Tourists in a Shut Down Washington DC

A couple from Japan reads a sign informing them of the closure of the National Gallery of Art in Washington. One by one, the memorials were closed, along with about 45 fountains maintained by the National Park Service, said spokeswoman Carol Johnson. Pumps will be stopped at the Lincoln Memorial's long reflecting pool, but it won't be immediately drained.

A couple from Japan sits on the steps of the National Gallery of Art, which they did not realize, is closed in Washington. Travel and leisure spending generates about $12 billion annually for the Washington region's economy, according to Stephen Fuller, director of George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis. That's $33 million a day in tourism business, with the main draw being the National Mall.

Tourists from France sit on the steps outside the closed Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington. The couple did not realize that the the U.S. government began a partial shutdown on Tuesday. The Washington region will lose $220 million per day in federal payroll while the government is closed, Fuller estimated. So federal workers won't be spending money at small businesses and restaurants while they're not being paid, he said.

The inside of the closed Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is seen in Washington. While government-run museums on the National Mall were closed, many other attractions planned to stay open for tourists. The group Cultural Tourism DC said there will be numerous arts and cultural options for visitors and residents.

People enjoy the area around the reflecting pool, in front of the closed Lincoln Memorial. Museums and attractions planning to stay open include the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Newseum, the International Spy Museum, National Geographic Museum, National Building Museum, The Phillips Collection and others.

The Lincoln Memorial is pictured with just a handful of U.S. Park Police after sunset after the memorial was sealed off from visitors in Washington.

In front of the steps of the closed Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The museums that draw millions of visitors to the National Mall closed their doors on Tuesday, memorials were barricaded and trash will go uncollected.

The Lincoln Memorial, and most of the federal government, is closed.

People stand and jog, in front of the steps of the closed Lincoln Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial, and most of the federal government, is closed.