Our trip to Washington D.C. was last minute. We didn’t have enough time to request a tour of the White House so we were just able to see the White House from outside the gate.

self-guided tours of the White House, the residence of the President of the United States,  are offered on first come first serve basis on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., excluding federal holidays.

Tour requests must be submitted through your Congressman or Senator’s offices. Requests usually take 2-3 months to be approved. Advance planning is a must.

The White House Visitor Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW contains exhibits, artifacts and a 14 minute film, “White House: Reflections From Within.” 

We didn’t visit the White House Visitor’s Center since we only made it to the White House at Dusk.
It was a great time to go see the White House since we were able to find easy street parking right on Connecticut Avenue NW and walk through Lafayette Park for a close up view (through the gate) of the White House.