Presidential Hospitality
from the White House website
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
The White House is the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public, free of charge. Thomas Jefferson held the first Inaugural open house in 1805, and he welcomed visitors to annual receptions on New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July. In 1829, a horde of 20,000 Inaugural callers forced President Andrew Jackson to flee to the safety of a hotel while, on the lawn, aides filled washtubs with orange juice and whiskey to lure the mob out of the mud-tracked White House.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
The White House is the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public, free of charge. Thomas Jefferson held the first Inaugural open house in 1805, and he welcomed visitors to annual receptions on New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July. In 1829, a horde of 20,000 Inaugural callers forced President Andrew Jackson to flee to the safety of a hotel while, on the lawn, aides filled washtubs with orange juice and whiskey to lure the mob out of the mud-tracked White House.