WASHINGTON — Can't come to Washington? Couldn't get a ticket to tour the White House? Don't worry.
The White House, Google Maps and Google Arts & Culture has launched a new virtual tour of the famous mansion.
With a computer or smartphone, users will be able to see all of the rooms that they would have seen had they been able to go on a public tour of the building.
The updated virtual tour is part of a mission by first lady Jill Biden to make the White House accessible to as many people as possible. 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.
First lady Jill Biden speaks Tuesday in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington ahead of Wednesday's State Dinner with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“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.
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The tour is the first Google virtual tour of the White House to include audio captions for people with disabilities. The captions are narrated by White House social secretary Carlos Elizondo and pop up on the screen to offer viewers historical information on each of the rooms.
It is also Google's first virtual tour of the White House to have Spanish translation.
The tour opens with a brief video of President Joe Biden and the first lady welcoming visitors, the same message that plays at the White House Visitors Center for those who visit in person.
Google Street View technology was used to capture the imagery, starting at the East Wing Entrance and moving through all rooms on the public tour route, including the library, the China Room, the Green, Blue and Red rooms, the East Room and the State Dining Room.
The tour was created using Google Arts & Culture’s storytelling tool.
Ben Gomes, senior vice president of learning and sustainability at Google, said the mission of its arts and culture division is to open the world's culture to people everywhere.
The tour is available on the White House website, as well as on Google Maps and the Google Arts & Culture page.
Photos: Meet Dale Haney, the White House groundskeeper for 50 years
FILE - White House horticulturist Dale Haney, right, holds presidential pet Barney, as visitors wait for President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush's arrival on the South Lawn at the White House, Aug. 20, 2006, in Washington. Haney has been a constant through the past 10 presidencies. As of this month, Haney has tended the lawns and gardens of the White House for 50 years. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
FILE - Jim Adams, left, supervisory horticulturist with the National Park Service, and Dale Haney, right, White House grounds superintendent, walk through Douglas firs looking for trees that will be used in the White House during the holiday season at on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in White Township, N.J. John Wyckoff and family were the Grand Champions at the National Christmas Tree Association's annual tree contest and won the right to present trees for use in the White House. (Matt Smith/The Express-Times via AP, File)
FILE - Dale Haney takes the first pet Bo for a stroll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, April 27, 2009. Haney has been a constant through the past 10 presidencies. As of this month, Haney has tended the lawns and gardens of the White House for 50 years. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
FILE - Dale Haney, Superintendent of the White House Grounds, talks in the first lady Michelle Obama's vegetable and herb garden on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Oct. 15, 2009. Haney has been a constant through the past 10 presidencies. As of this month, Haney has tended the lawns and gardens of the White House for 50 years. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
President Joe Biden, left, and Dale Haney, the chief White House groundskeeper, right, listen as first lady Jill Biden speaks during a tree planting ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Washington. The Bidens recognized Haney who as of this month has tended the lawns and gardens of the White House for 50 years. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Joe Biden shakes hands with Dale Haney, the chief White House groundskeeper, right, during a tree planting ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Washington. First lady Jill Biden looks on at center. The Bidens recognized Haney who as of this month has tended the lawns and gardens of the White House for 50 years. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In this photo provided by the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Dale Haney poses for a photo at the White House on April 20, 1979. (Jimmy Carter Presidential Library via AP)
Dale Haney, the chief White House groundskeeper, right, laughs as he stands with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden during a tree planting ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Washington. As of this month, Haney has tended the lawns and gardens of the White House for 50 years. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Dale Haney, the chief White House groundskeeper, second from right, laughs as he stands with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden during a tree planting ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Washington. As of this month, Haney has tended the lawns and gardens of the White House for 50 years. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and Dale Haney, the chief White House groundskeeper, right, participate in a tree planting ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Washington. As of this month, Haney has tended the lawns and gardens of the White House for 50 years. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
