Just a warning to visitors to Washington - If the government shutdown does come to pass, Smithsonian museums as well as Federal Monuments and memorials will be closed as well. The National Park Service staff already have barricades ready to close off the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, etc.
Impact on other agencies can be found here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...rtment-impact/.
Edited to add a list of attractions which are believed to be open during the shutdown (mostly based on the Washington Post). I still advise that you call as some of these are quite small venues and may have limited hours or require reservations. This list will continue to be edited as new information comes in.
Madame Tussaud’s
Kreeger Museum
Hillwood Estate
German American Heritage Museum
Dumbarton House
Spy Museum
Newseum
Crime Museum
Corcoran Gallery
National Cathedral
National Shrine
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Sixth and I Historic Synagogue
The Philips Collection
Arlington Cemetery
President Lincolns Cottage at the Soldier’s Home
Mount Vernon
Folger Shakespeare Library
National Building Museum
Tudor Place
National Geographic Museum
National Museum of Health and Medicine
DAR Museum
Exhibits in the Ronald Reagan Building
Ford's Theatre - Walking tours only, performances suspended.
African American Civil War Museum
National Firearms Museum
Ratner Museum (Bethesda)
Morven Park (Leesburg)
Oatlands (Leesburg)
Heurich House
DAR Museum
Also check:
http://dchousemuseums.org/ for a listing of house/building museums in the DC area. While some are federal (and therefore closed), many are not. (Thanks,
paytonc)