Alabamians get private, after-hours tour of the West Wing. Here’s what they saw.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –6,000 tourists visit the White House Tourist Center every day. As the seat of the executive branch of the U.S. Federal Government, it is not hard to understand why 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is such a popular attraction. However, very few of those 6,000 tourists get to see the West Wing, but last month four lucky Alabamians took the tour of a lifetime through the nucleus of the President’s home.

Riley Roby, the husband of Rep. Martha Roby, invited Donna Horne, Chairman of Pike County’s Republican Party; Elaine Ridenour, Secretary of the Alabama Republican Party; and Sue Neuwien, Second Congressional District Chairman for AL-GOP to the event for Congressional spouses and their guests. When making arrangements for the trip, the ladies mentioned to Representative Roby’s Chief of Staff that they would love to tour White House if possible, and left it at that. Shortly after that, they were booked on an exclusive West Wing tour.

The West Wing is home to the most areas in the White House. Also known as the Executive Office Building, it’s made up of the Oval Office, the Situation Room, the Cabinet Room, and the Roosevelt Room. Needless to say, visits to this area are nothing like the standard White House public tours. In addition to increased access, West Wing groups only tour in the evening, when work has slowed down. For example, the group accompanying Mr. Roby toured at 8:45 p.m.

This was not Neuwien’s first trip to D.C. or the White House. However, she said this experience stands out from any other. “Just being there and seeing where the seat of our government is was pretty cool,” she said. “Surprisingly, the West Wing is very small,” Neuwien told Yellowhammer. “The rooms are small, and the hallways are tight, so they don’t have room to have large tour groups parading through.”

The group’s tour exceeded expectations because of the number of big names they saw. As they entered the West Wing, they saw Vice President Mike Pence exit in his motorcade. Just a few moments later, they saw Ivanka Trump and her security detail walk right by on her way out of the office. Perhaps the person they were most excited to see, however, was Director of White House Message Strategy Cliff Sims. Sims, the founder and former CEO of Yellowhammer, met Neuwien while covering Alabama politics. He greeted the group in the White House after they saw him in his office, which is directly next to the Oval Office.

“He’s really got the coolest set-up in the whole place,” Neuwien said. “But we do miss him now that he’s in D.C.”

The group got a glimpse of the Oval Office, though visitors are not permitted inside. The ladies took pictures at the podium in the Press Briefing Room, where presidents and press secretaries have stood for decades.

Additionally, the group got to see White House landmarks like the Roosevelt Room, West Collonade, and the Rose Garden.

But the excitement did not end when with the tour. Neuwien, Horne, and Ridenour still got to join Riley Roby at the First Lady’s Luncheon. The one-hundred-and-fifth edition of the event took place at the Washington Hilton, which hosts other big-time events like the White House Correspondant’s Dinner. 2,200 people attended, including Melania Trump, the spouses of Supreme Court Justices, the spouses of cabinet members, and the spouses of prominent members of Congress.

Needless to say, the trip is one the group will not soon forget. “Washington is an incredible place,” Neuwein said.