Will the government shutdown have any impact on tourism in North Carolina?

A government shutdown triggering the furlough of about two-thirds of National Park Service employees across the country. The National Park Service sent a statement saying, in part, that they will continue to keep parks as accessible as possible during the lapse in appropriations.

Friends of the Smokies took to Facebook, sharing which areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are closed because of the shutdown and which are still open.

Carolyn Widner, the CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, says that though most of the staff are furloughed, she’s hearing that sections of the parkway that were open yesterday will remain open.

“What it means for us really as community members and neighbors is that it’s

See Full Page