# White House Tour **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2013, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020 "2013-02-01T08:13:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/1 "2013-02-01T08:13:57Z")
Hi there. JpnGal and I are planning a trip to Washington, D.C. this fall. We are interested in reserving a spot for a White House tour. I checked the [official site](http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/tours-and-events) and it mentioned this: > [@](#): > > Public tours of the White House are available. Requests must be submitted through one’s Member of Congress. > > If you wish to visit the White House and are a citizen of a foreign country, please contact your embassy in Washington, DC for assistance in submitting a tour request. Well, I’m an American citizen who hasn’t lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and JpnGal is a Japanese citizen. I’m a registered voter in Los Angeles County although all my ballot info is sent to my Japanese address. Do I even have a Member of Congress to call my own and able to request a reservation through them? Or would you recommend just going through the Japanese Embassy via JpnGal’s citizenship? Thanks in advance. JpnDude ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/2 "2013-02-01T12:48:29Z")
You’ll probably have to do both, and it’s likely to take several months to clear. A lot of it depends on how accommodating your congressperson’s staff is. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/3 "2013-02-01T14:16:44Z")
If you are registered to vote then you have a congressman, you will have to request the tour through that office and JapanGal will have to use the Japanese embassy. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/4 "2013-02-01T14:51:40Z")
Know that they _will_ do a background check on you and you are _assigned_ a date and time, you don’t just print out your ticket and show up when you feel like it (this is why you have to start the process several months in advance). It’s self-guided, so there’s no one to answer questions (there are printed placards with info), and most of the rooms are roped off (you can only look into them). You really only get to actually walk into 5-6 rooms. If you’re dead-set on going, I hope you have a good time, but to be perfectly honest with you, it’s not really that interesting. I’d spend that hour or so seeing _anything_ else in or around the city; you’ll get more out of it, but that’s just my humble opinion. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/5 "2013-02-01T15:02:58Z")
Forget your Rep. Go straight to the top and email [Diane Feinstein](https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me). She has an amazing staff that will probably be able to answer all your questions and let you know what to do. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/6 "2013-02-01T15:17:40Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Know that they _will_ do a background check on you and you are _assigned_ a date and time, you don’t just print out your ticket and show up when you feel like it (this is why you have to start the process several months in advance). > > It’s self-guided, so there’s no one to answer questions (there are printed placards with info), and most of the rooms are roped off (you can only look into them). You really only get to actually walk into 5-6 rooms. > > If you’re dead-set on going, I hope you have a good time, but to be perfectly honest with you, it’s not really that interesting. I’d spend that hour or so seeing _anything_ else in or around the city; you’ll get more out of it, but that’s just my humble opinion. I agree that the tour itself isn’t terribly interesting but I do think it’s worth it to be able to see the White House up close. If you don’t take the tour you can only view the White House from afar. Also, while the tour is self-guided, you can ask the guards stationed in the rooms questions. They are very well informed. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/7 "2013-02-01T15:52:38Z")
Thanks for all the info everyone. I’ll try going via Sen. Feinstein’s website and JpnGal via the Japanese embassy. It would be a nice side trip if we’re lucky enough to get a spot. 🙂 I guess I’ll open another thread for spots to see in DC. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/8 "2013-03-09T15:25:31Z")
Well [so much for that](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/with-canceled-tours-white-house-teaching-how-democracy-works/2013/03/08/e523bfde-8800-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394_story.html?hpid=z1) (all White House tours cancelled). ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/9 "2013-03-09T16:31:53Z")
So much for that. It’s also annoying when articles such as in that link aren’t dated to let the reader know when it was published. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/10 "2013-03-09T16:44:06Z")
I agree, although there is a date in the URL: [NOPARSE][http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/with-canceled-tours-white-house-teaching-how-democracy-works/2013/03/08/e523bfde-8800-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394\_story.html?hpid=z1[/NOPARSE]](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/with-canceled-tours-white-house-teaching-how-democracy-works/2013/03/08/e523bfde-8800-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394_story.html?hpid=z1%5B/NOPARSE%5D) But a dateline would be preferred. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/11 "2013-03-09T17:09:23Z")
There’s a dateline when I look at it on IE. Right next to the byline. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-tour/649020/12 "2013-03-09T17:17:49Z")
I get the byline in IE but not Firefox. Weird.