JFK Library announces reopening, free admission period after government shutdown
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, which has been closed for more than a month because of the government shutdown, has announced plans to reopen and offer free admission for about two weeks.
Now that the shutdown is over, the attraction at Dorchester's Columbia Point will officially welcome the public back Saturday at 10 a.m. It will be free to all visitors until Nov. 30. Admission is typically $20 for adults and $16 for seniors.
The JFK Library is one of several popular Boston tourist sites, in addition to the Bunker Hill Monument and the U.S.S. Constitution, that are operated by the federal government and were therefore forced to turn visitors away for weeks because of the record 43-day shutdown.
Back in February, the JFK Library abruptly closed due to an executive order from President Trump to slash the federal workforce. It reopened the next day, and the JFK Library Foundation was able to rehire the five employees who had been let go.
The library, which is one of 15 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration, receives some money for personnel and building maintenance from the federal government, but is funded mostly by admission fees and donations.
The JFK Cafe will reopen on Monday, and the research room will reopen by appointment only on Tuesday. The library, which was established in 1979, is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
The library is currently featuring a special exhibit on presidential pets.