Each room on the tour now has a “reader rail” that provides historical information and context.
Erin Scott / White House
Each week, roughly 10,000 visitors tour the White House. However, Jill Biden wasn’t convinced they were getting enough out of the experience.
The first lady took matters into her own hands. After two years of work, Biden has unveiled a newly upgraded White House tour that lets visitors “touch, hear and see their history up close,” she said at an October 21 event introducing the upgrade, per the Associated Press’ Darlene Superville.
Biden says she hopes the new tour will be more accessible, interactive and educational. It incorporates digital technology and allows visitors to see more of the historic mansion, which was built between 1792 and 1800.
When Biden moved into the White House in 2021, she learned that public self-guided tours hadn’t seen “any significant improvements in decades,” as she says in a statement. In the past, the tour included several rooms that were roped off, allowing only a quick peek inside.
“[The tours] weren’t dynamic,” Biden tells the Washington Post’s Roxanne Roberts. “They weren’t interactive. There was no explanation of anything. There was just the rope across the door to the room so people could sort of peer in, but they couldn’t see what was behind them, to the right, or they couldn’t see any of the beautiful paintings on the walls.”
Jill Biden shows students the newly revamped public tour of the White House.
Erin Scott / White House
Biden questioned whether visitors gleaned valuable information about the presidency or the United States government on the old tour, which emphasized the White House’s antiques and artwork.
“Do they understand democracy and how precious it is? Or are they just walking through just looking at things and thinking, ‘I don’t know who painted that,’ or ‘Why is this here?’ or ‘What does this fireside chat mean?’” she tells the publication.
As a teacher, Biden understands that each group of visitors will include “visual learners, auditory learners [and] tactile learners,” she tells ABC News’ Deborah Roberts. “So we’ve tried to address [the different learning styles] all throughout the tour—that if you have one strength or another, that’s how you learn.”
To bring her vision to life, the first lady collaborated with the National Park Service, the White House Curator’s Office, the White House Historical Association and various presidential libraries. She spent a lot of time talking to members of previous presidential administrations, checking the facts and making sure that officials on both sides of the aisle were on board with the material.
Visitors can see how the White House campus has changed over time.
Erin Scott / White House
Now, when visitors arrive for the tour in the East Wing, they see a video of the first lady welcoming them to the White House. The East Room also features a video message from President Joe Biden on a screen flanked by oil paintings of George and Martha Washington.
A new 3D rendering of the White House explains the history of the building and the 18-acre complex, including its many renovations and expansions over the past two centuries. In the China Room, visitors can take a closer look at presidential place settings.
Biden also opened the Diplomatic Reception Room, where visiting officials enter the building. The room is also where Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered his famous fireside chats between 1933 and 1944, and Biden has added audio snippets from some of those recordings.
In the Blue Room, visitors are invited to touch a replica of the French Bellangé antique furniture trim and upholstery, as well as replicas of marble busts, per CNN’s Betsy Klein.
A video message from Jill Biden greets visitors when they arrive for the tour.
Erin Scott / White House
In the State Dining Room, visitors can see a replica of the John Adams quote engraved on the mantel. It reads: “I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.”
In the library, Biden added photos of presidents hosting events with world leaders. In the hallways, she replaced photo displays with digital screens. Each room also now has an interpretive table—called a “reader rail”—that provides information and context.
Despite these updates to the tour, it’s still difficult for members of the public to visit the White House, according to the Washington Post. The tours are popular, and guests need to go through their congressional representatives or request a tour online before passing a background check.
One of the frequently asked questions on the White House’s tour webpage is, “What if I don’t see any available tours?” For those who can’t physically make it to Washington, D.C., the White House Historical Association offers a 360-degree virtual tour.
