White House Tours and Other Ways to Experience the Presidential Mansion

The White House. It is one of the most beautiful homes in the country and certainly the most famous. It's also the signature landmark for our nation's capital, one of the most popular tourist sites in the United States.

Although tours to this magnificent home are more difficult to obtain than they used to be, it can still be done. Tours are arranged through a group's representative to congress, and the group must be 10 or more. These tours require significant advanced planning, and frequent confirmation as the appointment can be shuffled due to a higher security level or other circumstances.

This tour is, however, worth the extra steps required. The home was built, furnished, and decorated with the sole intention to make an impressive statement about the powerful country it represents.

The tour includes eight luxurious rooms. One of the most beautiful is the blue room. Shaped like the oval office and decorated in rich textures with the color of its name, the Blue Room is often where the president will officially greet some of his important visitors, such as foreign dignitaries. The Red and Green rooms are two other beautifully furnished rooms on the White House tour.

The East Room is a large and basically unfurnished great room used for many important White House events. On your tour, you'll also visit the library and the elegant Vermeil Room with its yellow-paneled walls and collection of gilded silver. The Entrance and Cross Halls is the large open entry and halls connecting the various wings. Throughout the tour you will notice presidential portraits. The walls and floors in the Entrance and Cross Halls is beautiful marble, and you'll be struck by the detailed elegance throughout this magnificent mansion.

A perfect enhancement to any White House tour is in the White House Visitor's Center. This attraction gives its visitors a rich and detailed White House experience with or without the actual tour of the mansion. The Visitor's Center used to be the place to obtain White House tour tickets and therefore serves as a preparatory experience, detailing the grandeur of the White House and outlining its famous and important areas.

The Oval Office, like many other rooms, is not available on White House tours, but the White House Visitor's Center can show you the various decors chosen for this famous room by previous presidents. The exhibits and displays in the Visitor's Center are full of anecdotes surrounding the First Families of the White House. You'll see the First Home in the part it has played in amazing social events and relations with powerful world leaders.

A thirty-minute film plays throughout the day and introduces you to the history of the White House. The White House brochure you receive here is the perfect commemoration for this moving national landmark.

Another great way to commemorate your trip to Washington D.C. and your undoubtedly new found appreciation for its White House is in a White House photo opportunity. With or without an inside tour, the south side of this famous residence provides the perfect backdrop for any trip to this important city. The photo location overlooks the famous rose garden and the usual entrance for official White House visitors.

No trip to Washington D.C. is complete without the White House experience. I've shown you three ways to embrace our country's most prominent mansion. They complement each other if you are fortunate enough to do all three. And, each stands on its own as a memorable D.C. opportunity.

The White House was built to impress - not just its adversaries, but perhaps its friends as well. The luxury and care taken in the building, various renovations, and beautiful décor in this fantastic mansion are certain to instill a greater respect for this most prestigious public office. The White House is a thrilling, memorable addition to any Washington D.C. tour.