Jill Biden and History Channel Partner to Update and Expand White House Tour

Jack Dunn
·2 min read

First Lady Jill Biden and the History Channel have updated the decades-old White House tour in an effort to help students learn about the presidential mansion’s living history.

“I’ve been a classroom teacher for 40 years, and I know learning has to be interactive and engaging. It has to evoke the senses, and you have to meet students where they are, giving them what they need to spark their curiosity and imagination,” said First Lady Jill Biden. “When Joe became President, I took a look at the public tour, which I’m told hasn’t seen any significant improvements in decades, and thought there has to be a way to reimagine this tour experience, add more educational content and story-telling, while also preserving and protecting its history. So, we did.”

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The updated tour now includes new experiential signage and video greetings in 18 rooms, a three-dimensional architectural model of the White House, an expanded tour route that now includes the Diplomatic Reception room, multi-sensory reader rails and a digital “living timeline” of the White House in the East Colonnade.

“Preserving our country’s history, investing in education, and engaging the next generation is at the heart of the new expanded White House tour,” said Paul Buccieri, president and chairman, A+E Networks Group, which includes The History Channel. “We are honored to join First Lady Jill Biden on this special initiative to enhance the White House tour experience for the American public and visitors from around the globe.”

The updated tour was created with the support of the History Channel in partnership with ESI Design, which previously helped update the Liberty Island and Ellis Island museums.

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