Washington, D.C. is a fabulous place to visit with grandchildren. This Grandma thought that grandchildren should be older school age before a White House visit, but our six year old grandson wanted to go to the White House. We thought he was too young. We were wrong. He loved it. He could identify the paintings of George Washington and some more recent presidents. He was fascinated by a bronze bust of Lincoln. The photographs in the hallways of former presidents, their families, and their pets interested him. He was fascinated by the building and where we were in the building so much so, that, at six, with little adult assistance from his father, he built the Lego White House after the visit. It says age 12 and up. I would like to take credit for buying him the Lego White House to build after the visit, but his parents must be given the credit. They knew he would love going to the White House and had the ability to build the Lego White house.
So, in addition to bragging about our own brilliant and talented six year old grandson, it seems our grandchildren are ready for a White House visit earlier than we think!
The White House visit is free, but takes advance planning. We planned about six months in advance and that is the least amount of time I think. Application is made through your local U.S. congressperson or senator. That is less difficult than you think because everything is now on line. It was time consuming, however. Then, the background check starts. What was hard was the waiting for confirmation that you have passed the background check. You plan your visit but do not hear until two weeks before the visit if you have been accepted. We asked for a Saturday and they assigned us 7:30 am.
You receive a White House tour entry document you can print on line. You are required to bring that document that contains your confirmation ID number and a photo ID with you. All information submitted (ie. Name, date of birth, city, etc.) must exactly match the government issued photo ID you present when you arrive. There are multiple ID checks, screenings, and bag checks before you enter the White House. The sophisticated screening equipment was such we had not seen before and was interesting in and of itself. We Americans would not want screening any less than we had.
Then there are the rules:
You must arrive at least fifteen minutes early. We now know why.
There are no restrooms that you can use in the White House. Our grandson, when he heard this (because we made him go to the bathroom before we left home) said, “You mean the President has to hold it in!” How cute is our grandson! Restrooms are located in the park area south of the White House, in the Ellipse Visitor Pavilion, not close to the White House visitor’s entrance and very far from the White House visitor’s exit.
There is no on street parking near the White House. There is a Marriott down the street from the waiting line to the visitor’s entrance to the White House. I would recommend staying there for the parking as well as bathroom reasons when with a young grandchild. They do have special rates and deals on line and you can plan the visit during their special rate times. It is recommended to use public transportation when you visit the White House. The Metro stop near the White House visitor entrance is Federal Triangle (blue and orange lines). The Metro stop near the White House visitor exit is Metro Center (blue, orange and red lines).
One must dress for the weather and bring bottled water to wait on line. You are arriving well before fifteen minutes early. We arrived 30 minutes early and were about the middle of the line. I think some arrived about an hour early. Waiting on line lets you hear where everyone is from and much of America’s diversity is on line to see the White House.
Cameras, video cameras, strollers, diaper bags, food or beverages, and even handbags, purses, backpacks or bags of any kind are prohibited. Plus, there are no storage facilities available on or around the White house. This is yet another reason to stay at the Marriott across the street.
Umbrellas (and we needed one), wallets, cell phones (including those with cameras) and car keys are permitted. However, no one is allowed to use a cell phone inside the White House and phones used inside the White House may be confiscated by the Secret Service.
The Secret Service and park personnel and soldiers are so friendly to the children. Our grandson was enthralled with all the different uniforms and wanted to know about them and the different jobs they each did.
The tours are self guided. I remember when America had the budget for guided tours when we took our children to the White House. Although I wish they would reinstate guided tours, there are Secret Service personnel in every room and they are friendly and give information. In one of the rooms, the Secret Service officer explained the source of the phrase, “Mind your beeswax.” There was a painting over the fireplace of a woman. He said women of that era wore makeup made of beeswax and if a woman stood to close to the fireplace, the beeswax makeup would start to melt, so the women had to mind their beeswax. I missed the guided tour where we heard so much more of these tidbits of information! We did learn that the French president’s dinner was in a tent outside the White House, after our grandson asked how many people could fit in the state dining room, which I guessed seem small for a country our size and stature to even a six year old. Yes, after visiting palaces around the world, our White House does seem modest in size, but it is spectacular. It is our America and one cannot help but be patriotic when visiting the White House.
The confirmation says the tour lasts about 45 minutes. That is about right as the rooms you enter are limited in number. It is well organized in flow and crowd movement. You exit at a different location than you enter, which makes it difficult for pick up and drop off by someone. We know. We could not connect with his mother who drove us, as the streets around the White House are confusing. Again, the Marriott beckons. As a matter of fact, she waited for us there in the lobby, where they have WIFI, during our tour.
Was all of this effort worth it? Everything and anything seen through the eyes of our precious grandchildren is worth any effort to make such an experience happen. At our next visit a month later, our grandson showed us his Lego model of the White House and where we stood, and where we exited. He was still excited about the White House visit.
Yes, we will return with the others with
Joy,
Mema
P.S. The Marriott is the J.W. Marriott, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, right near the White House visitor’s entrance on 15th Street.
The Lego is the White House Architecture Series. Age 12- 16. Click here to purchase.
There is a nano block White House which says age 8 -15 years.
There is a 3-D puzzle White House.
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