White House Visitor Center

This was a nice stop and very interesting museum. It’s not at all far from the White House. We only heard about it from our bus tour and we went there after seeing the White House. It’s of course cool to stand outside the gates of the White House, but you actually get to see stuff in the museum. I could see in the summer how nice it is to come inside for a bit. There is a video to watch with seats and a really cool interactive White House exhibit with 360 views of actual rooms, the yellow, the red, the oval office and so on.
It was interesting to see all the rooms and also see actual items used by different presidents, while they were in office.

I echo many of the reviews. It is a great FREE part of the White House experience or on its own. I took my parents who were visiting and they have an excellent video/​theater (albiet loud) and nice displays of items. It was set up really well and had a great gift shop area. The restrooms were the only downside. They were clean but had horrible hand dryers. Plus there was a maintenance lady cleaning the stalls and when I exited the stall, she was standing almost in front of me waiting to clean my stall. It was a bit awkward.
Worth the time to visit.

Let start with positives, it’s free.
Now let’s get to the reality, it’s BORING. I put this right down there with the Smithsonian Postal Museum.
I might be a little unfair but in comparison to the other museums, this one was uneventful.

This is a must stop whether you have boarding passes to enter the White House or not. It is right across from the «peoples house» so it could not be easier. It is FREE which is even better. This is my second time here and it was nice to see the improvements.
This has been completely redone in the past year and added is a lot heavier security with with airport type of screening. When they are not busy like when I attended this only adds a couple of minutes. At peak times during the weekend afternoon lines could be out the door.
If it’s your first time I would move immediately to the theater to your left and watch the really great film. Even children will find interesting. There are several interactive table for small children to enjoy in the center. There are nice restrooms and the place has A/​C for hot DC days.
Displays are well done and original items used by previous administrations. Too many cool items to recall, but I especially did like the a china plate used during the Lincoln days that has survived. I found all the displays to be clean and attractive.
There are some items to purchase if you like. There is nothing here that you probably could not find else where, but it is convenient. The White house has a gift shop too, but you must be a visitor.
If your wanting to learn just about everything about the White House that you can think of. Don’t be fooled by a few low reviews this is a sold exhibit. Make this a stop, you wont regret it.

Worth a visit. Nice selection of displays and the firm in back is nice. I expected a little more interactive exhibits. The staff was not that friendly and did not interact with the guests.

GREAT EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT ENTERING THE WHITE HOUSE
This place was surprisingly EXCELLENT! We wandered in mostly out of curiosity and a chance to enhance our D.C. learning without any intention of getting a White House Tour.
FREE WITH LOADS OF INFO
Although it’s free to enter, be prepared to go through a simple body and bag scanner. Upon entry, the dapper yet alert staff were quick to point us in a direction to begin the self-​tour: watch the video towards the back. From there it’s easy to stroll around, admire the miniature model of the White House at the center, and learn many different aspects of the House including history, site of events, through the years, and more.
ARTIFACTS AND DECORATION FROM THE HOUSE
I’ve decided that looking at the decorations taken from inside the House throughout the presidential terms was the coolest. It gave more insight into the style and thoughts of the current occupants. All items on display were well-​paired with easy-​to-​read signage. And check out the Visitor’s Center’s ceiling while there– it’s large, airy, and features a beautiful engraving. The building has obvious historical notes although I didn’t find it out.

This place is a joke. The security is insane. You can’t bring food or drink inside because it’s a federal building. It’s a freeking tourist attraction. How stupid. The guards think they are the coolest toughest thing ever. They are absolute jerks and treat you terribly. Avoid this one.

I picked a date well in advance of my visit, I applied through the correct channels & while I was quickly approved for a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building, I was informed not long before my trip to Washington, DC, that my request for a tour of the White House was denied. I was appalled. To visit our nation’s capital & not have the opportunity to experience firsthand what so many other citizens have? So, instead, I settled for a walkthrough of The White House Visitor’s Center.
For the unfamiliar, it’s diagonally across the street from the White House & as it opens at 7:30 a.m., it’s actually a decent alternative if you too are faced with the sad demon of rejection, as it allows you to get an early start to your day, without dealing with ridiculously long lines & appointments. There is, however, a security check, as is the case for everything in Washington, DC (I think I even got a pat down when I went to Shake Shack). There is a video that plays on a loop of featuring interviews with our current & former Presidents & their families about life in the White House, which, incidentally, is available for purchase in the gift shop. There is a model of the White House & the grounds.
Most impressive however, are the assorted artifacts from the history of the building & its inhabitants. They range from an old swing that many children enjoyed over the years, dishes used by visiting dignitaries, various furnishings & other things from the many occupants who have called it home. Each comes with descriptive text, some with additional photos or video to provide greater context.
If you cannot get into the White House, or if you did & are still interested in learning more, you can definitely spend a worthwhile 90 minutes here.

Ok… some of these so-​so reviews are for the OLD visitor center. The one in the park across from the a White House. Last Fall they opened a NEW White House Visitor Center that’s more like a mini museum on 14^th and E street and it’s much much nicer. It’s a supplementary experience for when you go across and check out the White House.
Artifacts from the house, info about the Presidents, models, architecture, a 15 minute film, gift shop, air conditioning, bathrooms… nice little set up. Worth checking out and run by the National Parks Service. And they allow photography. And FREE.

Despite requesting our Congress woman for White House tours months in advance, we didn’t get tickets to tour the White House since there were too many requests during Spring Break. So we went to the White House Visitor Center instead. There is an interactive table in the center where you can «tour» 360 views of the rooms. There is a wall at the back where you can take pictures in front of the «White House.» There are furniture and artifacts that are from previous presidents who lived in the White House. You do have to go through security check before getting in.

There isn’t a lot going on at this visitor center, but it was a decent place to start our self directed walking tour of DC. This building itself has some unique architecture and the bathrooms here were great.
The staff here were polite but beyond a decent gift shop the place was bland. There were a few different displays, but the majority were lackluster at best.
In the end, not a terrible stop but don’t expect to get your socks knocked off.

Enjoyed visiting the brand new White House visitor’s center inside the commerce building on Pennsylvania Avenue. The exhibits about the White House and it’s memorable occupants are well organized and laid out. Gift shop is well stocked with White House memorabilia and other stuff. Staff is always super friendly and helpful. The men’s room is clean and well stocked. Very good indeed

Während unserer Besichtigungstour haben wir auch das White House Visitor Center aufgesucht. Hier kann der Besucher sich mit Informationsmaterial rund um das Weiße Haus und dem President´s Park versorgen.
Man kann hier auch Ausstellungen besichtigen, in denen viele Aspekte des White House beleuchtet werden. Wissenswertes über die Architektur des Gebäudes, die Einrichtung, die Präsidentenfamilien und viele andere Informationen. Auch einen Einblick über die Geschichte des White House kann man hier gewinnen.
Das Visitor Center wird vom National Park Service und The White House Historical Association betrieben. Letztere unterhält im Visitor Center einen Museumsshop.
Bei unserem Besuch wurde eine umfangreiche Renovierung durchgeführt, die am 13.09.2014 abgeschlossen sein soll. Danach soll es interaktive Exponate und ein Modell des Weißen Hauses, sowie eine neue permanente Museumsgalerie, eine temporäre Ausstellungsfläche und eine verbesserte Buch Verkaufsfläche geben.
Das Visitor Center befindet sich an der 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW und ist von 7.30 bis 16.00 Uhr täglich geöffnet. Eine gute Anlaufstelle zur Informationsaufnahme oder um einfach die kostenlosen Toiletten zu benutzen.

Ok so the new White House Visitor Center is open now so you can ignore the other reviews. The new center is a great learning experience if you cannot get in the White House. Even if you do, this is a free exhibit and has a lot of facts about the history of the White House. There is a great video in the back that is made by President Obama, Clinton, and Bush going over their experiences in the White House. I would reccomend spending a half hour here if you have the time.

I’m not really sure why they made this visitor center except for the fact it is a GREAT refuge from the DC summer humidity (There is GREAT AC inside). It literally is a trailer that gives a brief history of the White House via a video and two small exhibits. There are no restrooms so I am convinced the AC is the only plus to the visitor center.

Soooo short and its NOT the white house. Its some make shift something. Walked out my tour without even realizing, its maybe 5 rooms. Soo over rated. Go if you want the experience but just go visit the actual house stand on the street

The visitor’s center is temporarily housed in the park behind the White House. It’s a dismal setup with half of the filthy bathrooms’ toilets and sinks are out of order, accessible bathrooms are locked up and none of the drinking fountains work.
The concession stand was out of bottled water and most of the menu by 11:00am on a 106 °F day. There were very few seats and most ended up sitting on a low bench in the hot sun.
The only bright spot were the helpful park rangers. I just wonder what they did wrong to be assigned to such a pathetic and embarrassing location. It’s hard to believe this is considered a center attached to the White House. They should be ashamed.

Temporarily closed & relocated nearby; about a block-​ish

A pretty vanilla place, but still has some cute stuff (china settings, old chairs, etc) and interesting tid bits about the white house.
Gift area is small, but OK.

If you need to use the bathroom or escape the heat for a minute, this is a great stop. You just have to go through metal detectors/​security.
Otherwise…don’t do it! Unless you grew up in the area and have nothing else better to do and have some kind of report due on the White House, don’t go. And even if you did, I agree with Jason F. I would much rather read about the White House from a nice coffee table book with big pictures.
There are so many better places and museums to see. Wait and get your tickets to tour the White House from your congressman or just be happy with pictures from the fence perimeter.
I could tell this place was boring from the moment I stepped in the doors before I even went through security. Boooo.

Ohhhhhh dear lord this place is so lame. My friend and I were unable to get tickets to go inside the actual White House through our Congressman most likely because we were traveling during the beginning of peak season, when all the school kids are on their spring DC field trips.
This visitor center is not really that close to the White House, and it just seems like a place to put all the rejects in who didn’t get tickets for White House tours. Also, if you’re not an American citizen (rules have gotten tougher for visitors), this is the closest you can get to seeing what may be inside the White House… without really being near the White House. We were on a huge time crunch during our vacation here and this place was the biggest waste of time. Unless you really have extra time to kill during your DC visit, I would recommend that you skip this place and check out some monument for Smithsonian instead.