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After Contentious Shutdown, Valley Forge Park Reopens To Visitors

By Brad Segall

 

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (CBS) -- The end of the government shutdown means the barricades are gone at Valley Forge National Historical Park.

The flashing sign at the entrance to the park on Route 23 reads "Welcome Back...We Missed You."

After a sixteen-day shutdown (see related story), the visitors' center, the theatre, the trails and the buildings are open.

Joseph and his family are in from the Erie, Pa. area and says the timing worked out well for them.

"Well, we're home schoolers, so we're taking our kids on a tour of Pennsylvania history and very much wanted to be able to see Valley Forge and some of the sites down in Philadelphia," he tells KYW Newsradio.

Steve and Barb are on vacation from Michigan with only a couple of days to spend in this area.

"Well, I'm a big history buff," says Steve,  "and having seen Gettysburg over the years and Washington, DC, this was just a natural fit."

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(Steve and Barb, vacationing from Michigan. Photo by Brad Segall)

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With the historic sites still closed on Wednesday, they opted to spend their day at the King of Prussia Mall and the Valley Forge Casino.

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