There is currently no access to the front porch
PADUCAH, Ky. (Apr. 14, 2025) – As the high school prom season approaches, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) would like to remind visitors to the historic Whitehaven Welcome Center at Interstate 24, Paducah Exit 7, that while the grand staircase is available for photography during prom event afternoons, the front porch is currently inaccessible.
Those wishing to take prom photos inside Whitehaven on the grand staircase can do so at the following times:
- Saturday, April 19, from 1 to 6 p.m. (Prom events scheduled for Ballard, Graves, Lyon and Crittenden counties)
- Saturday, April 26, from 1 to 6 p.m. (Prom events scheduled for Paducah, St. Mary and Marshall County)
- Friday, May 2, from 1 to 6 p.m. (Prom events scheduled for Christian Fellowship, Benton)
- Saturday, May 3, from 1 to 6 p.m. (Prom events scheduled for Mayfield and Carlisle, Livingston, McCracken counties)
- Saturday, May 10 from 1 to 6 p.m. (Prom events scheduled for Community Christian Academy, Paducah)
No appointment is needed. For more information, please call 270-554-2077.
(Please note: Your county or school does not need to be listed above to participate. The list includes known prom dates.)
Whitehaven is the only historic house in the nation used as a welcome center.
The historic antebellum home, originally built as a farmhouse in the 1860s, became an official state welcome center in 1983. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
For safety reasons, the front porch is currently closed to all visitors in preparation for upcoming maintenance work.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Kentucky Department of Tourism jointly operate Whitehaven Welcome Center. Learn more at https://www.kentuckytourism.com/explore/whitehaven-welcome-center-2745