By Helen Smith
The Olympian
The Governor’s Mansion Foundation now is accepting reservations for guided tours of the Governor’s Mansion in September and October and see the historic home amid the fall foliage.
Visitors will get a walking tour of the mansion on the Capitol Campus as well as the mansion’s “permanent collection of antique furnishings and Northwest artwork, including renowned wall-size murals of Washington scenes in the state dining room.”
The tour covers 10 public rooms, as well as the governor’s family room, which was decorated by the Inslees. This gives visitors an opportunity to learn a little bit more about Washington’s first family, according to Virginia McCarty, chair of the Governor’s Mansion Foundation.
“Governor Inslee has a lot of his art projects, because he’s an artist, and he has some art pieces that were created by his family members,” McCarty said.
While touring the mansion, attendees can also learn more about the history of Washington’s governors, their partners and families, as well as the house’s transformations over the years.
The mansion itself was in a state of disrepair in the 1970s, before then-first lady Nancy Evans formed the Governor’s Mansion Foundation to restore it. The furnishings in the mansion today are true to the time period when it was built, around 1908, although much of it was added later.
McCarty values the mansion for what it can teach residents about the state and its history.
“I became a member of the foundation because I’m a student of history and have found that knowing the history of our state and the struggles that went on with all of our governors and first ladies and first gentlemen, learning all this just makes us more Washingtonian,” McCarty said. “It’s our roots and our roots are so different than any other state in the union.”
Tours occur every Wednesday throughout September and October and are open to 25 guests. Visitors can tour at 1 p.m., 1:20 p.m. or 1:40 p.m. Reservations must be made 24 hours in advance, and all guests older than 18 will have to present a photo ID.
