OLYMPIA – Reservations for 2024 October tours at the Washington State Governor’s Mansion are now open and can be made at the Department of Enterprise Services website for reservations .
Tours are offered on a first-come, first-served basis for Wednesdays October 2 or October 9. There are four daily tours, set every thirty minutes starting at 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Each tour time is open to 30 guests and hosted by the Governor’s Mansion Foundation docents.
October tours will include, in addition to the mansion’s rooms, the history and memorabilia of Washington apples and a collection of vintage apple box labels on display from Yakima Valley Museum. On view in the mansion gallery, is an oil painting by E. L. Pierce Milholland titled “Wenatchee Apples” and in the library, a children’s book, “Willow Whoops” by Native American author, Alexis Younglove Erickson. Visitors can also enjoy a recently installed exhibit in the gallery featuring the artworks of Eugene Landry (1937-1988), a member of the Shoalwater Bay Tribe and photographs by Toni Roth, a photographer and resident of the Yakama Indian Reservation in Toppenish, noted for her portraits of Yakama women and girls wearing their traditional regalia.
The Governor’s Mansion is the official residence of the state’s governor. The redbrick, Georgian-style Executive Mansion has been home to Washington’s governors since 1909. It has been fully restored and furnished with many antiques from the American Federal period (1790s-1830s).
The 30-minute mansion tours showcase the first-floor public rooms. There is considerable walking and standing with no public restrooms. The mansion is accessible to walkers and wheelchairs. The walk from the bottom of the driveway to the mansion’s front door is a 200-yard incline. Check in with the Washington State Patrol at the bottom of the mansion driveway at least 10 minutes before tour start-time. Attendees 18 or older are required to show photo ID. An adult must accompany those under 18.
Items not allowed on the tour: include backpacks, strollers, umbrellas, gum, food, drinks. Bins are provided to store personal items. Purses are okay to carry during the tour. All weapons are prohibited on the mansion grounds.
Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance and each tour has a limit of 30 people. Tours fill up fast so the earlier you make your reservation, the better. The full names of all attendees in your group must be submitted at the time you make the reservation. Please note that public tours of the mansion are subject to change or cancellation based on current protocols and guidelines.
Attendees experiencing cold or flu symptoms are asked to cancel or reschedule tours. If cancelation is needed, do at least 72 hours’ notice (3 days) prior to tour date. Call the Tour Office at 360.902.8880 or e-mail tours@des.wa.gov as soon as possible. A waiting list is maintained for these tours and those not showing for scheduled times limit others wanting to attend. While last-minute issues are sometimes unavoidable, every effort should be made to give adequate notice of cancellation.
For directions to the Capitol Campus (driving, biking, taking public transit) see visitor parking information. This site also shows parking locations, EV charging stations and additional information.
The Governor’s Mansion Foundation, an all-volunteer, non-profit, non-artisan organization, honors the historical and cultural significance of the Washington State Governor’s Mansion by maintaining and enhancing the furnishings, art and library collection in public rooms of the mansion, educating the public about the Mansion and its history and advocating on its behalf. The Governor’s Mansion Foundation is independent of the Governor’s office and the Governor. To learn more on becoming a “Friend of the Mansion”, or for more information on GMF, visit www.wagovmansion.org.
