New York ( CNN ) -- An average of $ 32 million a day in national parks revenue could be shut off if the Beltway showdown results in a government shutdown , officials say . The measure would be the first shutdown in more than 15 years , shuttering national parks , seashores and historic sites , and barring some 800,000 daily visitors , according to David Barna , a spokesman for the National Parks Service . Places such as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona would be closed as a result of the impasse . Tourist draws such as the Smithsonian National Museums in Washington would be locked and parades such as the National Cherry Blossom Festival could be called off , though organizers have pledged to hold a short parade despite the outcome . That festival draws roughly 1 million visitors each year . Congressional lawmakers have been scrambling to negotiate a spending bill set to expire Friday , worrying those reliant on park tourism cash . `` These parks are the economic engines of some communities , '' said Barna . `` They 're often the largest employer in an area , '' referencing a network of restaurants , shops and hotels that often surround historic sites . No budget deal as shutdown looms . Barna , who says he remembers the last shutdown in 1995 , says the potential loss of revenue could stymie local businesses . `` The biggest difference from '95 may be the affect on our website , '' he said . The National Parks Service website tallies roughly 1 million daily hits , catering to would-be travelers and inquisitive students of history . `` It 's the most popular website in the federal government , '' Barna said . As part of the agency 's contingency measures , it plans to post an out-of-service notice in place of the website . Meanwhile , some 17,000 park service employees would be furloughed , with an additional 15,000 private contract workers also forced at least temporarily out of work . The impasse 's affect on tourism is perhaps most visible in Charleston , South Carolina , where Civil War re-enactors are descending . Podcast : What happens in a shutdown ? For years , Charleston has been planning the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War . There , at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor , Confederate artillery opened fire on Union positions on April 12 , 1861 , igniting a bloody conflict that would last for the next fours years . The Tuesday re-enactment of the bombardment is expected to take place regardless of the shutdown , with the firing of guns to take place outside federal land . But the hundreds of blue- or gray-clad re-enactors who planned to camp at the historic fort will find it locked in the event of a shutdown . Money : The price of a shutdown . `` We were expecting 2,000 visitors a day from now until Easter , '' said Fort Sumter Tours owner Rick Mosteller , whose company ferries boatloads of Civil War buffs out to the historic fort . The effects , however , are also anticipated beyond Charleston Harbor . `` This is a tourist town , '' said city resident Robert Mikell . `` A lot of businesses here rely on these national sites . '' Farther to the north on Liberty Island in New York , the possible shutdown had already skewed the plans of some travelers . What would be shut down ? `` We started scheduling this week 's vacation about four weeks ago , '' said Michigan resident Case Vaandering , who toured the Statue of Liberty on Thursday with his wife , Rochelle . The pair said they had changed their route to visit the Smithsonian museums in Washington before venturing up to New York , fearful that a shutdown would block their favored Washington sites and museums . `` We thought the parks were n't going to open for us when we got here , '' Vaandering said . iReport : Looming government shutdown . Others remain more hopeful . Kendra Barkoff , a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of the Interior , said , `` We still believe that there is the opportunity for Congress to avoid a government shutdown . '' But the agency , like others around Washington , is also preparing `` for all possible scenarios , '' she said . In the event of a shutdown , all visitors and nonessential employees at national parks and historic sites would be given 48 hours to leave .
The shutdown would be the first in more than 15 years . Places such as Yellowstone National Park would be closed as a result of the impasse . Comment: