We're going to be in DC in April and anticipate having White House tour tickets (we applied through our Senator's office six months ahead). The one problem we're having is that you can't take handbags, backpacks, cameras, etc. onto the tour and they have no place that you can leave them. We are staying with a friend out in Alexandria and don't particularly want to go in for the tour early in the morning and then have to return to her place to pick up our cameras for use later in the day.

Can anyone suggest a place with lockers or maybe have other ideas for where we can leave a backpack for a couple of hours? Thanks in advance!

The only place the comes to my mind would be the lockers at Union Station, just a couple of Metro stations from the White House. I think the self-service lockers have been removed (for security), but there is a luggage storage place near Gate A called Tiburon Lockers. There are places to visit near the station (Capitol, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, for starters), so perhaps that could factor into your itinerary.

There are storage lockers at the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian) on the Mall, and it is only a few blocks away. You put in money (take a good supply of coins) and get it back when you empty the locker.

The numbers are limited, so you will want to get there when they open at 10.

Great suggestions....thank-you! I'm not sure which day or at what time our tour will be but since we're there for eight days we're flexible as to what else we will do that day. I just can't imagine wandering around all day without my camera.