Newly renovated White House Visitor Center reopens

For visitors to Washington who want to take a tour of the White House but did not get the necessary clearance from their congressional office or embassy, there is now another option — the newly renovated White House Visitor Center.

The center, which opened to the public Saturday, gives tourists a more intimate look inside the White House, according to Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Assn.

“For those who don’t have the opportunity to visit the White House, it still gives you a rich, deeply meaningful interactive education on what the White House is like as home to the first family, as office to the president and as ceremonial stage for the president and official functions of government,” he said.

The renovated center provides tourists with a glimpse of everyday life inside the White House. A 14-minute film, “The White House: Reflections from Within,” features the voices of past presidents and first ladies, including President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

A collaboration between the White House Historical Assn. and the National Park Service, the Visitor Center has on display more than 90 artifacts, many of which were previously unavailable to the public

Visitors now can see the desk where President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his fireside chats and the telegraph key the War Department used to communicate with Gen. Ulysses Grant during the Civil War.

Culinary-minded tourists can take a look at chocolate molds used by White House pastry chefs and learn about favorite presidential snacks. Want to know which president enjoyed squirrel soup? Or which president enjoyed rice pudding for dessert? The Visitor Center has a special display with answers to these questions.

“We expect to have over a million people a year come through this facility,” McLaurin said. “We think about [the White House] as being the Oval Office and the press room, but in these galleries you will really feel and understand and experience how the first family lives in the White House.”

The renovation cost $12.6 million. The White House Historical Assn. contributed $7.5 million, and the NPS contributed $5.1 million. In addition, the association has pledged a $5-million endowment.

The White House Visitor Center is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.