Jill Biden unveils revamped White House tour, first 'significant' changes in decades
First Lady Jill Biden has announced additions to the White House tour that includes more digital components, more historical context and more opportunities to learn about civics, the White House said in a press release Monday.
Calling the tour an expanded version of its predecessor, the White House press office said the tour brings 10,000 visitors per week and allows guests to learn about the history of the White House.
The tour hasn’t been updated with “significant improvements” in decades and for the first time ever, the Diplomatic Reception Room where President Franklin D. Roosevelt once held “famous fireside chats” will be open to the public, the release said.
First Lady Biden was a classroom teacher for 40 years, she said in the news release, stressing the importance of “interactive and engaging” learning.
“(Learning) has to evoke the senses, and you have to meet students where they are, giving them what they need to spark their curiosity and imagination,” Biden said in the news release. “We hope the tour inspires everyone who visits the White House to learn more about our shared history.”
In the release, Biden promised that the updated tour will boast:
- More educational and engaging elements along the tour route
- More storytelling in the tour using technology and digital components
- Compelling and tactile content
- Present more opportunities for learning about our nation’s history, civics, and the lives of presidents and first families, past and present
Updating the decades-old White House tour
Biden spent the past two years working with the National Park Service, White House Curator’s Office, White House Historical Association, presidential libraries and The History Channel to enhance the White House tour, she said in the news release.
Her team has added more pathways in the house so people can go further into the rooms and explore, and they’ve added more educational content visitors can touch, hear and see up-close as they tour.
National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in the news release that the National Park Service is honored to have helped update the tour.
“The White House, like all national parks, are living classrooms that provide the public with inspirational and educational opportunities to connect with our nation’s shared heritage,” Sams said in the release.
More on what’s new in the White House public tour
One example of the tour’s enhanced historic and educational content is the reader rail in the Diplomatic Reception Room where former president Roosevelt held his fireside chats. The reader rail gives visitors information about the room’s panoramic wallpaper and there is a recreation of a 1939 Philco radio that plays snippets of FDR’s fireside chats.
There are also more educational signs and video greetings to better guide visitors, the press release said.
“As guests enter the public tour through the East Wing, they will be welcomed by a video message from the First Lady,” the release said. “A video from the President will greet visitors in the East Room, giving further historic context and depth to the tour.”
And instead of the tour’s previous static photo collages in the East Colonnade, guests will see “A Living Timeline” of White House History. There, they’ll see a corridor with digital displays highlighting different points of American history. The previous static photo collages “lacked key historic context or information,” the press release said.
Also new is a three-dimensional architectural model of the White House. Guests can see it after passing through the East Colonnade and entering the East Garden Room. The model shows the White House at different stages in American history, starting in 1792.
Visitors will be able to learn from three reader rails, including one that highlights the history of the room. Another reader rail features a quote inscribed on the mantel. The quote is from a letter John Adams wrote to his wife on his first night at the White House. The third reader rail focuses on the art and artifacts in the room, such as the Lincoln Portrait.
There is also a Grand Staircase Frame near the landing of the Grand Staircase. The frame displays images of First Families at the staircase during State Dinners, holidays and other special occasions.
White House tours are normally running from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, excluding federal holidays. All White House tours are free to attend.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on Paste BN's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.