For the last month, Marci T. House has had the perfect plan for the first week of the year: She would spend it in Washington’s museums and galleries, with her wife beside her. The first day was to be spent in the National Museum of African-American History and Culture; the second day at the National Portrait Gallery, taking photos in front of the Obamas’ portraits; the third day was for getting on tour buses and seeing outdoor monuments.

But that plan was ruined before it even began when Ms. House learned, after arriving in Washington on Tuesday, that the Smithsonian Institution’s museums, along with many other federally funded tourist attractions, were closing because of the government shutdown. The Smithsonian’s museums and the National Zoo initially remained open when the shutdown began on Dec. 22, but closed on Wednesday.

“We literally flew all day from Vancouver, British Columbia, to D.C. to see the museums and galleries,” said Ms. House, an actress. “Disappointed is putting it mildly.”

She and her wife now plan on spending their trip exploring the city’s monuments, like the National Mall, which is open, and are keeping their fingers crossed that the museums will open before the end of the week.