Inside the 25 Most Famous White House Rooms 》

The White House is arguably the most famous building in the United States. However, it might also be the most mysterious!

That’s because the average citizen has no idea of everything inside this famous building. The White House has 132 rooms, but most of us have never seen much beyond the Oval Office.

Wondering what it would be like to live in the White House? We’re here with a guided tour of the 25 most famous White House rooms and other areas!

Oval Office

The Oval Office is the most famous White House room. It is where the president works and takes calls and meetings. Because of that, it is a heavily-photographed area.

State Dining Room

For state dinners and other special meals, the president and his staff can make use of the State Dining Room. This expansive room can handle up to 140 guests!

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

One of the other heavily-photographed rooms is the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. This is where the press secretary offers important news briefings to members of the media.

Lincoln Bedroom

The White House carries a very powerful sense of history. In the Lincoln Bedroom, the president and his family can rest in a room featuring decorations from the time of Abraham Lincoln!

Vice President’s Office

While it’s not as famous as the president’s Oval Office, the vice president has their own office in the West Wing. This desk and sitting area help combine productivity and comfort.

Solarium

The real “room with a view” in the White House is the solarium. With its private balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see why First Lady Grace Coolidge dubbed this room “the sky parlor.”

Roosevelt Room

The Roosevelt Room is dominated by paintings of Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt. This room’s sole focus is to announce nominations and appointments of new staff members.

Bowling alley

Even presidents need a special space to unwind. That’s why the White House has a full-length, one-lane bowling alley located in the Executive Residence Basement.

Blue Room

The Blue Room has kept its famous blue coloration since 1837. It is located on the State Floor and is used as a formal area to receive guests.

Yellow Oval Room

While the Blue Room is important, the Yellow Oval Room above it sees more action from the First Family. That’s because they use the Yellow Oval Room as their living room.

Red Room

While the Blue Room is a formal area to receive guests, there are two less formal rooms located next to the Blue Room. The Red Room seen here is used to entertain guests.

Green Room

The Green Room serves the same function as the Red Room: to entertain guests. But it is decked out in a very emerald color scheme.

East Room

You might not know the East Room by name, but it is the single largest room within the Executive Residence. This spacious area is used for everything from ceremonies and speeches to concerts and dances.

Situation Room

One of the most secure areas of the White House is the Situation Room located in the basement. This NSA-run facility takes up a whopping 5,000 square feet and serves as an area where the president can receive important national intelligence.

Cinema room

The bowling alley isn’t the only way to have fun in the White House. There is also a cinema room where the president and his family can watch any movie at any time, including movies that haven’t been released to theaters yet.

Emergency bunker

Some areas of the White House are scarier than others. For example, this emergency bunker in the East Wing helped protect White House officials during the 9/11 attack. Another bunker can be found under the North Lawn.

East Wing hallway

The White House can be a pretty festive place around certain holidays. Here we can see the East Wing hallway starting to look a lot like Christmas!

Cabinet Room

The Cabinet Room is one of the more formal areas within the White House. Here, the president typically sits in the center and meets with their assorted ministers.

Navy Mess and Ward Room

Would you believe the Navy has a major presence in the White House? The Navy runs a truly delicious restaurant known as the Navy Mess and Ward Room.

North Portico

The North Portico is one of the more photogenic White House exterior locations. Here, we see Joe and Jill Biden giving us a jaunty wave.

South Portico

The South Portico doesn’t provide as many photo opportunities as the North Portico. But it does offer a commanding view of the six-story Executive Residence.

West Wing exterior

The West Wing houses some of the most important rooms within the White House. Here, we can see an exterior shot of this fairly unassuming building.

Resolute Desk

While we already took a look at the Oval Office, it’s worth paying special attention to the Resolute Desk. This famous desk has been around since the 1800s. Part of the reason is that it would be so difficult to move: this desk weighs over 1,000 pounds!

Rose Garden

Not all of the beautiful White House locations are within the house. Here we can see the breathtaking Rose Garden. This area is used to meet guests and hold special outdoors ceremonies.

West Colonnade walkway

The White House is so large that presidents and their staff need a quick way to move from one location to the other. The West Colonnade walkway (also known as the “45-second commute”) serves this function. One quick walk through here will take you from the Oval Office to the Rose Garden and then into the official White House residence.