WASHINGTON (NEWSnetAP) — A new virtual tour of The White House launched Friday, featuring the rooms that are part of the in-person public tour of the historic mansion.
The narrated tour can be viewed on a computer or smartphone, and is part of a mission by first lady Jill Biden to make the White House accessible to as many people as possible. The tour is available on the White House website, as well as on Google Maps and the Google Arts & Culture page.
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Biden, a longtime community college professor, hopes teachers will use it to educate students about the White House and its history, said Elizabeth Alexander, her spokesperson.
“Not everyone can make the trip to Washington, D.C., to tour the White House, so she’s bringing the White House to them,” Alexander said.
Google Street View technology was used to capture the imagery, and tour was created using Google Arts & Culture’s storytelling tool. The narration is by White House social secretary Carlos Elizondo, giving historical information on each space.
The tour opens with a video message of President Joe Biden and the first lady welcoming visitors, the same one that plays at the White House Visitors Center for those who visit in person.
The virtual viewing starts at the East Wing Entrance and includes the library, the China Room, the Green, Blue and Red rooms, the East Room and the State Dining Room.
This is the first Google virtual tour of the White House to include audio captions for people with disabilities. It is also Google’s first virtual tour of the White House to have Spanish translation.
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