Planning our first trip to Washington DC on Oct 10th---who thinks the museums and other tourist attractions will be closed. Wondering if we should postpone.

I think our elected representatives will decide that failing to remove health insurance for 30 million US citizens is not a good enough reason to shut the US Government. I do NOT think the government is going to shut down. Call me optimistic. Can you wait a few days to see what happens??

That said, if it DOES shut down.....

These critical services would NOT cease:

1) Social Security checks for seniors, people with disabilities and survivors would still go out. But new Social Security applications will likely not be processed during any shutdown, as during in the previous shutdowns.
2) Troops would continue to serve, though their pay could be put on hold.
3) Critical homeland security functions such as border security would continue.
4) The Postal Service, which is self-funded, will continue to operate.
5) The FAA would keep the air traffic control system open and safe.

Some services that WILL be affected:

1) Unemployment benefits: The federal funds that help states pay the costs of their unemployment programs could be affected depending on the length of the shutdown.
2) Veterans' services: While VA hospitals will remain open, veterans' benefits could be delayed or reduced, as was the case during the last shutdown.
3) National parks: National parks and the National Wildlife Refuge Systems would be among the first places to close if the government shuts down. (includes the Zoo)
4) Passports: Passport and visa applications will not be processed. In the 1996 shutdown, over 200,000 passport applications and 30,000 daily visa applications went unprocessed.
5) Access to the U.S. Capitol: Guide and staff-led tours of the Capitol will be canceled. The House Gallery will remain open.
6) IRS processing of tax refunds for some returns would be suspended.
7) FHA new home loan guarantees may cease.
8) SBA approval of applications for business loan guarantees and direct loans to small businesses would likely cease, impacting the engines of our economy and potentially slowing the economic recovery.
9) Farm loans and farm payments would cease.
10) Museums: National museums, including the Smithsonian Institution, would close in the event of a government shutdown.

You're best off watching the news and listening to the expert political commentators on this one. They would have a much better sense of whether the government will shut down than the average person on here.

On here, you'll get good advice on what to do if the government does shut down as far as what's open or not. Plus the predictable arguing about politics which won't help you one bit.

It's impossible to know this until next Monday, and even then it's impossible to know how long any closure might last. But generally tourist attractions are expendable and will be closed, as will public buildings, during any government shut-down.

You may want to wait until Monday and see. If you are driving, a last-minute change is fairly easy. If flying, not so much since the government shutdown would not affect air service. But if you have nonrefundable hotel reservations, I don't know if you'd get your money back ... perhaps ... you'd need to contact the hotel directly.

While the Smithsonian and monuments are certainly the biggest draw, there are things to do if you end-up going.

The Organization of American States operates a small art museum at 18th and Constitution Ave. Info at www.museum.oas.org, admission is free.

The Society of Cincinnati gives free tours of its headquarters, Anderson House, which is one of the showcases of the Guilded Age in Washington. The house is in Dupont Circle. Check www.societyofthecincinnati.org

Dumbarton House is operated by the Society of Colonial Dames in America and shows life during the first years of the republic. Admission is $5 and info is at www.dumbartonhouse.org

The National Geographic Society offers films, live presentations and displays at its headquarters on 17th and M Streets NW as does the Folger Shakespeare Library near the Supreme Court.

The Holocaust Museum is privately operated and would remain open in the event of a government closure as would the Washington National Cathedral and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Outside the city, Mount Vernon in nearby Alexandria and the National Aquarium in Baltimore are privately operated and would remain open. There are other museums and activities in Baltimore or perhaps even Williamsburg or Richmond, Virginia could be options. I'm sure other posters can chime-in with their favorite non-federal Washington attractions.

I'm sorry, but having lived in Washington, DC Metro off and on for forty plus years, the reason you are coming to Washington, I strongly suspect, is to see what is IN Washington.

Expert political commentators...who would those actually be? Nobody knows what will actually happen until something actually does happen.

If you aren't out any money I would wait and see before I put anything off.

If you financially have to visit anyway then the alternate choices listed above seem helpful.

The so-called arguing about politics that happens HERE does not shut down governments.

The Spy Museum is very interesting. www.spymuseum.org

I believe also the Woodrow Wilson house museum is not a federal museum. He was a very interesting person and the museum in his house if very good. But I just checked their website and it is closed for maintenance for most of October.

There is also the Newseum, and Hillwood. Dukey, most of the things we are mentioning as alternatives ARE in DC proper. If the trip can't be postponed, it's more helpful to offer good options than to snark.

The Philips Collection is a good art museum - it is near Dupont Circle and very much worth a visit.

Thank you for all your input. We already have airline tickets, so we will probably go regardless, it may be too expensive to change cities. Thanks for all the "non government" museum recommendations. We will have fun no matter what we do!

I hope you enjoy your trip! You will still be able to see the monuments, and as this thread indicates, there are a lot of museums that are not government-run that are excellent.

Yep, not to worry - there are lots of great things to see and do in DC.

You could always go to Baltimore or rent a car and head to Williamsburg. There are a lot of other options with history close by.