Sadly we found that we couldn’t submit a request to visit the White House for the time we were in Washington as it’s simply not possible right now for UK citizens. My trusty guide book said that the visitors centre was a great alternative and I have to say it wasn’t wrong. We arrived early as we wanted to do the Monument after and we needed to get tickets for that so we arrived for 7:30am opening and of course it was dead. Only a few visitors trickled in while we walked round but we mostly had the place to ourselves. There are many interesting items from past Presidents as well as a detailed history of the White House and all its former occupants. I would allow yourself an hour, or just slightly more to take everything in. I’d love to be able to visit the actual White House one day but I definitely came away from the visitors centre feeling enriched with knowledge. Well worth a visit.

Interesting exhibits on the White House and its former occupants. Exhibits include items such as furniture, dishes, decorations, photos, former occupants, etc. and there is a gift shop inside. The exhibits were worth seeing but we didn't get the impression there are constant additions to the collection.

This is a separate building from The White House and it's located a few blocks away. You don't need a tour pass to enter here like with The White House and it's a nice place to visit along with the actual White House (or instead if you can't get a tour). It houses a large museum to The White House and has a great amount of information inside. It also houses a nice gift shop, so you can get souvenirs here (there's a small gift shop inside The White House too, but this is the big one). It's a nice little museum and I would recommend coming here!

Quiet little gem. Great video about recent families who have lived in the White House telling what they found exciting about being in the White House. Great little shop; has past White House ornaments. Not all years, but they have several to choose from. Great sitting area if someone in your group needs to rest. Clean restrooms. Close to Reagan Building where you can get a quick lunch.

We hadn't heard about this Visitors Centre until the girl in the Capitol gift shop mentioned it. It is quite near the White House but check it on the map. It was a very good museum with various artifacts from the White House over the years and lots of information about it. There was a film with Reflections from presidents and other photographs on TV screen. There is also a gift shop. It's a very spacious museum. There was no entry fee. There is security screening at the entry. We were there in early March and there were very few people visiting. I really enjoyed the visit and would highly recommend it.

At the White House Visitors Center, our US History Tour group was shown a film about life at the White House, featuring quotes, videos, and pictures from people who had lived there. There were artifacts and displays about the presidents and families, a scale model of the building, and other interesting information. I enjoyed a cute interactive quiz with a table, showing favorite foods of a number of presidents, and you guess which president it was—two of the foods were squirrel soup, and jelly beans. There was a small gift shop where I chose my favorite from a number of official White House Christmas ornaments. This Visitors Center was a great intro before going to see the White House and grounds.

Washington DC generally is an amazing city to visit , very clean with no graffiti even on the metro ( subway) . We used the , very efficient , metro to travel around Weather was warm every day, 26° . So many places to visit and free museums , you can donate to them when visiting . Definitely recommend a visit .

As we couldn’t go inside the White House we decided to visit the visitor centre . Not too much of a queue. Loved all the exhibitions especially the video with all the past presidents, watched it twice . Loved seeing all the photos and seeing the menu and place settings from when our late queen dined at the White House My big but was the vicious security guards No need for it at all I hate been shouted at and it spoilt the visit

The White House Visitors Center is usually the meeting point for the tours of the White House. I unfortunately was unable to reserve a tour of the White House since they are very competitive, so I thought I would check out the visitor center. I’m glad I did, the visitor center was more like a museum. It had many artifacts from the White House and shared a lot of history. There was also a gift shop. I highly recommend coming here.

If you can’t get tickets for the White House tour, this is the next best thing. Entry is free. On timed entry – you can enter at any time. Inside is air conditioned, with water and clean bathroom (which is a godsend during the hot humid summer months). The Visitor Center has exhibits describing the White House itself and it’s history. Lots of information. Some of it is interactive. Small gift shop. Definitely worth a stop.