore, various souvenir make me crazy!

Awesome place to learn about the White House while you wait for your tour ... Dont forget to checkout the gift shop!

U need to visit here very very informative very very clean loved it everyone is very nice I loved the Lady in gift shop so sweet and helpful Thank you all Ann Turner hope to visit again

Loved it! Found out things I never knew! The inside of the building was beautiful of course!

For non-US visitors, as close enough experience to the Whitehouse that we will ever get. Artefacts, videos could keep you there longer than you think. Good toilet facilities and free wifi.

Very interesting exhibits the gift shop is over the top expensive

So cool to see little parts of history about US presidents. Nice to visit while waiting for your White House tour to start.