A tour guide speaks to a group of students from Queens, New York, on the south side of Independence Hall, pointing to the bell tower where the iconic Liberty Bell once hung. But for this group, about 50 feet from the doors and behind some barricades would be as close to the building as they could get.

As part of the federal government shutdown , many national parks, museums, and monuments are now closed, including those at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia .

"It's extremely disappointing because these kids waited a whole year to come here, and this is what we have to go through," said Patricia, who was with the school group and said they'd been planning the trip since February.

It was a sentiment shared by tourists from around the country who were on the mall

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