National parks will remain ‘generally’ open during the shutdown, but Liberty Bell doors are closed
October 1, 2025
Crowds of people loaded onto boats to tour the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island with no immediate signs of the government shutdown that is triggering the furlough of about two-thirds of National Park Service employees. But in Philadelphia, tourists on Independence Mall on Wednesday were thwarted from touring the Liberty Bell. They could only steal glances of it inside a glass pavilion. A shutdown contingency plan released by the park service late Tuesday says parks will generally remain accessible to visitors. Parks without “accessible areas” will be closed, and sites currently open could close if damage is done to park resources.