The White House

Of course I'm a fan. Who isn't of the White House? I mean, there's so much history there. It was neat to be able to be in DC and see the it, but I wish I would have been able to do a tour. That's the only reason why i'm giving it 4 stars.

I totally understand why there is so much security and so much roped off, but I wish there was more to see or you could get a little closer when you're standing outside. Needless to say, it was truly amazing. I would love to come back and book a tour so that I could see the inside and everything it has to offer.

Such a cool bucket list experience! To tour The White House, you will first need to contact your member of congress. My member of congress had a page on his website for requesting a White House tour. You can submit your request 3 weeks to 3 months in advance. This is a popular experience so it is not guaranteed to get a tour, but you should still try. We received our tickets for the tour exactly two weeks before. The ticket includes information on where to meet for the tour and the items you cannot bring in. You can't bring in bags, so make sure you have an outfit with good pockets to fit your ID, keys, etc. Once you arrive, you will join the line of others on your tour. Once it is your tour time you will go through a couple different security checks.

Once you are done with security, you get to go inside The White House. The tour is self guided, so you can walk at your own pace. We spent about a hour walking through. On the tour you will get to walk through or look into 10 different rooms in the East Wing. The rooms have Secret Service members available that you can ask questions. They also have a gift shop in the beginning of the tour, if you want to get a souvenir.

I had never been so it was good to check out. My wife was able to obtain passes for us to visit due to submitting a request to our local congressman's office.

To grow up learning about U.S. history that includes discussion on all the presidencies and then being able to visit and see the rooms and the grounds was quite surreal. Granted, we only were able to visit the first level and second levels that included the green, red, and gold rooms, the theater room, and the press room, but it was cool to step inside and walk through these rooms where so much history has taken place since the 1800s with the building of the replacement house since the original was burned by the British in the war of 1812.

Do note that you will be waiting to get inside between the line to enter the outside grounds from the street, the security check to read the passes before the second outside gate, and then through a metal security check and possession scanner when you walk inside, before walking onto the interior grounds to reach the actual White House building entrance. But the waiting is worth visiting the White House if you have never visited before.

It is a bit cumbersome to get tickets here (through your congressman) and takes some planning ahead. We had to go through 2 checkpoints, and you have to thoroughly read the rules because you can't bring any bags and you have to be on time. And sure it's crowded and you can only see a few rooms (like you're not getting into the West Wing) but hey, it's still a really cool and unique place to visit.

There's an app with audio, but it's the same info that's written out in the rooms. There are guides around to ask questions, but it will bepacked. You do get to see several of the public rooms. It is self-guided, so you can linger as little or as much as needed. Photos are allowed. It probably won't take more than an hour, but it's definitely worth doing once, just takes some advanced planning.

We arranged a tour of the White House with our Congressmen months in advance. We left bags at our hotel, brought photo identification, went through security and had our names checked off at the gate. We waited at the front door and our guide welcomed us and ushered us through. I toured the White House last about 30 years ago. We spent about an hour ushered through the public rooms. It was magical walking through marble rooms with such history.

We have toured the White House twice now. I highly recommend doing so! We went in June and again in December. I had to see it decorated. Be sure to listen and read all the rules before visiting. You can look up on the internet on how to get in on the tours. I feel we will tour the White House whenever we can, because it just never gets old.

The staff has always been awesome including the security staff.

The home of our President. Every four years we get to decide whether to renew the lease of evict the current resident. We are fortunate to live in a country with that opportunity!

Although inside tours have to be reserved with some advance notice (and why I'm not making this review 5 stars), the White House is visible from the outside and I had the chance to take pictures and enjoy the beautiful architecture. The Secret Service guards were actually pretty pleasant, and even laughed when I made a "Can I pet that dog" joke about the working K9's. There are fences surrounding the perimeter and you can see all sorts of cool antennae and electronics on the roof.

Another beautiful thing about The White House is that people of all stripes - left, right, different religions going to petition and protest. That's another beautiful thing about the US and A.

The White House Holiday Theme: "Magic, Wonder and Joy"

The 2023 White House Holiday Display is designed to capture the pure, unfiltered delight and imagination of childhood to encourage visitors to reflect on this time of year with hearts open to the magic, wonder, and joy of the season. _- First Lady Jill Biden

Please remember the following text:

Before your visit:
Before your visit, make sure to download the WHExperience app. This app offers a audio guided tour to enjoy while walking around The White House. One of my favorite features of the app is the presidential lookalike feature. You can take a selfie and the app will tell you which president or first lady you resemble the most, based on a database of portraits. I tried it myself and got a 15% match with Ellen Wilson and a 9% match with Ronald Reagan. LOL!

Security:
Be prepared for tight security when visiting the White House. You are not allowed to bring any bags inside the building, not even transparent ones. You can only bring what can fit in your coat pockets, such as your tickets, phone, ID, credit card, earbuds, and lip balm. Unfortunately, there is no coat check available, so please be sure to pack light.

Highlights Inside:
Before entering the White House, take a photo with the giant Christmas tree on the building. Ask someone nearby to take a group photo, and soon enough, a line of visitors will be eager to return the favor. Once inside, every visitor receives a Magic, Wonder, and Joy holiday book. The entryway will immediately fill you with feelings of nostalgia. The giant candy-shaped decorations will make you feel like you're inside Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. The First Lady, Jill Biden, did a fantastic job with the decorations!

The first Christmas tree inside the White House is dedicated to the brave men and women in our military who died for our country. It also honors servicemen and women who are Missing in Action. The tree is beautifully decorated with gold stars, ribbons, and glitter. This is my favorite tree!

The hallway leading to the fine china room is whimsical. It looks like the Candyland game has come to life. The natural light from the windows makes the gold and silver tones sparkle and shine. In the next room, you'll find a gift shop where you can purchase the annual White House Christmas ornament and other items.

As you wander from room to room, remember that taking photos is allowed, but recording videos is prohibited. Occasionally, The Secret Service may ask you to stop recording. Other highlights include a giant advent calendar, the gingerbread White House, and displays of former presidents' holiday Christmas cards.

I highly recommend visiting the White House during the holidays. You can make a full day out of it, have dinner at a local restaurant, and see a museum before heading home.

We got approved for a tour! I made sure I applied thru my State Representative 3 months prior and followed up with a phone call to ensure they would send it (Glad I did!). Exactly 2 weeks before our planned trip we received an email stating we were approved. The line to get in took a while but it was worth the wait.

100% a must-stop on any Washington D.C. Trip. There is no more cultural or iconic stop than here.

I am only give it a 4/5 because we were unable to get into the tour. You have to reach out to your local representative 90 days in advance for them to arrange a tour, but unfortunately for us, it was a busy visiting time, and we were just a tad too late.

Regardless of whether or not you have tour tickets, it's still such a special treat to be able to see the White House in person, find a good viewing spot between the fence rails, stand there, and really take it all in for what it means for our country.

Since the city is on high alert, we could only get close by foot. We took an electric cart tour and were able to take pics! The pics will show how close we were able to get. Overall, D.C. is filled with historical prominence and weird energy - which I mean I mean in best way possible.