The Smithsonian says it will now stay open through Oct. 11, despite the shutdown

Source: NPR

Updated October 3, 2025 4:16 PM ET


Having been through more than one federal government shutdown, Washington, D.C.'s arts and cultural institutions know the drill. Visitors will find some shuttered doors but also find plenty of alternatives. Some museums are also offering discounts for federal workers affected by the shutdown.

Smithsonian Institution:

The Smithsonian Institution, which includes museums, research centers, and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announced today that it will stay now stay open through Saturday, Oct. 11 using "prior-year funds." Updates should be posted on its website.

The institution receives about 62% of its budget from the federal government, so its 21 museums and the National Zoo may face closure. That includes the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of American History, the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum.

Once those prior-year funds have run out, the animals at the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., "will continue to be fed and cared for," according to the Zoo's website, but the popular webcams peeking into the daily lives of pandas, lions, elephants and naked mole-rats will be turned off. The Smithsonian says the cams "require federal resources, primarily staff, to run and broadcast."


Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/nx-s1-5558189/government-shutdown-smithsonian-zoo