DC tourism during the shutdown
Washington, D.C. is one of my favorite destinations, in no small part due to the number and quality of free museums. However, with the current federal government shutdown, it’s important for travellers to know which museums and attractions are closed, and what remaining options are still open.
Closed (federally funded/free museums and visitor sites):
All museums of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. are closed.
The Smithsonian National Zoological Park (National Zoo) is closed.
National Gallery of Art is closed (federal funding mix exhausted) beginning early October.
Library of Congress buildings are closed to the public and all public events are cancelled.
National Archives and Records Administration facilities (including the Rotunda with the Charters of Freedom) are closed.
National Park Service indoor visitor centres and staffed services on the National Mall and at many memorials/monuments are closed (though open-air memorials may remain physically accessible).
United States Botanic Garden and United States National Arboretum are closed.
Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site museum and Petersen House are closed (though stage performances continue under non-federal nonprofit management).
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center tours and public centre are closed.
Supreme Court of the United States public visiting/tours are severely curtailed.
Any other indoor federally operated museum or visitor centre in DC dependent on appropriated funds follows similar closure protocols.
Open (privately funded or non-federal museums and attractions):
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum remains open. (Free admission; open daily from 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.)
The Kreeger Museum remains open during the federal shutdown.
The Phillips Collection is open (Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.).
National Museum of Women in the Arts remains open (private nonprofit).
National Building Museum is open (private nonprofit institution).
Outdoor open-air spaces such as the National Mall and Rock Creek Park remain accessible though services may be limited; some memorials are unstaffed. NOTE THAT BATHROOMS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE.
