International Spy Museum

Of all of the museums that cost money in DC, we've discovered that the International Spy Museum is, by far, the best.  You're greeted by the Green Jaguar XKR from the James Bond movie Die Another Day with the clip playing in the background.  Then they shuttle you into a movie theater via a flashy blue-lit elevator to learn about a spy's life.  The whole entry experience makes you think spying is glamorous and fun, while the rest of the museum explains why it's really not. 

You're encouraged to assume a new identity when you first enter the museum and then are quizzed and handed an assignment along the way.  I thought this part of the museum would have been more fun had there been actual actors posing as security to quiz you along the way and let you know how believable you were.  It's actually pretty difficult to memorize a bunch of pieces of information about someone in just a few minutes (although, luckily, I'd just finished the book: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer, which made it much easier).

I thoroughly enjoyed the first exhibit all about tricks of the trade, complete with lots of handy (and outdated) gadgets, plus another Bond car.  Then, it dives into a history of spying from the Greek-Trojan Horse incident to the current threat of cyber-attack.  In the basement, there is a Bond Villain exhibit, which would have been excellent had I actually watched all of the Bond movies since the beginning of time.  With the kids, we spent two hours in the museum, but agreed that you could easily spend four because it is so incredibly interesting.

Alison learning about the Trojan Horse