Philadelphia, the nation’s birthplace, tourists enjoying a crisp fall morning on Independence Mall were thwarted in their hopes of visiting the Liberty Bell. They were being turned away at the entrance and could only steal glances of it inside a glass pavilion.

But in New York, crowds of people loaded onto boats to tour the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Wednesday morning with no immediate signs of the government shutdown that is triggering the furlough of about two-thirds of National Park Service employees.

Access varied widely across the more than 400 sites overseen by the National Park Service as the shutdown began, according to on-scene reporting by The Associated Press. Some tourists chafed at the limited services remaining for visitors, while others didn’t notice the changes or simply soldiered on.

In Florida's Everglades, tourists from Switzerland who encountered a blocked road decided to put on packs and hike into the park. “For us, it’s kind of special,” Andy Jeker said of being able to visit national parks in the U.S., pointing to their vastness and connection with nature.

At Acadia National Park in Maine, would-be hikers in search of trail maps found empty receptacles outside a closed visitor center. With no park rangers in sight, Jim Feather of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, said he and his wife were unsure about tackling Cadillac Mountain, with its panoramic views of the North Atlantic coast.

“It’s frustrating that they’re playing politics in D.C.,” Feather said. “Their job is to pass a budget.”