International Spy Museum Reviews

This may be the most fun museum I’ve ever experienced. Plenty of interactive exhibits. Truly a tribute to human ingenuity to see some of these devices.

Hubby and I went and it was a lot of fun and educational! Very interesting to see some of real spy things! I'm sure the kiddos would get a kick out of it...

If you are into espionnage, deception and counter-intelligence, you have to go see this museum. There is such a wealth of information about spying that you have to spend the afternoon to soak it all up. My teens loved the interactive displays and kiosks using their badge and spy identity. Only minor item is that a lot of emphasis is put right at the intro about using your undercover identity through the badge but I would often have to wait for those displays to become available. If they could be paired with some informative panel to read while waiting, that would make that part of the experience a lot more enjoyable.

Absolutely fascinating museum. You can spend as long as you like or as little. Learned alot that we did not know. So happy we went

This was an excellent museum. Loads to see and lot of interactive displays which the kids loved. The spy missions made it fun for the children and the adults really enjoyed all the real-life stories about spies and how they changed history. Well worth a visit.

I was excited to see this museum. I've always wondered what it'd be like to be a spy, and this museum takes a dive into the world of it. My husband and I went here on a Saturday afternoon in mid-November. The price was over $60 for the two of us, which is quite high. The museum was more crowded than I would have liked, and it was hard to see a lot of the displays. There are a lot of interactive screens, though, you do have to wait in line for most of them if it's crowded. My favorite and what a lot of people seemed to like was the interactive where you can take a photo of yourself, and it generates a different disguise with which you can choose to see yourself as the opposite gender. My husband noted this museum seemed very anti-Russia. A nice gift shop is at the end.

The only disappointment was not enough cool gaggets for the kids. Overall great experience. Friendly staff and will truly test your memory. Pay attention to everything!

We had visited the museum in its prior location a few years ago and looked forward to our return. It’s best to book tickets online, for a reserved entry time. We saw the walk-in tourists endure hour plus waits for tour openings in the afternoon. Although we used detailed directions for arrival via Metro at L’Enfant Plaza, we had to ask at the station to be redirected the length of the platform!

We waited for our reserved 2 pm entry; the page for the group was done with dramatic flair. Quite funny. A good waiting spot is the gift shop, with a wonderfully curated assortment of spy books and gadgets, a very good selection for kids too. Bathrooms on every floor. Water was allowed, no food, of course.

Great exhibits- but it takes time and close observation and reading labels and details to view and enjoy the extensive collection. The biggest change seemed to be the addition of the interactive stops to check the progress of your personal cover identity. However, this was something we had to totally bypass because it was so popular with the school-aged visitors.

Our visit to all the floors took a little over 2 hours, with tolerable crowds.
This is not a museum for stroller children or restless young children; reading skills and interest in spy stories and maybe awareness of geopolitics and history needed, imo.

Afterwards, we took a short stroll to the Smithsonian, and caught the train home.

Sooo much fascinating information and great interactive exhibits! This place was packed with schoolkids on year-end field trips, all having a blast -- and it's fun for adults too. Learn about actual spies, spycraft, and spy gadgets through history. Learn how to creep silently like a ninja and then test your skill by crawling through a metal duct. I didn't want to miss a thing, but there's so much to see and do that I simply had to give it up after three hours and promise myself that I'll return next time I'm in town. Great fun! Don't miss it!

visited the international spy museum, very crowded! there were a lot of youth groups visiting this particular day , so it was kinda crazy! was interesting to see all the gadgets used in the spying community, there are 5 floors to see of info

Its definitely a different kind of museum. Its a charge, timed entry and lot of user experience. We enjoyed going through each floor. There are plenty of lines to wait. You get a badge that you activate and each room has a user experience like code cracking, memorizing etc... its very interesting. There are also different representations of torture and spying over the ages. Its worth doing. Nicely laid out museum

This was good - we spent right at 3 hours. There are SO many things to do here in DC. I would NOT prioritize this one for first time visitors. On a return visit - sure.

Too busy and frankly museum just not very interesting. I think the waiting in lines for the screens that you need to use really put a damper on the visit. Even with staggered entry times the museum is too busy. Some of the interactive sections were fun but for the high entry fee just not worth it. Plus the story line doesn't really have any connections with any of the displays.

I recently visited the International Spy Museum with high hopes and anticipation, only to be sorely disappointed by the entire experience. From start to finish, my visit left me feeling utterly underwhelmed and dissatisfied.

Firstly, the museum's layout and organization were incredibly confusing. The signage was inadequate, making it difficult to navigate through the exhibits. I found myself wandering aimlessly, desperately trying to figure out the logical progression of the displays. It was a frustrating and disorienting experience, which significantly detracted from any potential enjoyment.

The exhibits themselves were lackluster and failed to capture the essence of espionage. Instead of engaging and immersive displays, I encountered static and outdated presentations that seemed more fitting for a dated history museum. The artifacts on display were poorly curated and lacked any sense of intrigue or excitement. It felt as though the museum hadn't made any effort to update its exhibits in years.

Moreover, the museum's interactive elements were either malfunctioning or simply non-existent. Many of the advertised interactive activities were out of order or in a state of disrepair. This left me feeling cheated out of the interactive and hands-on experience that was promised. It was evident that the staff had not prioritized the maintenance and upkeep of these crucial components.

To add insult to injury, the staff members were unenthusiastic and disengaged. They seemed indifferent to the visitors and provided minimal assistance or guidance. When I had questions or sought clarification, their responses were curt and unhelpful. It was as though they were merely going through the motions, lacking any passion for their work.

Lastly, the price of admission was exorbitant for the underwhelming experience I endured. I expected a museum of this caliber to provide a memorable and captivating experience, but it fell far short of that mark. The steep cost was a complete waste of money, leaving me with a bitter taste in my mouth. With the price of 4 adults over $100
the International Spy Museum failed to live up to its reputation as a thrilling and engaging attraction. The lackluster exhibits, poor organization, malfunctioning interactive elements, disinterested staff, and high admission price were major disappointments. I strongly discourage anyone from visiting this museum, as there are far better options available that provide a more immersive and satisfying experience. Save your time and money for a more worthwhile endeavor.

Solid 4.5+, I've been wanting to come here for a while, the price point is more than many of the pay museums in the area, but after visiting, it is well worth the cost. It's suggested 2-3 hours, but it's probably more like 3+ hours to enjoy the insane amount if interactive stuff from movies to your spy 'mission' that goes from beginning to end. Lots of eras covered, spy techniques, tools, and even more photo opportunities. This museum was extremely well curated and covers two entire floors of the building pictured (Start on floor 4, then down to 3, then exit into gift shop before leaving). Lots of fun, for a quiet afternoon out of the elements (great rainy-day activity). It took a minute for me to find from L'Enfant Plaza Metro stop, but leaving it's 98% indoors from door to metro (there's an indoor 'mall' next to museum that goes past a food court and shoppes before spilling into metro entrance. I've been to all the Smithsonian and other things to see a million times and the Spy Museum is not to be missed.

Visited recently with my 15 & 18 year olds, and it was surprisingly crowded for a Monday morning! First off the location is perfect - directly outside the L’Enfant metro station, so very easy access for anyone relying on public transit. This museum is well laid out and easy to follow without missing major areas, and there are so many engaging and interactive things to explore. There’s definitely something here for everyone, every age group. My only complaint would be that there are so many people trying to crowd to each interactive kiosk that it makes it difficult to experience all of the activities - I would say the museum either needs to add some screens (like the area with the word recall game and interrogation activities) or allow fewer visitors in each time slot. This was a nuisance but not enough to dock a star. It’s awfully pricy, but considering it was the only thing we paid admission for during our five-day trip, we didn’t mind.

Visited with an 18 year old grandson who probably got more out of this museum than I could ever manage to. Interesting in parts but not really my cup of tea.!

Self paced tour average 2-2 1/2 hrs… we took 4 hrs & couldn’t believe it. Very interactive, well laid out. Best museum I’ve seen in a while. A little tricky to find after exiting L’Enfant metro stop but close.

Fascinating information covering all current & long ago wars, before, during and after. As well as spy activity during peacetimes. Interactive stations that were fun for kids & big kids (aka adults). Great info on what women contributed and how they made a difference. Not a Smithsonian so there is a charge but well worth it. It has dozens of accounts and short interviews with actual spies, heads of espionage divisions, counterintelligence, etc. Several short movies (~5+ min) worth watch.

This was a decent museum. Nothing special. Nothing bad.

They had lots of exhibits. At the start, you get a cover and the idea is to do various missions in between the exhibits.

The whole thing felt a bit disjointed. Think it would be better to have a floor/section dedicated to the missions you complete. Then have all the exhibits after.

We were there and it was really interesting. You should plan at least 3 hours to be able to do everything.
The interactive part is certainly fun for children, but far too easy for adults.

Be sure to reserve tickets in advance, otherwise you will have to wait there for at least an hour.

All in all, a great museum.

My 9 year old loved the interactive spy mission but had a lot of questions about what it meant to be executed... I didn't expect there to be interviews of people talking about the dangerous situations they encountered. I think it's better for kids who are 12 and older personally. As an adult, i thought it was very interesting.

We really enjoyed this museum perhaps more for having lived in Moscow for a few years. The exhibits are quite interesting and educational in a fun way. They cover a lot of history from the Revolutionary War through more modern times and not just the USA. We appreciated the opportunity to store our coats and tour without them. The facilities are clean and sparkling. Oh, the most fun part was the exhibition of James Bond cars and vehicles of all sorts. Each one had a video with a clip from the movie. They were all in exhibition quality condition and I enjoyed remembering the films.

The International Spy Museum was amazing - The stories - photos - devices & current named spies were presented!!!!! - I was extremely impressed at the vast amount of info - replica’s and facts this museum had - it is definitely a MUST SEE IF U R LIVING OR VISITING WASHINGTON, DC

Amazing museum for adults! The value we got was incredible! We went there as a couple and we actually spent 5 hours in there. If you’re willing and have time to read, you will have a blast. We had so much fun and learnt so many fun facts about the spy world. There are also some funny and interactive activities. I think we could have spent 7-8 hours in there if we wanted to read everything and do all the activities.

The downside : I wouldn’t see myself going there with a 10 year old kid. Even though there are some interactive games and activities, most of the museum requires you to read or have a certain attention span to watch a 4min video. I think that most kids that age would go through this museum in 1 hour and would feel that it wasn’t flashy enough. The value of this museum really comes from paying attention to the content.

There's a lot to read across two floors. There's a few interactive things (which are very fun) but the majority of it is reading/watching interviews. So I wouldn't recommend it for any kid under 10. It's just a lot of information that is hard to cut into reasonable chunks. I'm a big reader, an avid museum attendee and I was interested in the subject...yet my brain was pretty full before we even had seen half the exhibits.

First time visit. Fun for all ages. Lots of historical facts for adults and interactive games for everyone.

Great museum - - more than just spy stuff, lots of cultural background on things like the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, and such. Interactive (if you want play spy and do a mission), and excellent traditional displays and curation.

See the pigeon with a camera. See fake body parts to hide things in. See how people tried to sneak past the Berlin Wall.

Also covers fictional spies in media and culture (movies, TV, books, etc.) such as James Bond, but oddly nothing from Get Smart. Corporate spying is covered.

We all enjoyed it and would go back.

This was a fun museum. We went through it pretty quickly and it was pretty busy so at times it was hard to view all the exhibits. The museum was very interactive and interesting overall and would be really good for kids. The location was nice because after we finished at the museum, we took Lime scooters to downtown for lunch.

I wish we had taken our children to the Spy Museum when they were younger. I think we missed it by about 8 years. The interactive nature of the museum is fun, but we are more serious museum-goers at this point.

This was one of the most fun and informative museums I’ve ever been to! I loved how interactive it was. To start, you get to get your new identity for an undercover mission. This is completely optional throughout the remainder of the museum, but it added so much more fun to the experience. You can tell the people who work there really enjoy their jobs, as they would always stop and give fun facts out to anyone who would listen. HIGHLY recommend!

Was very wide-ranging in terms of periods of time, countries, and types of "spying." Interactive exhibits. Lots of interesting things to learn. Great gift shop.

Definitely a museum for the whole family to get heavily involved in. Absolutely by your tickets online prior to going to the museum! The tickets at the Museum are about $4 higher than what's on their website. I don't know if that's a special discount or if that's a horrible typo. The museum does have quite a bit of things that you can find on the History Channel, and if you like me you've seen all the stories already. They do have an abundance of interactive things to do not just for the kids but for the adults too. It is worth the $30 per person

The International Spy Museum Was a great experience for both kids and adults. It had a mission you had to do when you went from exhibit to exhibit. It also was a very educational museum.

Very nice museum. There's a lot to see and learn about espionage. One of the only paying ones in Washington, but it allows you to regulate the number of people inside. We start in groups and we are all different spies. Our basic English may not have allowed us to enjoy the visit as much as people who are fluent in English.

This museum is a lot of fun! You can get a secret identity and a spy mission to conduct while you explore the museum. Some very cool and interesting displays. I would highly recommend this museum. My kids ,who are in their twenties, and I went and really had a fun time!

Absolutely loved the visit. The museum has a lot of interesting information and it has a very good lay out, which helps to make sure nothing is missed. It also have many interactive experiences for all ages.

Exceent museum. Loved the mission and secret spy cover stories. Good exhibits and well executed.
Cool gift shop
Only thing to improve would be on-site cafe although Starbucks is round the corner bit closes early

This museum is dark and crowded. It is highly interactive and there are long waits to interact with the exhibits.

We had entry at 4pm, allowing ourselves 3 hours and by the time they closed we had only made our way through *most* of the top floor. At 30 minutes to close, we were given a *new mission* to make our way to the exit. It took us most of that time to make our way down, sadly passing tons of displays we would have loved to actually view.

More time would have made this experience better and our entry time was our fault- however- the website suggests 2-3 hours is average. That was not nearly enough time to explore with the thick crowds.

There are hours worth of videos to watch, hours of exhibit text to read and likely hours of hands on things to do. For locals, this may increase the rate of return. For us visiting, it felt extremely disappointing to miss so much, especially with so many free things to see in DC.

This place gets busy. Make sure you reserve your time in advance because they will sell out. Even with allocated entry times, it is still very busy.
Tons of spy-related material throughout.

OK this place was well done, there were tons of displays. We could have stayed all day and not watched all the stuff and did all the puzzles. The Bond car display was great and the boat from Roger Mores film Moonraker was just wow. I got to say my favorite part was the Bond cars. I got my picture made with me in front of them. The only bad thing was there was a bunch of kids and I mean a bunch, they seamed to be from one school. The kids were rude and I almost got knocked over. They had good elevators for those of us who walk with a cane. All in all I loved it.

The museum still requires timed tickets so better to purchase in advance. We were there on a Friday and there were a lot of school groups but after lunch seems to be less crowded. It took us 4 hours not 2-3 hrs to go through all the exhibits and we probably could have used another 30 minutes!

Hear me out! If you're a parent looking to take your kids (I'd say 8 - 15) somewhere that they can have a bunch of fun, this museum is great! If you're a 20-30-something couple that heard a lot about this museum from colleagues and young people who all say it was awesome...meh.

It's cool, don't get me wrong! Lots of neat spy artifacts and stories, and some impressive displays to go with it all. In fact, often times, it feels like TOO much stuff crammed into these displays, because this is an oddly cluttered museum at times. That's also not helped by the many, MANY families with children that come here for the same reason we did: the reputation as a fun and interactive museum. And for families, I think this works really well, because it does engage kids pretty thoroughly throughout. But for adults thrown in the fray, this museum seems like it'd more fun for parents than the childless, real talk.

This review is formed from an amalgam of two experiences: mine and my fiancee's, the latter of which being far worse than the former. I'll speak for her first, then go into my more detailed and in-depth description of the museum. She describes it as extraordinarily interactive and very kid-friendly, with lots to look at. But to get the full experience of the museum, you have to do the interactive stuff, which means you have to be patient while waiting to interact with certain kiosks." My fiancee had extremely bad luck, in that she didn't get to interact with ANY kiosks, and didn't take a part in the "spy mission" that you're supposed to go on as a visitor. Essentially, you're given a card that gives you access to specific interactive stations, which appear at the end of each section of the museum, and are meant to almost quiz you on the stuff you've just seen in that section. She didn't get to do these, because of how busy the museum was, and her visit heavily suffered as a result. She finished the whole shebang in about 30 minutes.

I, on the other hand, was WAY luckier. I got to go through each of the kiosks and complete my mission, which was fairly easy to do with even minimal interaction with the information offered in each section of the museum. Fun and simple, and it even offered up some hidden surprises at the end! But having your museum experience depend on the interactivity of the museum can be...difficult and polarizing. Hence, our two fairly disparate experiences.

Come with your kids. Seriously, if you're planning a trip to DC with children, this should be a stop for you. It's not terribly cheap, and is one of the only museums you'll pay for on your visit, but it's worth it for that reason. Full warning: if you take strollers with you, there may be a size restriction. Happened to the couple in front of us, who brought their <1 year infant...for some reason. Yeah, that's a weird choice, frankly, but to each their own.

Oh, and for the conspiracy theorists and museum-lovers amongst you readers, this museum is genuinely fascinating, and WILL teach you things about spy missions in the USA that you probably didn't know. BUT, it's all a matter of public record, and won't reveal any hidden government secrets or some such. But that's to be expected, right? Still, if you're in the mood for an informative and interactive museum, give this place a shot. Wasn't our favorite museum, but it's still a good one.

Oh, also, before I forget, the building, displays, and exhibition quality of this place is TOP-NOTCH. We both agreed that the design of this museum is stellar, and a hallmark of modern museum design, in my opinion. A littler cluttered with some displays, but still gorgeous throughout.

This museum is great, very interesting, and also has lots of interactive things to do. Those things include the game where you get to make choices like you are a real spy. It is different from other museums because you get to do a lot more things where you get to choose what you do. I think in my trip so far this museum is the best. I strongly suggest going there especially if you have kids.

This was so much fun!!! I loved the interactive and immersive highlights and felt like a real spy haha. In true agent form I can’t give all of the deets away but I promise people of all ages will enjoy this experience and theres something here for every kind of spy :)

The Spy Museum is the most interactive and engaging museum we’ve ever visited. Initially we scoffed at the recommendation of spending about 6 hours here. 7 hours later, we understood why. There is so much to do!!! And I’m sure we missed a lot even though we were there for the bulk of the day. There’s plenty to see and do for visitors of all ages, so plan ahead and get tickets for early in the day (we went at 9:30am and left at 4:30pm). Easily the best museum in DC.

The museum is fascinating but there are not enough terminals for the kids who want to participate in spy games

I used to live in the DC area years ago and this museum is a nice new addition since I moved away. My brother and I visited for two hours and they recommend 2-3 hours for your tour. I enjoyed the interactive component to help immerse a visitor much more, but at some locations, there were just too many people to use every station. It was nice to see the many exhibits used while spying and there was a lot from during the Cold War, but the museum does go back many centuries. Besides sometimes too many people around certain exhibits I thought this is an excellent museum and if one has an interest in espionage one can learn some history. I would recommend 3 hours, but when crowded we moved on to the next area without using the interactive computers so our visit was just over 2 hours. I might visit again when I am in DC again.

I heard a lot about this place and was very eager to see it. I came with my 22 y.o. son. He was bored throughout the entire place. I found some parts somewhat interesting, but it was largely a waste of time. And not cheap either. DC has many free museums that are much more interesting. This place has mostly very old items, very few contemporary ones.

This is an exceptional, interactive museum for all ages. The exhibits and videos were so interesting that we spent 5 hours there, and could have spent 2 more. Thanks to Unray and his excellent staff for making a great experience even better for 3 Midwesterners!

My sons (13, 11, and 6) and I visited the museum and had a great experience. I was impressed that the museum was able to create an immersive experience that suited so many different ages. Plenty of info to read and learn for adults, but it also was designed for young kids to enjoy without over-emphasizing the violence inherit in the work spies are involved with. I appreciated that a lot as a parent.

Neat museum and lots to see. Loved the spy mission component you take part in. Admission is overpriced though and they don’t really do discounts.

Interesting concept, recommended to me by family for my kids 7 and 10... would really recommend for kids 12 and up. Lots of reading. Was really surprised to see their inactive simulation of the 'situation room' regarding the factors surrounding the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, especially considering how folks in this region were impacted that day. Also don't let the big building fool you the museum is the top two floors, gift shop is on ground and in-between are meeing spaces etc.

This was a great experience. The combination of engaging multi media exhibits with great storytelling and history really bring the subject matter to life. The "Mission" is great at keeping kids and adults engaged.I can't recommend this museum more, so much fun.

The experience was sooooo cooool

I love the interactive games! The displays were very informative.

Try to arrive before lunch since entering around 2 to 3 hours before closing may not be enjoyable with one rushing.

A downside was the limited related merchandise at the souvenir shop. I would have loved to see trinkets (not toys or apparel) related to the displays. One of their penny souvenir machines which in my opinion had the more interesting designs was not working!

This museum was so absorbing. Probably my highlight of our trip.
So many great stories and little secret things.
Good for older kids and adults not for the young
The bond vehicles are also very cool - make me want to watch them all again

Fun experience. Wish they’d do less people per group. There was so many people you really couldn't spend time getting the full experience because you'd have to wait for each section to clear up. Employees made the experience much better though by being entertaining!

This is an excellent place for a visit. Very informative. I really enjoyed the Bond exhibition, and would recommend to anyone to pay the little extra to go round it.

Light years better than the previous version of the Spy Museum. Highly impressed with the quality of the experience. Beautiful building, friendly and efficient staff, and highly engaging exhibits. I spent 3.5 hours and could have spent a bit more time but got hungry for lunch. I may go back soon just to catch the few exhibits I passed over quickly and to review others and take more time in the gift shop. Having just done two Spy tours in DC (highly recommended as well) I was primed for the topic and the museum far exceeded my expectations.

Very cool concept but packed and difficult to see everything. Requires lot of reading so you'll be standing still for a while which is hard in a crowd. I liked the interactive part but you don't really get to use that feature (not trying to give too much away) through the exhibit. It was fun to see if we remembered it though. We didn't get to see all of it due to crowds so that was a bummer. Gift shop has a lot of cute things. Concept is good but needs to be carried out a little differently so people can actually enjoy it.

You can easily spend two hours in this museum and not see everything. The Spy museum is full of interesting information and displays. If you been to the old location, the new is 5x better. Even for the $$$ this is one of the 5 best museums in DC.

It got rave reviews from the mommy/family travel bloggers. I especially thought my 14 year old son would like it. And actually, he thought it was OK. I liked it and thought it was really interesting. One thing, the interactive part that gets talked about is a little overrated.

What a fun museum! So many interesting exhibits, displays, and interactive exhibits. We had a blast. Spent nearly 4 hours here combing through all the halls in the Spy Museum. And we greatly enjoyed our own covert mission! Also enjoyed the Bond in Motion extra display.

Favorite parties were the video stories of actual spy activities by the agents who lived them. Seems like a great museum for all ages - every one we saw was having a blast. And we’re both in our late 60’s and a lot of the Cold War stories were really interesting. Well done Spy Museum!

This was so much fun!, They said 1 to 2 hours….we were there 3 and had to go back later to go to the gift shop, It was one of the most unique museum I had ever been in. I learned so much.
You start with a badge and use it as you go through the museum.
There is a food court next door

Amazing museum. But you should really allow a whole day to see everything. Appropriate for all ages. 16-year-old granddaughters, parents, and grandmother all enjoyed the experience.

Excellent museum! I’ve visited with 16 years old son. Both of us tremendously enjoyed this place. Amazing collection, a lot of interaction, tones of interesting and surprising information. If you only have time for one museum in Washington DC, go to this one. But be aware , if you really want to get a full experience without rushing through, allow 4 hours at least.
The place is big and since you also will be playing a fun spy game , it takes longer than they say on their website.

The International Spy Museum is a must-see for history buffs, gadget geeks, and anyone intrigued by espionage. With its interactive missions, incredible artifacts, rich historical narratives, and cutting-edge design, it offers a deeply engaging experience. It’s both a smart night out and an educational journey, five stars all the way!
As if the museum wasn’t impressive enough, the Bond in Motion exhibition was the cherry on top of the cake. Seeing the legendary Aston Martin DB5 and other iconic vehicles up close was a real thrill, especially for fans of James Bond. It added a cinematic sparkle to an already unforgettable experience.

Great interactive museum covering a wide range of history. I enjoyed the mission element of the musuem and I could see this would keep even younger children engaged. My teenagers participated. My only criticisms were the number of interactive points compared with the number of visitors. At times, it was difficult to access these. The only other issue was the layout. We missed some areas because it wasn't always clear which way to go. However, it was an enjoyable couple of hours- would recommend.

This newer museum is so fun and amazing. Great history of spying around the world. A lot of great exhibits of spy gadgets like the kind Maxwell Smart or James Bond would use. A great display of the decision making that is involved with special ops like the Red Team deciding whether or not Seal Team Six should invade a compound and go after Osama Bin Laden. Extra $10 to see actual James Bond cars and vehicles is great for any Bond fans, although the Lotus was not available.

Gréât fun. Go as early in the morning as you can as it gets busy. No food on site but food court just behind the building. We were there in Summer in shorts & t shirts & we were cold! You could easily take 3 hours if you do all the activities. Great info, films and exhibits.

So much to see. But, most of it was just too much to read. I enjoyed it. But, if you are trying to fit in all the DC attractions, this one can wait. I wouldn’t think it would be good for kids under ten. My teens liked the hanging grip bar the best.

If you think this is just for kids, you are 100% wrong. We were there for about 2.5 hours and could have spend a lot more time. So many things to see and a lot of video clips. Great afternoon.

Superb museum. Rammed pack full of goodies, including some real historical artefacts like the ice pick that killed Trotsky. Great for kids, just so much on offer. We left after 2.5 hours and there was still more that could have kept us entertained for at least another hour or two.

Fantastic experience to do in minimum two hours. Historicall moments for older ro reminds how the world is changed.

This was an excellent experience. Interactive and fascinating. The amount of rich history that is here is excellent. And they also have guest speakers, speak on occasion. The building design is beautiful. If you are ever in the area I highly recommend stopping in and checking the museum out!

This was one of the most fun museums I have ever gone to. It was full of interesting spy gadgets, stories, pictures. It was very interactive. We all learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed it. We spent 3 hrs snd it went fast!

Worth every penny! Very in-depth exhibits of every kind of spy endeavors from the Trojan Horse to cybercrime. Many exhibits are hands-on. This is a colorful, educational, creative, excellent museum. Our family thoroughly enjoyed. My only complaint is that in their very extensive gift shop there is NOTHING abut the museum itself. Certainly no book - but not even a brochure. We would love to have taken an overview book home with us to remember whaat we had seen and go deeper to learn more. What a sad loss of constant revenue for this museum

Waste of time and money , the idea is attractive but no tu ing there to see except general ideas of deception.
Also, staff mostly rude and the minute you are in they start yelling at everyone to do the obvious ( again mostly but not all).
Better spend time to visit a park or something else .

Going in I figured the museum was going to be more Spy movie memorabilia items, so I was surprised to see that most were real spy items. I enjoyed the interactive nature along with the sheer number of artifacts.

This was on the top of my list to do whilst visiting DC and was so excited to go even though I'm an adult! But it didn't disappoint from start to finish. Your assigned an undercover mission for your visit but if I tell you anything more.....well we know what happens to those messages :D

You learn so much in the museum itself and there is plenty to do and interact with. I would say the age group for younger ones would be 7 so they can appreciate it and interact with the missions etc.... as there were lots of families with younger children who were rushed through as they were losing interest. I spent about a total of 3 hours in there but I took my time and read nearly all the information available and waited for some interactive stations. Definitely worth a visit when in the city!

This is a fun place to visit. The Bond exhibit was so cool and I could have spent more time here. There was so much tradecraft to look at as well

What a fun place! Although the “undercover” op didn’t work well for me, it was still a blast. You saw some incredible things and learned abut amazing people who has been involved in espionage. (Harpo Marx??) The gadgets and stories about women spies really intrigued me. I wish I had a couple more hours to spend there.

I only had time to do the special ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibit. For this particular exhibit you do not need to do a timed entry, instead, you can show up any time of the day for the day you purchased your ticket. There are more than a dozen vehicles (autos, motorcycles, snowmobiles, submersibles, etc.) from the various James Bond movies. Each vehicle has a video screen that tells a bit about the vehicle and the movie. The video screen then goes to a clip of the movie where the vehicle is in action. For a Bond lover, this was awesome! I took my time to look at, photograph and read everything…and it took around an hour.

Waste of time and money! If u have ADD don’t go here u will be bored and angry u spent so much to watch movies and quotes on the walls. It is interactive but you are fighting hundreds of people to get through the events. I wouldn’t go or pay again. One and done

What a fantastic museum. A ton of artifacts to see. An interactive element where you are given a secret identity and a mission to complete through the museum. Staggers entrance times so it’s never too crowded to see the exhibits. Helpful staff. A lot of history of espionage from the past to current times. Very relevant and fascinating. Fun for all ages. One of the best museums I’ve been to.

We weren't sure what to expect, but were delighted with our time here. Lots of history and artifacts. Displays were informative. Quite crowded even with timed tickets, but we were able to enjoy the museum nontheless. Nice gift shop. Loved 007's Aston Martin on display as well as the inflatable tanks. Need to visit again soon. Great for adults and teens. Not for young kids .

For kids and Adults! Reserve tickets a day in advance.... parking on the street is luck of the draw, so most likely you'll park in garage. Museum is educational and ties in recent event (mid 2000's) A lot of fun interactive exhibits throughout and you get your own spy name with a cover story! Prepare to spend 3 hrs minimum, in a good way! I would go back just to check out the things I missed.

Loved the first room and all the cool gadgets to see! Def interesting and keeps you moving. I think kids might peter out after a while if they are little - this is more for older kids. We spent about 2 hours and it was very informational. Good books and merch in store.

Interesting museum but felt overpriced for what it is. The secret agent activity was the most enjoyable part of the visit. It did not seem to be the most logically organized museum and felt like the topics jumped around. Several interesting facts but could be better organized.

this is a fun museum. It's very interactive (mostly). But I think we ran past many of the displays in the museum because we were so focused on the "mission" we were given. When you enter the museum, you create your alias spy identity. There are a number of kiosks throughout the museum where you do things like create your tool bag of equipment and learn more about your mission. I discovered that I am pathetic at code cracking (in spite of having watched shows about this on Netflix). The vent crawl (these are also featured in many TV shows) taught me that it's 1) hard on your knees and 2) I broke a finger nail (ouch!). I thought it was just about avoiding bullets! Although I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of displays (yes, more than one visit required), I'm very glad that we we went.

We went to visit two of our grandsons in Ocean City, Maryland, in the summer of 2024 where they were working as lifeguards.
We took the opportunity to see Washington again with a tour of the city on Big Bus multi-stop buses.

On the course we were able to admire from the outside this beautiful, imposing and surprising building of the International Spying Museum.

Thanks to its shape, its appendices, its fenestration, its tip with its red bars and its big SPY logo, it cannot be missed ...

Unfortunately, we couldn't visit it inside but bet you must feel like you're spying...

Definitely not worth the money they’re charging for entry. This museum should be free. Heck, you should get $5 just for walking through the door.

International Spy Museum is one of the best we visited ever - interesting from the beginning till the end, original spy items, interactive, fun, educative,... simply if you are in Washington it's must visit. It's for young and those born earlier - we are over 65 and we loved it.
After entering we got a "spy pass" (cover identity) that enabled us to interact with the multimedia exhibits, like if we would be on a secret mission.
The museum has 5 floors and despite we've been there the whole day we saw about half of the museum.
It has also very good shop where we bought a few T-shirts for us but also as a gift.

The exhibits appeal to the adults and the missions appeal to the children. They limit the number of people admitted at each time to ensure that there is space at the mission stations. Exhibits tell about history, people, and technology from the Revolutionary War. There is a parking structure underneath the building and a food court behind it.

This is a really cool museum context! There are some traditional museum type displays with placards to read and artifacts, but also lots of interactive parts to see and use as well. This was fun!

Beautiful museum, neat and very extensive. A lot of information. It can be difficult for non-English speakers. We speak good English, but so much information was given and the subject matter is sometimes complicated... it was sometimes difficult for us, let alone for our children. The museum is also quite large. We were inside for more than 2.5 hours, but we were not able to see and read everything properly. But the museum is certainly nicely set up.

One review mentioned spending 3-5 hours here. I thought no way! But yes you totally could. Definitely my family’s fav D.C. museum. Be sure to buy your tickets ahead of time and go early. It’s an interactive museum you are working as a spy yourself as you go through the exhibits. So fun. Don’t miss it.

First off, in terms of spy memorabilia, this is probably the coolest place ever. So MUCH history.

Their website states you can do this in less than 4 hours. This will never happen with kids and if you love history and to read, this is an even bigger lie.

The museum is information overload. I could spend two days just reading here. And you really have to go there with one of these goals: am I going to do the activities or quench my inner hunger for history lessons by way of reading?

Issues experienced:

1. Not enough seats for anything. They keep you standing and walking, so the fatigue starts to set in after the third hour. With younger children, this is exceptionally difficult.

2. Not enough screens for activities once they start piling people in. Especially if you’re with younger kids, who aren’t into history and don’t want to stand and read for hours on end.

3. Bond exhibit wasn’t worth it. $13 per person to look at a dozen Bond vehicles.

Exhibits are very interesting. There is also a really cool mission that you can do with your kids or friends or just yourself but it is really fun.

Really not a fan of this museum. I found alot of reading involved and some activities for older children. Definitely not for young children. The cost really got to me, over $20 per person.

Based on other reviews, this appeared like a gimmick. Ended up my favorite site in DC. The contraptions to deceive, listen, communicate covertly over the years, the stories, interviews are awesome (from 52yo M). Would definitely like to go back and spend 3 hours to read all the stories. Some interactive spy stuff for kids seemed elementary but the exhibits were amazing.

Crowded and overhyped. Facility and artifacts are cool and interesting. Tickets are time-slotted with the goal of a great experience for all but it doesn’t really work because there are too many people. Most exhibits you cant even get close to due to the amount of visitors. I suspect the operation prioritizes revenue generation over guest experience.

Recommendation: reduce ticket availability by 50%.

The International Spy Museum was a fine visit. They do a good, if not overbearing, job with their timed entry tickets. DO NOT expect to get in even 5 minutes early and they are not shy about verbally telling this to paying guests.

The museum itself has many interesting display and historic accounts of spies, their 'techniques', and how this shaped world events and politics from largely the colonial period to modern times. Many displays have an interactive component and modern flair/graphics. The 'spy game' you can play from each section of the museum to the next is neat, but somewhat difficult for children to do/grasp.

Overall, our favorite of the 'museums' in DC.

we had a terrible experience with this museum. we bought the ticket for 5:30 online. According to the website and the staff, it takes 2:30 to 3 hrs to complete their "mission" and see the museum. After one hour and half and playing the game; they kicked us out because they were "closing" but in reality; they were having an event at 7:00. They didn't say anything until the last minute. They should have said something before letting us in or buying the tickets online. Paying 52 bucks for two tickets was not worth it. we were not able to see the whole museum and complete the game. They know, it gets crowded, visitors trying to get to the touch screen or see the displays. We missed an entire floor. To be honest, I won't recommend it at all.

They have a very nicely curated museum, that’s full of real history and wonderful information. But when you leave it makes you wonder how much they are spying on their own citizens. We know they are and we the people are In Serious trouble. It’s very thought provoking

Well worth a visit and easy to reach by subway. We didnt know about it but a local man recommended it to us. A great way to spend a couple of hours with lots of info and interactive features. It had a few groups when we visited who were all enjoying the fun side of it. Lovely reception staff who were all young and maybe volunteers. All staff helpful and friendly.

All the great things to do in DC are FREE.
Spy museum felt like a kids amusement park, layout was a free for all. I lasted 10 minutes, used all my spy skills to find the closest exit and use my spare time to charge my phone from a bench on the lobby. Better time spent.

The museum visit involves completing a mission as a spy. So along the way of the museum, in addition to a lot of information on the most known cases of espionage, as well as a lot of objects actually in use among spies around the world, you have to collect clues to carry out your mission.
A museum different from traditional museums, and certainly unique as an experience.

My 14-year-old nephew said it was the highlight of our trip. We could have spent more time there than we had. If you choose to participate, they give you an ID card with a cover story and a mission. You continue throughout the two floors of exhibits. You can just walk through the museum, but this made it more fun. We would like to go back sometime and see what we had to race through at the end due to time constraints on our part.

This ruined our day. Our 3 boys had been looking forward to seeing the museum. We had purchased tickets online and unfortunately arrived about an hour late from our timed slot due to work and travel delays. We were denied entry and told that tickets expire after 30 minutes - this was nowhere indicated on their website. We were told we could swap our tickets for the next available slot which was 4 hours later, well into the evening. We left with tickets wasted and lots of frustration. This could easily have been avoided if they were up front with their ticket expiration policy. The whole experience made us feel like this museum was all about making money, not service at all. Even if we had another opportunity in the future, I would be hesitant to support such an organization.

We loved the newly relocated and expanded International Spy Museum, with its educational, informative, attractive, and interesting interactive exhibits. I especially enjoyed the Stealing Secrets: Tools of the Trade, and Spies and Spymasters exhibits.
Eric was an excellent tour guide- very courteous, knowledgeable, professional, efficient, helpful, interesting, engaging and fun, with excellent communication skills. He adjusted the tour to avoid the crowds, and organized our time well.
Be sure to check out the excellent website, to learn about purchasing discounted timed entry tickets in advance.

We really enjoyed the museum. Lots of interactive things to do. Our kids (10 and 12) had a good time and we spent more time than we thought. Recommend going early in the day to avoid crowds. The staff is very friendly. One young man was working at an area where you could test your spy strength. My son didn’t have the confidence to hang from the bar. The young man was so gracious and figured out a way to make it fun. His good attitude and quick thinking took a potentially embarrassing situation and made it fun.

We enjoyed this museum experience. Lots of video clips, lots of reading. Hands on spy activities. Multiple ways to learn for all learners.

Pros:
1. Timed entry
2. Hands on exhibits
3. Info about male/female; US/non-US spies.
4. Games, polls and missions.
5. Participate in a secret mission.

We learned a lot about spying. The benefits and the dangers.

Cons:
1. Not enough secret mission stations. Had to wait in line a lot.
2. Not enough hand sanitizer stations.

Recommend a visit. If you read and do everything you could be here for 4+ hours. We spent 2+ hours. Satisfied with that amount of time.

Wonderful, so much so even my husband, who is not a fan of museums in general, enjoyed himself. We were there 3.5 hrs and we are both 65 yo.

Took a group of 8th graders to the Spy Museum and they loved the interactive activities. The souvenir shop was amazing too! Lots of great selections for kids and adults. Great books

On a very rainy day in DC the Spy Museum was a perfect destination! It was very crowded but the staff were incredible...so friendly, welcoming, helpful and enthusiastic. We had a great time - there is so much to read, explore and the interactive spy game is a lot of fun. We easily could have spent several hours at the museum.

Loved this museum! Spent a couple of hours there (due to other commitments) but could have spent a lot longer. Really interesting, informative, engaging and fun! Age range was 14 to 60 and we all agreed!!

This was such a great experience! There is so much to see, read about, and several interactive components for school-age children. We gave ourselves 2.5 hours for this museum but I should have budgeted at least a full morning or afternoon. As a side note, due to a schedule change, we had to change our timed-entry tickets after purchase, and the staff could not have been more accommodating or friendly. This is a museum to which we plan to return on a follow-up visit to DC, and I’m already looking forward to it!

It was the most enjoyable museum in DC for the kids (ages 16, 14, 11).
Though others mention they liked the adventurcahllenge, we found it just ok but the museum itself was great by itself thanks to the different moveisgames

The Spy Museum is worth your time to visit. We thought we would spend a couple of hours at the museum; we were there 5 hours and still hadn't completely finished seeing everything!! It is a cool and interesting place. You see a replica Aston-Martin car that James Bond uses when you enter the museum. You have to wait until your time to enter is announced before you enter the museum. Once your time is called you pile into an elevator to take you to the top floor of the museum (You work your way down). The doors open and you enter a lobby where you approach a counter and are given an ID card. You then go to a kiosk and answer some questions and given an identity. You are now a spy! Throughout the museum you get a case, assumed identity and have to identify the best gear, disguise for you and drop location. All really fun stuff! You begin by entering a small theater where you watch a video about spies and the commitment that entails the role. After that, the doors open to displays and information of spies who have impacted the world and their sacrifice, and without ever getting the recognition! The gadgets they've used to conceal information are very interesting. There are several floors and interactive exhibits of facts and ways that a spy uses to have a successful mission. There is also history in actual spies and their missions and impact. It is much more than someone can imagine. There is also a spy gift shop at the end of your visit that has some interesting items for sale. It is a very well crafted and organized museum that is well worth the time. I highly recommend it.

espionage and intelligence gathering. It was opened in 2002 and offers a unique and interactive experience for visitors.

The museum features exhibits on the history of spying, from ancient times to the modern day, and showcases the techniques and tools used by spies throughout history. Visitors can learn about famous spies, like Mata Hari and James Bond, and even try their hand at decoding messages or using spy gadgets.

One of the most popular exhibits is the "School for Spies," where visitors can test their skills in a simulated spy mission. The exhibit includes an obstacle course, laser maze, and other challenges that teach visitors the skills necessary to become a spy.

The museum also features exhibits on current events and modern spying techniques, including cyber espionage and hacking. There are interactive exhibits that allow visitors to experience what it's like to work in the intelligence field.

Overall, the National Spy Museum is a fascinating and engaging museum that offers a unique look into the world of espionage. It's a great place for students who are interested in history, science, and technology to learn more about these topics in a fun and interactive way.

Very interesting museum, with some fun interactive activities. I would recommend for kids 10+, particularly if interested in spies/wars. It is pricey for a DC musuem, but a different vibe than the Smithsonians.

My husband and I brought our 9-year old grandson to DC for spring break and this was the one non-Smithsonian museum we chose to visit. We all had a great time! The staff was friendly and helpful (one very nice man could see that my grandson was struggling to find a key piece of his mission, and gave him clues until he found it). My grandson loved the interactive exhibits, and my husband and I enjoyed the artifacts and history. Lines for the kiosks sometimes got long, but staff directed us to other areas where we could also check in. The gift shop had some fun stuff, and I appreciated the fact that their prices weren’t too crazy.

So much fun. The interactive spy game you have as you go around is brilliant. Hadley on the desk was very helpful sorting my tickets out. The exhibits are a fan of James Bond and spy espionage as it’s eye opening. Love the time slots which meant not to over crowded

We came here with family for the special James bond exhibit and had a blast! My toddler had less fun than the adults but the adults enjoyed seeing real cars from movies we grew up with! Entrance was easy and it was a great way to spend an hour in the city!

Great staff - Knowledgeable about the various exhibits, wheelchair experience was easy - well marked elevators, restrooms. We spent 5 hours at the museum in order to see, read and watch everything but it was well worth it! The mission activity was a fun addition to the overall experience. We parked in the L’enfant Plaza parking which is very convenient to the museum. Each exhibit had an interactive element. There were historical videos that added context to the artifacts. Overall a wonderful, memorable experience!

Better than I expected. Take the time to read all the exhibits to get so much information of the world of spies. The females were phenomenal in history and not as well as known. The interactive games are fun even as an adult.

The idea is good but as often in the United States, the tourist must know English and no effort is made for the youngest who pass by the site... really a shame especially for a site that talks about modernism, international to confine itself and not give the opportunity to the youngest foreign tourists to enjoy the experience ..

Very informative - educational and interesting. A history of espionage from the
Trojan horse to today (mostly American). Many short videos and traditional exhibits. Plan on spending several hours. You can leave the premises for lunch at the nearby food court, return and tour some more. There is an interactivity for youngsters to go on a spy mission (adults can do it too); it is challenging.

An amazingly engaging, informative and fun experience for all ages. So much to see and do - allow at least 3 hours. Fun store too!

I went because my husband wanted to go but was pleasantly surprised at how interesting it was. Found out lots of famous people had been spies, etc. definitely worth the cost and time.

You need to make a reservation time online to enter but what a blast. Not meant for young children who can't read enough for the activities. So much information about spying that you didn't realize. Loved the coding section and how they include your badge throughout the exhibit. Lots of restroom chances and water fountains.

Not exactly family-friendly a lot of the things in the museum will go over the head of most children until the age of 16 even though there is a mission for the younger ones its extremely short and glitchy and did not hold my kids attention

We booked the Spy Museum because we thought the government was going to be shut down during our stay, and it was one museum that would not be affected. It turned out to be our favorite! Really enjoyable and so interesting. Definitely geared to adults, preteens, and teens as there is a lot of history to absorb. (Everything from Queen Elizabeth I to American Revolution to WWII to 9/11). Displays are extremely well-done. Fun aspect of becoming a spy and going through a mock scenario. We ended up staying four hours so allow plenty of time. Would definitely recommend!

You will see the actual devices used throughout history. You will hear from the actual spy’s (some). Detailed explanations. They even go over torture used! They have an interactive program I did not use as I only had half a day and I used every minute of it. Well worth going!

Best museum ever visited. Interactive and so much to see and do . Would definitely go again . The store was terrific for gifts . Toilets n water fountains too

For adults, the exhibits of different spies from different wars, was interesting. The Bond-like inventions, early submarines, stories of intrigue, were good. But the place was overrun with kids, and the “spy game” that is part of the experience required you to enter info on touch screens all through the museum. My husband and I left after an hour.

My 11 year old and 14 year old and I visited the Spy Museum and had a terrific time. I was a bit concerned that my kids would be bored by relics and information but there was a lot for them to do and interact with. They had a great time and so did I. The interactive spy game was fun and it was good balance between old and new spy information. Highly recommend!

Husband and I visited The Spy museum whilst on a 5 U.S.A. city tour from U.K. This is one of the most interesting and vibrant places I have visited. The interactive Spy Mission added an exciting fun element to the interesting exhibitions. Fantastic insight into the world of espionage .We were totally engrossed for 2-3 hours.

This was a good place to spend a few hours. You get to be a spy on a mission and go through a series of adventures to complete said mission. It was informative as well as entertaining. It was high priced but the interactive exhibits are compelling. You learn about spying throughout history. This museum is good for all ages.

I have always been fascinted by espionage. I read spy novels and watch spy movies as much as possible. This museum has been on my list since I first heard of it. The museum is a great combination of history (newsreels, photos, artifacts) and interactive exhibits. Really fun!!!

The Spy Museum was one of the most interactive, educational, and just plain fun museums I've ever been to in D.C.! I loved the undercover missions and the love and reverence for forgotten heroes that so thoroughly permeated the museum. It is a bit pricey, but you can spend all day here!

The museum is full of fascinating exhibits, both to view and interactive ones. A range of eras is represented. Hard to take it all in with just one visit. Especially fascinating are the video presentations with real life spy stories. Definitely participate in the Undercover Mission. It is fun and informative. A place you can visit more than once and still find something new. Can be crowded and you may have to wait to do some of the interactive things but worth it.

Great venue, employees have to watch language. The security guards that they have swear in front of children, very inappropriate. The venue was very entertaining.

Our whole family enjoyed this interactive museum. It is more of an immersive experience. I was floored by the amount of detail to every facet of espionage. I can’t wait to return the next time I am in D.C.. This museum is a MUST! You will not be disappointed.

Great time at the Spy Museum. Compared with other museums in Washington DC, this museum is significantly more interactive with lots of little activities to do along the way. There is also a secret mission for those that enjoy that kind of thing. I especially enjoyed learning about more recent spy activity including that related to capturing Osama Bin Laden. The museum does cost $30 per person (adult) however overall I would say the cost is worth it and you do get more compared to that of other free museums in Washington DC.

Such a cool museum to visit! If you have any interest or fascination regarding spies, intelligence, etc., this is definitely a place you've got to see. I've always been intrigued by it, and learned a ton of new things while there that I didn't even know about. Great blend of traditional museum and interactive elements.

Wow! What a fantastic experience! We were a group of five from age 9 to 51. Everyone had a super experience with so much to see, experience and interact. It was recommended that it would take 2 hours to go through however you could spend the whole day there. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from the children to the adults in our group. Bravo!

I always love to visit this museum, despite you have to pay, there is so much history and factual situations that is always good to visit.
This is the first time I had taken my family and it is my third time since I travel to DC.
I love the way you make it as a spy, kids love it and all the games.
I certainly believe they have improve it since they were in the previous location and they have also a beautiful design of the building.
You will also like the shopping in their store, with the many creative toys and apparel they have.
I like the James Bond car in the entrance.
I certainly suggest for you to visit.

Gigantic museum on espionage, lots of objects, gadgets, stories, ..playful route where each visitor is a spy, audio guide on phone well detailed even in French (not all content), and James Bond exhibition, small but to see when you are a fan!

Not impressed with the Spy Museum. It is just ok. Considering all the free activities available in DC, I would say skip this. The museum has interesting artifacts and information, but it is a LOT of reading and not very interactive. It lost our interest right away. It is not appropriate for young children because there is just too much reading to do. I thought I would like this museum but as others have said, it is a little confusing with the layout and you have to do a lot of work on your own to get the information being presented. They give you a secret spy mission, but the lines are long to use the portal things and a lot of them are out of service. They also tell you there are games to play, but they were always packed or not working properly. I felt like I got ripped off for the price we paid. It took less than two hours to go thru the entire museum.

We visited one afternoon while spending a week in DC. This was a fun diversion from the more serious museums and memorials. The exhibits are well thought out and pretty immersive. The tour includes an interactive element where you're assigned a cover identity and given various spycraft assignments throughout the museum. Because of the popularity of this attraction, you have to reserve an entry time. When it's your turn, they send you in as part of a smaller group to begin the tour. Once inside, everything is self-paced.

I would have given this five stars, except for two things. First, the museum was too crowded. Because of the self-paced nature of the tour, many people from the groups ahead of us were still gawking at the first exhibits when we entered. They either need to usher folks along, make the groups smaller, or charge more. I recommend you go early so that you may avoid the worst of the crowds. Second, the interactive spycraft kiosks were glitchy. At one point, they all stopped working, which frustrated many of us. Hopefully, they will take steps to improve this fun element of the tour.

We went here with our kids and it had a good amount of interactive displays. Each person is assigned an alias and you can complete virtual missions on interactive kiosks.

They have a lot of artifacts and informational videos on the history of espionage.

Our first time here, after a disappointing visit to the original site many years ago. I would recommend getting tickets in advance online, because the early times fill up fast (even if they’re available, day of, online!). For those of us who lived through the Cold War, there are many interesting artifacts. There are numerous hands on exhibits, which are great for kids. However, it’s very hard to get over the cost ($30/person) when there are so many excellent FREE Smithsonian museums available in DC.

Before coming to Washington, multiple people suggested that we take our kids to the Spy museum. We have an 11 yr old and a 15 yr old. Out of everything we did on the trip, this was one of their favorites. It was extremely interactive, which is what our boys needed to kept their interest. I think our biggest complaint was the crowd. Extremely crowded dispute making a reservation for entry time. This created some lines and waiting.

I went to the Spy Museum on June 27th and honestly I absolutely loved it, it was an amazing experience with amazing exhibitions and games I highly recommend it

Overall it’s tedious and crowded. Sure, there are some cool artifacts, but for $31 each (after taxes and fees) it’s not worth it. Especially for adults. Most of the time you’re just wandering from one glass case to another.

The interactive displays are clunky and resemble online mandatory corporate training. Mostly just quiizzes. Not really fun at all. There are hordes of kids who monopolize them anyway. They also have videos but nothing that you can’t find covered in a documentary on a streaming service.

The James Bond car is in the lobby before the ticket booth, so you don’t need a ticket to see it and take a photo.

They need to either reduce the ticket price significantly or make it truly interactive.

Interesting. You learn a lot of history while learning (or being reminded of) famous spies. It helps to have a fairly good knowledge of history. All of the “gadgets” used by various spies are interesting. A couple of hours if you move through quickly. Four- fave hours if you read most of the captions and watch most of the videos. Well done. Frankly, better than I expected. Would recommend..

Super museum, very fun and super well done! You feel like you're a spy thanks to the interactive tour. The exhibitions are very well done. Teenagers will love it and it gives them a welcome break after visiting all the art museums on the National Mall. Yes, it’s a paid museum, rare in Washington, but it’s worth it. I loved it!

A lot of museums, and indeed most things here tend to glaze the USA and talk about how great it is, and claim other countries achievements as America's. This museum is great for many reasons, but a big one is that it is very matter of fact, discussing both successes and failures, and presenting a balanced veiw on most topics. It even arguably features more about British spying than anyone else, which makes sense given the strong history. Its absolutely packed full of information, it took me over 3 hours to complete it and I skipped some. Its not too wordy, striking a good balance of depth and keeping interest for most topics. My only complaint is the hyped up 'undercover mission' is a very basic memory test, and only tracks a select few of the museum's intractables.

Regardless, i cant think of any other museum ive spent 3 hours reading in without getting bored.

Visited with three kids (15, 13, 8) and all said it was their favorite museum in DC. Super interactive exhibits and a "mission" each visitor is tasked with completing. Really cool displays showing how audio equipment and other items of espionage have been hidden in everyday items (lipstick, ties, shoes). For fans of James Bond or other spy-type books and movies, definitely visit. If those aren't your thing, probably ok to pass

Terrible service I got there at 6pm closes at 7pm and the lady working on May 1st didn’t let my daughter and I buy a ticket because they close at 7pm. In my opinion it seemed like there was no point in her working there she was talking on her cell phone when I arrived. She didn’t let me daughter and I in when I was willing and able to pay the full amount for only being there one hour. It seemed like they just wanted to ensure they go home early. I am very disappointed I got stuck in traffic and drove from Pennsylvania that day to see museum. Terrible service.

They packed us in like cattle. As an elderly woman my eyesight is not good. I had a difficult time reading the information even with my new glasses. Very dark and spy like. The inside temperature was stifling. Too many people and too hot. After completing only 20% of the museum we left. Very disappointed.

Spent half a day here and wished we had more time!! Thrilling experience with so much knowledge to take back.

Entry fees is bit expensive but totally worth it. They have made the whole experience exhilarating with everyone participating in a spy game. Kids will love it.

A hugely interactive museum with loads of fun games, including a great role playing exercise where you can pretend to be a spy! The museum is very well laid out with attractive displays and beautifully designed sets. The whole thing was just completely fascinating. It is expensive in a city of free museums but it is worth every penny In my opinion, especially if you have children.

The Spy Museum can be enjoyed in one of two ways, as an interactive visitor or a traditional visitor. At first, you get the impression of entering an amusement park; however, once the staff sends you to the upper levels, you can experience the museum as you wish.

The museum features plenty of galleries dedicated to different aspects of espionage, from the revolutionary war to modern warfare. Espionage artifacts belonging to real spies can be enjoyed, and it is a learning experience. There are interactive activities for kids in addition to stations where you take the role of a spy and must complete missions.

Keep in mind some of these stations and galleries get crowded as the staff allows more visitors into the museum and might have to wait a little bit to use the touchscreen monitors. I skipped a few of them and spent 2 hours in the museum. If you take kids with you and want to complete all the interactive stations, plan to be there for at least 3 hours.

A souvenir store on the first floor has tons of espionage-related items.

We attended an event in the Spy museum on a Friday evening. We sipped cocktail on the roof followed by dinner on the 7th floor. The view from the rooftop at sunset was spectacular in a cool October evening. The venue for dinner was spacious to hold few hundred guests complete with large screen. The museum staff were very friendly and made us feel very welcome. On our way out, we did enjoy the James Bond car on display!

Me and my daughter enjoyed the museum. You had an interactive mission the entire way through the museum. So much is there that it will take over two hours to see everything.

Lay out was odd and the elevator ride holds so many potentials that are missed. Expected something with such a wait and lights and then nothing. Definitely needs a women's spy section all to itself. A lot of items could be displayed in linear areas and short and tall spaces for different types of people who have curiosity on items stored and not displayed.

The spy artifacts and information was excellent. The interactive stations where you learn information as a spy was interesting. The only negative were the large crowds and long waits to get to the interactive screens.

This museum is truly outstanding in presenting the history, politics and difficulties of the spy game. We learned the human side of spying in the American revolution, WWII disinformation campaigns, USSR espionage programs and today's agents who risk all to stop terrorism.

At this writing, the museum also hosted a separate display of vehicles seen in the James Bond movies.

The museum displays were so well done and detailed that we spent twice as much time as we initially planned - four (4) extremely enjoyable hours!

Great experience and well worth the visit! Staff all do friendly and the museum is close to the city. There's a mission you can take part in from the minute you arrive which makes it more interesting. Loads to see and loads of toys to see. Great stories to read and follow along the way!

Great museum, very interesting. Very complete. Explanation on the birth of espionage, technique, the utility of intelligence today. Technology.
Expo then on james.bond. The top.
No audio guide in French.
We enjoyed it.

The International Spy Museum in D.C. Three floors of everything spy & spy history! Interactive activities and a floor of James Bond with several Bond vehicles. Very cool!! Plenty of video visuals and small theaters to watch short movies/videos. It can be very crowded, especially around the interactive sections. There is street parking with two hour parking. There is also an underground parking garage under the museum. Pay attention to the L’Enfant Plaza Parking signs; they are for the parking garage. L’Enfant plaza is underground and has some shopping and a food court.

It is a very funny museum because it combines the aspect of artifacts from different times (used in the most diverse tasks by spies) with an interactive experience.
The interactive experience is to give us a card that will be read by a machine, and where we play games related to espionage (what a spy would do), every time we get to a room we have a machine where we put the card to be read and fulfill the next mission.
I recommend!

Crowded but a lot to see, we could've easily spent 2-3 hours there. The kids loved the interactive spy activities, overall pricey but worth it. I went about a decade ago. And has improved since then.

Honest review from a reasonable person: It sucks. The line waiting to go in was rediculious. It seemed like they over booked. People were literally standing on top of you. We felt defeated & left an hour in. Some folks tried to break line, pushed us, and attempted to jump into elevators ahead of us at the start (staff did stop that). Children running, crying, fighting, and squeezing in front of you at every station. We couldn't hear the videos the majority of the time. Boomers were standing right on top of us. One of them was breathing tuna fish breath so hard behind me It was moving my hair and randomly smashing my food with a freaking walking cane when they thought I should move closer to any person in front of me. I couldn't do anything because there were at least 5 people blocking the area in front of me. We couldn't get to many of the interactive stations because of the crowd. In one hour we did 2 stations. The lines and rude tourist just made it suckie and unenjoyable.

I’m still trying to figure out how they can charge over $30 for this place. This was the biggest disappointment of our DC trip. I wouldn’t come back here if admission was free.

I thought this was a little bit overrated and a little bit expensive to be quite honest . It certainly takes time to walk around but I would have thought that for $15 less and a little more detail given to some of the displays and gadgets particularly, this could be really good.

Perfection! I write romantic suspense novels and so when I was planning our trip to DC I knew I wanted to go to the Spy Museum. I figured it would give me some great information for my novels. IT WAS AWESOME! I love the fact that they incorporate a bit of a game within the actual museum. I got to be a spy for about 2 hours with an alias and all. I think kids would love this place. I was fascinated to read about all the history of different people who worked for the government in secret positions and all the people who were found spying from different countries. It was also fascinating to hear how an entire operation was put together and carried out to find people who were planning attacks on the US. I could have stayed there all day just looking at all the different exhibits and reading about all the different history.

Excellent presentation on three floors detailing the history of international spying and the many methods used to spy. Illustrated examples from medieval, Ww1 & 2 up to current times. Opportunity to be a spy and learn techniques at first hand. Great for children 8 plus

First, I admired the building, which is quite avant-garde in design. I loved how all things spy is concentrated in this museum. There are many tidbits and in-depth info about spy missions, including the intricacies in their implementation. Very interesting to visit. Although, you need to plan your trip since the location is not near other tourist sites.

A really fun and very interactive museum! Great history of spying and its effect throughout global history. We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit and would definitely recommend a visit.

Let me just say, I walked into the International Spy Museum fully convinced I’d leave as a top-tier secret agent. Instead, I left with a spy alias I immediately forgot and a strong sense that I would 100% be the first person caught in any undercover mission.

This place is awesome. It’s packed with real gadgets, crazy stories, and enough secret agent trivia to make you question your neighbors. The interactive exhibits test your spy skills — mine told me I’d be better off sticking to Netflix espionage shows. Although I was very observant!

You get assigned a secret identity at the beginning, which sounds very official until you realize you’re sweating trying to memorize it like it’s the final question on a game show. Also, shout-out to the laser maze that reminded me I am not, in fact, Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible.

All jokes aside, it’s super engaging, well-designed, and surprisingly educational (in the best way). Perfect for families, solo visitors, or anyone who’s ever wanted to dramatically whisper, “This message will self-destruct.”

Would I go back? Absolutely. But next time, I’m bringing sunglasses, a trench coat, and a fake accent — just to be safe!

Very interactive and cool to keep you engaged. Diff exhibits show how diff soies o=wroked. excellent arsenal of artifacts and fun games throughout.

We loved this, particularly as they had the Bond in Motion special exhibition with so many exhibits from the films. We were there for about 3 hours but could have spent longer - brilliant!

Such a cool experience. We enjoyed it and the fun spy missions. Give yourself time to enjoy 007 car and other fun items at the entrance.

Outstanding visit to the International Spy Museum and highly suggested. Although I gave a 5 rating, it's not perfect.

Tickets should be purchased online beforehand to ensure you or your party get in the day and time you wish to go. I understand this is a private museum and there is a charge to get in, but why not make all ticket prices the same instead of charging low, medium, or high rates based on visitation days? The cost is a few dollars more per ticket so why not just go with one price? Especially during the summer when ticket prices are basically always on the high end?

Staff was courteous and the tour starts with everyone going to the upper floor and getting a secret identity and mission. The mission was nice, however, as others have said, I more or less stopped with my mission about halfway through as it was almost impossible to get on a touchscreen to complete tasks due to the amount of visitors. Maybe they could develop an app that would do the same thing so you wouldn't have to wait? I did here a docent at one point state that you didn't have to use a touchscreen in each area as you leave and could catch up at a station later on in an area not a s busy. Wish they had said something about that to help keep the people flow going.

Displays were done very well and the information was great. Spent 3-4 hours here which was longer than expected. If you plan on going then make sure you eat beforehand as there is no food allowed in the museum so you'll have to power through the lunch hour if you get hungry. Amazing to see some of the items from the early to mid 1900's and what they doing back then with technology they had versus technology we have today. Incredible.

Museum store was ok, and I was hoping to purchase something "cool" but alas, couldn't quite find a t-shirt that was just simple and had the International Spy Museum as a logo or something. I guess I was expecting them to have the rights to use the Spy vs Spy logo from Mad Magazine!

Overall, a great stop and would highly suggest it to anyone with an interest in spy history.

Visited on a Saturday afternoon so it was pretty busy but I still enjoyed myself. The staff was kind and helpful. A solo visit is fun but I think it’s probably better as a small group outing with family/friends. I will definitely return because there are rooms that I’m sure that I missed. It was cool to see spyware that I read about or seen in documentaries up close. I also enjoyed the undercover mission game that was throughout the museum.

Not worth the price many games not functioning and full of children running around nice artifacts

Fascinating, interactive, easy to navigate and the history offers something for all ages. I went with my teen during school break, and this was our second visit. Just as interesting, and I was reminded that staff friendly and welcoming. Add to your list when in DC !

This is a great place to visit in a great location. Appropriate for all ages. Lots of interactive experiences and lots of history. It is a bit pricey but worth it. Highly recommended.

We decided to go to the spy museum while visiting Washington DC with my 11yr old granddaughter on Sunday July, 21/2024. It was the only place open until 8pm by the time we finished with our first museum. We arrived around 4:30 and we're told we couldn't go in until 6:30. So we paid the almost $100 for three people and came back at 6pm. We waited in line and were so excited to finally go in. It was fun for us and my granddaughter until about 2/3 of the way through it and we were being reminded of closing time and had to rush. We exited into the gift store and started looking at all the cool stuff. Well it was now 5 mins until 8 and once again for the 4th time were reminded they were closing in 5 mins. We for sure thought that the gift store would be open a little longer for those who only had an hour and 15mins to go through the museum but nope. At almost 8, I watched the lady at the registers come on over the intercom again and announce they are closing in 5,4,3,2,1 and the lights went off. I stood there watching as people rushed to buy stuff and as my granddaughter and daughter were still trying to find something for my granddaughter. I just could not believe the rudeness I was witnessing. Never in all my years have I been somewhere and had the lights turned off on me and told it was time to leave. My daughter was so upset because she was rushing my granddaughter to hurry up and pick something in the 5 MINs she had to shop. We thought for sure they would at least keep it open for all those just finishing the museum. Not at all! I understand people are ready to get off and get home to their own families and it was Sunday, but there should be more consideration for the customers who paid almost $40 a piece to get in to be rushed through and not given a chance to buy something at the end. Have a closing time but let the gift shop stay open for 30 after at least. I recommend getting there earlier in the day or buying advance tickets if you can figure out how much time you'll need at your first location. Which is hard to prepare for if you e never been before.

This Musuem was interactive and fun. You enter and have a card where you are given a spy identity. You follow the displays through the museum learning about different famous spies from various wars eg Virginia Hall. You get to see equipment used, read about spy tactics and hearing from some impressive individuals in various organisations.
At various locations in the museum you can tap your card and do little activities to assist in the mission you were given at the beginning.
Reading all of the details and seeing all of the displays you can easily spend between 3-4 hours.
It was a really cool experience.
Definitely recommend.

The International Spy Museum is worth six stars. Loved it! It is a must-see destination when in the DC area. We visited today (five grown adults) and had a blast. It’s fascinating. Intelligent. Real-life history. Engaging. High-tech. Real. Leave young kids at home. They would be bored and the exhibits way over their head. Middle-school and older. It’s a great date night for adults We were inside for three hours before I even looked at my watch. With a break I could have spent another two hours exploring stories straight out of spy nonfiction and history. The experience is intelligent, thoughtful, intriguing, and based on real life. And current. There is a great inter-active experience where everyone is assigned a secret identity and you can check in through your ‘mission.’ If you want to play. It’s optional. There is just so much to see and do here, don’t plan less than four hours. Totally worth it.

The international Spy Museum has many potentially interesting artifacts. It also has a complete lack of logical organization and discombobulated exhibits that are shallow and confusing.
The "experience" begins with watching a generic film with the repeated question "do you have what it takes to be a spy ?". One is then given a covert identity and badge which one is to use throughout the museum at interactive kiosks to complete a "mission". After this auspicious beginning, all hell breaks loose. One is shuttled into a room with a myriad of disjointed exhibits, some in vitrines, others consisting of interactive displays and videos. None of these have anything clearly in common, aside from the "spy" theme. Mata Hari is featured next to a random collection of spy gadgets such as made by Q in the James Bond films, and on the other side of the same room is a 1700s American frontier "spy" come to life in a video sequence. There is no chronological, geographic, or geopolitical organization, and one jumps from topic to topic in a dizzying maelstrom of sound and flashing buttons.
From this, the museum proceeds through several rooms with equally randomly assorted objects, punctuated by kiosks where, after waiting for hordes of people to finish, one is to complete small tasks and obtain more information about one's "assignment".
The museum would be so much better if there were clear objectives: does it want to be a "theme park", with patrons playing out their spy fantasies, or is it a jumble of spy-related stuff from someone's garage? Does it want to show the history of spy techniques, from ancient Chinese cipher tools through the Nazi enigma machine to modern AI-based data collection, or is it intending to be a superficial overview of a few famous spies and their one famous quote (think Julia Child being in the OSS, for example)? The fact that very few visitors under the age of 30 (i.e, probably a majority of the patrons) have even a general idea of what the KGB, Stasi, GDR regime, or a Soviet Gulag, etc., etc. are will make it confusing for them , as these terms/entities are never defined. The "be a spy for a day" aspect feels gimmicky and is poorly executed, as crowds are too large and displays have little to do with tasks at the kiosks.
Another very troubling aspect of this museum is the conflation of fact and fiction. A vehicle used in 007 movies (FICTION!) is displayed alongside legitimate disguises invented by CIA experts (FACT!); film advertisements and posters (FICTION!) are next to a model of the Berlin Wall (FACT!). This interweaving of the real and the fake results in trivializing the danger of actual espionage and the intrigue of geopolitical conflict. The lack of clearly defined boundaries between the real and the Hollywood version of "spies" should make any curator shudder.
Overall the museum is a disappointment and one feels one is viewing an attempt to retrofit someone's lifetime collection of loosely related artifacts into a moneymaking enterprise. Unfortunately it is not successfully done, but perhaps with some genuine curatorial effort and organization, the museum could be less of an insult to the visitor and anyone with a genuine interest in covert operations.

This was time well spent . It was interactive with really interesting exhibits . We spent 4 hrs and probably could’ve stayed longer . I definitely recommend going and allow yourself at least 3hrs minimum .

This has to be one of the best museum experiences I’ve had. I had read that there wasn’t much for kids. There was heaps. Thoroughly enjoy our time here. We were lucky enough to see the Bind exhibit which was very well curated. The spy mission had our 5 year old completely enthralled.

This is a museum that gives displays and presents the history of espionage. There is a gimmick for teens and younger children to go around the facility and fulfill tasks as they use a badge and push a few computer buttons. But, that's just a gimmick and not the purpose of the building.

The museum gives a non-chronological history of spying and how it has been used for centuries and through each of our wars. Good information on the Cold War and there are a couple of interactive activities that show the complexity of the raid in Pakistan to get Bin Laden (I didn't realize that Pres. Obama and the Pentagon were only 50% sure that the terrorist even lived in the compound).

Very good museum for anyone in middle school or older.

Beware! Tickets expire, which they do not disclose. Everything I saw online said the tickets were good throughout the day, including responses on TripAdvisor by the manager to questions about late arrival. We arrived late due to travel issues with getting to this remote location and they refused to let us in and would only schedule us for three hours later in the day. I tried calling their number 10 times and no one ever answered. All it does is go to a voicemail telling you to leave a voicemail. When I told the staff member, she just said I should have left a voicemail. When I showed her the responses by a manager to questions on TripAdvisor, she just said that was old info. Skip this….so many better things to do in better locations!

Fun and informative exhibit (museum sounds boring) for kids of all ages. Both hands on and lots to read and watch. (Parking is complicated)

I’m not sure what or why people complain about crowds and reading. Welcome to the museums in Washington DC. The only difference is this one is not free but still very interesting. There are a lot of interactive exhibits and a lot geared towards kids but there is still a lot to see and read or listen about. I would definitely recommend but expect the crowds that are in every DC museum.

The tour is very interactive as you get a mission when arriving and solving it during the tour at the museum. Great way of experiencing a museum.

Loved this!!! Went with a friend who had done some of this for the government. Lots to see, do, and interact. Great for families. Reservations needed!!
Huge gift shop. Several floors, need several hours to see everything! Given your own spy name, occupation, etc. lots to learn.
Lots of walking, places to sit, elevators. Convenient to Hop On/Off bus and other DC activities.

Very informative and interactive. A kid can spend 4-5 hours inside without getting bored...but very interesting for adults too. There's a lot of info about history and technology.
Its not free like the Smithsonian's but nevertheless one of the best museums in Washington DC.

Surprisingly good, worth a visit, especially with a young family, or at least young at heart! Lots of interesting information presented in a fun way. There is a role-playing adventure to keep the kids engaged, and some clever 'tasks' to perform. I recommend the Disguise task :) A little pricey, and was a little crowded, but a good way to spend 1-2 hours.

I’ve read several reviews of this museum. Each review clearly outlines different expectations of what this museum has to offer. One thing everyone agrees on… It’s crowded! It negatively impacted our experience. For such a large building the artifacts and their arrangement are crammed into small rooms and cubby areas. Second, my husband and I are in our 50s. We are not of the generation who like museums being turned into arcade games - too much technical interaction. These types of exhibits have ruined some of my favorite museums. This museum was not for us.

The ISM has one of the finest curated collections I’ve seen in an interactive museum. From the gift shop to the fun was people are encouraged to “play spy” as you wind your way through the staggering array of objects and artifacts from the world of espionage!

This was pretty interesting. Lots of real history of spying. There was an interactive activity that you could do as you went through the museum but it was all so busy at each station that we skipped quite a few of them. Would have liked a little more stuff about spies in film/tv. There was tons of it in the store that wasn't covered in the museum itself. Enjoyed it, probably would have enjoyed it a bit more if it had been a little emptier.

We had an amazing time at the Spy Museum during spring break with a large group. The Bond in Motion exhibit was fantastic, and the kids had a blast testing their spy skills on an undercover mission. Everyone enjoyed reading stories and checking out the cool gadgets. We'll definitely return and recommend it to friends and family!

We through lly enjoyed the museum. It was crowded that day so I would recommend going on a day when it is not as popular. We liked the spy experience and the hands on opportunities.

A friend of mine went to the spy museum a number of years ago, and it sounded really cool, so I've wanted to go ever since.

Since then, it has moved to a much larger space with a lot more attractions.
The museum, as you might guess, is dedicated to the art of spying.
There are exhibits on famous spies, spies in pop culture, the history of spying, tools and tricks of the trade, etc.
There are very interactive exhibits. When you enter, you are given a spy identity and a mission to accomplish. This makes it much more fun.
Your wristband unlocks levels and activities and tracks your progress.
This is a great museum with so much to see, do, and learn.

Travel tip: it will take a long time to get through the whole museum. Plan at least 2- 3 solid hours to do the museum. If you come late in the day, beware of their closing time, because regardless of where you are in the museum, they *will* escort you out. There is no exception.
The gift shop also closes precisely when the museum closes, so you will not be permitted to shop for souvenirs.
This is a bit of a bad business decidion because we & many other visitors planned to buy items but were just escorted out the door like cattle

Is an excellent mix of interactive exhibits combined with the standard exhibition of historical items. The entire "you're a spy" concept is fun and can challenge both children and adults. Glad we went!

This content is geared towards adults (and possibly teens) with a particular interest and appreciation in history and geo-politics. Most of these displays require time for concentrated reflection. While I understand that the museum needs to draw a larger admission profit to include families, I can say that the spy game is an annoyance to adults. Other than that, this museum is absolutely outstanding in every aspect and worth the money. I reluctantly drop this solid five to a four due to the distracting spy games.

Super cool, super fun, has a great sense of humor about this history and profession but is also respectful of serious topics. There is a sensitivity warning outside of the "enhanced interrogation" exhibit to let parents know it may not be suitable for their kids.

The entire experience is gameified, and you have the option of participating in the game or not once you're inside. They use real events to help show how intelligence operatives make decisions and find information. The exhibits are fascinating - my personal favorite included historical stories from Asian regions about espionage and trickery used to win wars or conquer regions. Absolutely fascinating!

My teens and I really enjoyed our Spy Museum experience - lots to learn about spying through the ages, as well as interactive exhibits and activities. Lots of staff around if you have any difficulty.

Buy tickets early if you need a specific day/time as it's a popular place for families. No food on site but plenty in the area. Excellent gift shop with lots of books, games, clothing, spy items and much more!

Great for families, probably best for kids who can read ages 7+. My kids loved the videos. It’s probably a two hour tour, becomes a little redundant after that and long for kids. You can see the amazing level of detail at this museum. Very impressed.

Although it's been on our list for quite some time, we visited the International Spy Museum for the first time during our current trip to DC. Wow!!! As someone who was in Berlin in November of 1989, I especially liked the Cold War exhibits and artifacts. I also highly-recommend the Bond in Motion special exhibit, worth the admission add-on price!

Wealth of interesting information some historical, some about the craft of spying and some simply fun. The tickets were relatively expensive especially as so many Washington museums are free but we didn’t 3 hours being entertained and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it would be great for tweens and teens.

It was fun and interesting, but I would not go back. It was not that interesting and I learned very little from my time there.

Fun interactive experience. Great for families. Well curated and informational. Excellent signage to guide you through experience and good staff.

Excellent museum , though give yourself plenty of time as a lot to see . Lots and lots of school tours which made it extremely busy

I had no idea what to expect going in, but hoped it wouldn't be a waste of time or money. This museum was so interesting I had no complaints about the price, even though I'd gotten used to all the free Smithsonian museums. Exhibits were thorough but easy to follow. Went from one end to the other without ever getting bored.

If you want to be sure to enter it is advisable to book through site, where you can also have a reduction of the ticket. Tickets are sold 45 days before the date of sale. You will also have to choose a visiting time that will be respected. We showed up 1 hour early, but we had to wait. Those arriving without a ticket could buy it for admission after 3 hours. If you also have a ticket to the J. Bond exhibition then you can go straight to that. Upon entering you are given a card with a code name, a password and a mission that you will have to accomplish by crossing the museum. The ticket is not cheap, but I must say it was worth it, the visit was great fun.

We had a fun time overall, but I don't think it's worth the expense. My kids liked the spy game, but we spent most of our time waiting for a computer kiosk to open up. We are a family of four, kids are 9 and 10. In a city with tons of wonderful free museums, spending a hundred dollars for a family of four to see a museum was probably a bad call on my part, and I regret it. I would tell my past self to skip it and spend more time at the Smithsonian instead.

We researched this place prior to booking and I was a little dubious to be honest.

I was wrong the whole experience was well worth the $30 per ticket. We spent 3.5hrs there and enjoyed every minute. It’s really well laid out and the interaction starts as soon as you enter and ends when you leave. I really enjoyed my time there as did my 16yr old son. Very informative and some great props in the cabinets.

Well worth a visit

Family had a great time, spent about 3 hours at the museum.
My husband enjoyed the mission aspect and the tech and game focused portions, my child liked the interactive exhibits and I liked the variety of stories and artifacts. Really has something for everyone and packs a ton of info in (what I thought was) a small space. Staff was also excellent - friendly and helpful. The museum is very re-visitable since I could go back again and have a different experience!

Different than the average museum with all the hands on and multimedia.

Not sure the target audience though as still a lot of history and reading to learn it all. Stories , videos , and quizzes..

But kids and teens probably have more to do here than the standard traditional museum.

Unique and interesting experience. The future of museums..

Can definitely spend a half a day here if want to go through it all. Information overload.

Pick and choose where to spend time .

It's enjoy at your own pace and a popular place. So find less busy hours or time slots.

This is a very BIG museum. And there is a LOT to read. A LOT. And there are a LOT of kids running around. You need to buy tickets so I might suggest going later in the day when there might not be so many families there (it's one of the few museums opened later). Great gift shop.

As a 25-year-old woman, I found this museum very fun as it had something for everyone. I especially loved the exhibits on the spy gear, some dating back before the Second World War!

Really enjoyed our visit, 2 adults and 2 children ages 10 and 7. Lots to see and do and enough variety to keep the kids interested. Interactive exhibits. 2 hours is not enough, allow closer to 3. Different and interesting, well worth it.

Couldn’t wait to go. This museum opens the curtain to the spies and the who, what, where, when’s and even some why. You start with a mission to finalize before you leave. Do yourself a favor and go there. My wife and I very much enjoyed the museum!

This was a stop on a Road Scholar event entitled Spies, Lies & Espionage. Be prepared as it is a bit over the top when it comes to interactive activities which should keep the under 30 male audience entertained. Leaving that aside, the two-floors of exhibits are well-done, colorful and interesting. But be prepared if you have any vision issues as the overall ambience is a bit low-light. It is owned / managed by the same firm that handles the Rock'nRoll Museum, so the management is very capable.

As I was on a tour, I do not know the admission fee - suggest you check that out yourself.

But I would recommend it as an "interesting" place to spend a couple of hours and it offers a pleasant change from the general feel of Washington, DC.

We were excited to check out the museum. A well built museum with interesting exhibits.

We were disappointed in some of the exhibits that were one sided and did not show Israel’s occupation of Palestine for example. Quite frustrating with the exhibits of the Oklahoma bomber who was not classified as a terrorist but the terrorist word used for the terrorist that identified as Muslim only.

It’s a large museum and overwhelming we just wanted to get through at the end.

The interactive mission was under whelming. No activities or missions to accomplish. If you skipped it you aren’t missing anything.

Some of the interactive exhibits were interesting such as the interrogation activity.

Interesting to visit but a few exhibits need to show a more holistic view of the Israel and Palestinian topic.

This was really interesting. We spent over 3 hours on the top floor, and when we realized there was another floor with at least as many exhibits we kind of lost mental and physical energy--I think I would like to go back and visit the fourth floor. The special exhibit on Bond cars was really cool! A little expensive but well worth the visit.

This is a pretty good museum with a lot to see and do for a range of audiences. If you're in a family it'll cost a fair bit, although this is reflected both in it not being part of the Smithsonian group and the effort that's gone into the displays and overall experience.

On entry you can chose an agent's identity and to follow this through a series of interactive tests. This is good fun although I dropped out early as you needed to queue for the various terminals. It's also more aimed at the early teen market and the tests do demonstrate various aspects of the trade. This that this place works on several levels so, if the trail isn't for you, there's plenty else including a lot of artefacts and stories. The only downside is that it is crowded in places; that also reflects its popularity.

The shop varies across its several markets - great for ten year old, casual visitors and also a good range of books for the better-informed.

Oddly there's no café, although I remember a linked restaurant at the old site.

Very interesting, but you cannot see it all even in a whole day. Xxxxxxxxxxx. Worth a visit. I wish they had a two day pass.

What a fun, intriguing place to visit! We were so impressed with the breadth of information displayed there. So much detail about the history of spying in every area of the world. The way they keep you engaged throughout the multiple floors of exhibits with a spy access card and personalized spy mission details for each guest makes it fun! We got tickets for the adde exhibit “Bond in Motion” and were thrilled with the James Bond memorabilia from all the Bond movies. This was such a fun way to spend an afternoon in Washington DC. I highly recommend it!

This place is fun,informative,and interesting for all ages. They have revamped it and it’s in more better than before. Lots of hands on sleuthing to be done here.it also is a history museum with fun facts about the WW and spying

This was an excellent museum experience. There are many interactive exhibits, as well as a large collection of fascinating objects related to spying throughout the ages. There are also many interesting video stories to watch. The interactive spy role-play challenge is also a lot of fun. I highly recommend this museum, but plan to spend at least 4 hours

I had to visit this museum because a friend of mine has a permenant exhibition there. It is Morten Storm. He even had a personal videomessage for his friends upthere in the spymuseum. I showed the message to the staff and the director of the Museum. The welcome was warm and intense. There was a true connection. We enjoyed it to the full and are recommending it to everyone who wants to now about the world under the visible world. The world of intrege, the world of spycraft. And, off course, i recommend the exhibition of my friend Morten Storm.

After the first 20 minutes, I was ready to give the museum a 1-star. The staff made it seem like everyone had to get a secret identity and code word, and then you'd somehow use that identity and code word as you made your way through the museum. Well after viewing the initial 5-minute film, you are directed to a large room with exhibits, and so naturally everyone started looking for the kiosk with the code words and identities. But the reality is that the secret identities and code words is really just something for kids to look forward to in each section of the museum - something that keeps their interest, but that certainly isn't necessary to an adult's enjoyment of the museum. I wish the staff had simply said that guests should go through the museum and read/watch the various exhibits as desired, and that if they wanted to play with the code words and identities (which is really intended for kids), then you can, but it's in no way necessary and shouldn't distract from the actual exhibits of the museum. The actual exhibits were excellent, thorough, and interesting.

Excellent museum with interactive fun. It was a last minute decision after the air & space museum didn’t take as long as we expected. Reservations recommended.

Our teen has A-Do-Ré: it’s interactive and fun. We can see the evolution of espionage... We learn and have fun at all ages
Be careful, it is paid and it is not given!

This was a fun, interactive museum. There is something here for everyone, and we loved it! Not only is the museum fun, the gift shop was also great!

This is a fun museum for all ages above 8. The building and concept is very cool and interesting. The artifacts and hands on experiences are really excellent. It was very busy (on a Sunday morning) with school groups, which made it somewhat hard to see everything. Be patient and take your time.

I had a lot of fun here that I did not expect. There is so much to learn about spies and their training. Lots of great information, games, artifacts, and simulations.

This place is phenomenal! We allocated 2 hours to do this before another booked tour. It was NOT enough time. If you go, plan on 3-4 hours if you want the full experience of seeing all of the exhibits. They were all fascinating.

You can pay extra to see the Bond car exhibit. It was OK but if you are not a Bond fan, take a pass.

WoW. What a wonderful museum. It took us six hours to visit and we still didn’t get to see everything. I certainly recommend it

Absolutely fantastic. This was not our original plan, kinda stumbled upon it and Im glad we did. The staff seems to be enjoying their job there and gets “in character” and help you immerse yourself in the experience. Best 40$ we spent this week. It takes about 2-2.5 hrs to get through the whole museum depending on if you watch all the documentaries throughout the exhibits

We really enjoyed this museum. It has a lot of information to take in and lots of exhibits. It was a little overwhelming. It took us about 2 hours to get through the 2 floors so allow yourself plenty of time to get through everything. I learned some new information and I really enjoyed the interactive stations throughout.

If you are into the shadow world of spies, this is a must visit museum. If you are not, advise steer clear!

That said, the museum is chock full of spy stuff, pictures, stories from the the Revolution to the Cold War till the present.

Advise is to go early to avoid the crowds like I did.

There is an interactive game in which you ' check in "regularly. I am sure the kids would love it. I did not do this though. I'm too old! But I did enjoy looking at the faces of the kids and young adults that did it.

Just so you know. I did click 2-3 hours for the museum. It really depends if you read all the descriptions or just scan thru it. I personally spent almost half a day there.

They have lockers for you to place your personal belongings.

When you are finished with the exhibit the exit goes thru the gift shop 😊 which is usually the case everywhere.

What an interesting museum! Full of interactive displays detailing the history of counter intelligence and espionage.
Great exhibits, and displays for young and old. You can even create your own spy cover with names, code words and background!

Definitely a four star, fun for younger children however there's a game you play and lines of people get there early and hurry up and wait in the lobby. Some rude people in the lobby don't go out the exit door's and try to return just a hint!

The museum had great reviews... but was so much more than I expected !
There was so much to see and do , that 3 hours flew by and I only got through a third of the exhibits . I could have honestly spent the whole day there. I don't feel that younger children would get much out of it, but adult geeks will love it !!!

It is not worth $40 a person. It is a LOT of reading and they say that it is "interactive" but the interactive material the reference has no point. You scan a card and "solve mysteries" but in the end none of the mystery content is ever linked to anything in the museum and is not point driven. It would be cool if scanning the card they give you was actually linked to solving or finding one of the historical spy figures in the museum and then maybe if you can solve the mystery, then you could get a few dollars off in their gift shop. The only part of this museum that was worth it was the James Bond portion that is not sold separately but instead sold IF you purchase the $40 museum ticket. They should be sold separately and maybe make the James Bond portion $20 since it is a museum of the actual cars used in the movies and then sell the other tickets for another $20 and let people decide what they want to see.

We 5 adults loved this museum. Great displays of Spy artifacts and fascinating video presentations with real life spy stories. Seems suited for High Schoolers on up. Each exhibit was fascinating to read and learn about life of a spy and more. Research ahead on timed entry and hours so there are no surprises.

Up there with the best museum I have ever visited. Every room was filled with intresting content from WW2 to the cold War to interrogation and terrorism exhibitions. If you are interested in contemporary history and politics you could easily spend 4 hours walking around. My only criticism would be the trivalisation of the Osama Bin Ladin raid where the raid is made into a game. For me I felt this was wrong and made a very real situion a game. Apart from that I would highly recommend a visit and it is easily one of the best museums in DC.

This is a fun museum with interactive stations and a lot of interesting artefacts. It takes about 2-3 hours to complete and is defiantly worth the entry cost.

This museum is packed with every thing spy related. There were displays and videos telling the history of spying well into the past. Videos and displays told stories of individuals in American history from the revolution to today. Tons of displays of real life tools of the trade. The museum walks you through a mission, teaching you the skills a spy needs to be effective and stay alive. There are interactive station to teach and challenge. My only complaint is, given the number of people allowed in at any given time, there are not enough stations. It can get crowed, groups of 10 to 12 and admitted every 15 minutes. I have been to the spy museum in NYC, they had less displays, but more stations. Worth to stop but be ready for the crowds

Employee Summer was very rude and acted very inappropriately towards myself and my husband on our recent visit. Please retrain Summer to speak to people appropriately.

$35?!?!?! Not worth the money. The first exhibit (stealing secrets) is probably the only good one. The entire thing is videos, texts and pictures. I wanted to see actual physical artifacts like an actual museum. $35 is insane for what it was.

They've really done a nice job. The museum is 4.5 stars out of five. The mission is engaging and the various interactive elements are really well done. It used to be a lot more reading and looking at artifacts (there is still some of that), but it's blended well. The price isn't too bad and the gift shop has some unique items. My sole deduction is for my fellow patrons. The lack of etiquette and basic manners made this somewhat less enjoyable (people cutting in lines, monopolizing various places, creating bottlenecks, etc.). Part of this could be handled by the museum better managing the crowd and I can only imagine how bad it must be on a really busy day.

This is such a wonderful place to visit and you can easily lose a few hours walking round the exhibits or taking part in the interactive activities. It covers a huge range of historical and modern information and there is a spy mission you can take part in as you go round.

Combo museum and interaction spy game, you’ll learn a lot about the history of intelligence, and the “mission” makes it exciting for younger kids

On the first floor you'll find a trove of pre WWII era costumes, gadgets, techniques from around the world. You get to see the whole world's version of "going undercover" - How if feels, and what it means. It immerses you in the spirit of diversity / inclusion without being over zealous and weird. As you move up to the 2nd and 3rd floors, you are offered new interactive games and experiences . The floors move chronologically so its fascinating to see how times change, but the objective of coversion stays the same.

I don't like mysteries; I want answers! The International Spy Museum gives you a chance to experience a day in the life of a Top Secret Spy! It was a $162M project to build this bad boy - Money Well Spent! Its really one of kind so plan to stay all day. If your staying downtown - plan to uber there and back. Its too far to walk.

not worth $30 compared to the rest of the free museums. cool interactive spy experience attraction 😎 loved the quizzes that make you think like a marked spy so all I had to do is figure out the system

It was way too crowded. My husband, 10 year old daughter and I went. It was hard to see or do much because of the crowds. We may have expected to much after visiting most of the Smithsonian’s. We felt it was gimmicky.

This review is specific to being at the Spy Museum for a company-sponsored social event. The event was a "scavenger hunt" that took place in the evening.

Hanging out with colleagues was fun, but the actual experience at the Museum was poor.

We were started in a large auditorium. Two disinterested teenagers kicked off the hunt, reading in an uninspired way from a script. There were videos to accompany the kick-off, and there were technical problems with the videos that required the teens to call for assistance.

The actual scavenger hunt was done in the museum's collections. It was an awful experience. The hunt was a serious of obscure questions about the exhibits, done on an app. You needed a museum map. Paper copies were not provided, so you had to use a QR code to bring up the map. This required then flipping between the map and the quiz on your phone; lots of people kept accidentally closing the map or the quiz. It was also weird as only one person could answer the quiz per group, but to see the questions across multiple pages of the survey, you had to enter answers--so there was this weird caution about not hitting "submit" lest you throw off the official team responses.

It was like running around the museum like chickens with heads cut-off -- there was no time whatsoever to actually absorb the exhibits or learn anything about spycraft; it was just a rush to find obscurities across the whole collection. Just totally stupid and very poorly designed/organized by the museum itself.

There was a lot of instruction to make sure to be back in the auditorium at least 15 minutes before 8. Upon arriving back in the auditorium, it became evident that the reason this was stressed is that the museum staff were very anxious to get home. The two teenagers scrambled to read the answers and then acted super annoyed when the group wanted to get a picture. It was clear they wanted everyone out at 8:00pm and no later.

Maybe it's a cool museum, but it's a terrible place for a group social activity, between the poor service and the lame design of the actual activity itself.

The International Spy Museum isn't at all what we expected, in a good way!

We kind of expected the museum to be about James Bond and similar movie spies, but were pleased to see that instead, 95% of the exhibits focused on real-world spying, showcasing how it has evolved from the 1700s to today.

The volume of historical artefacts the museum had on show was fantastic, and the interactive nature of the museum with its 'you're a spy' side story was also a nice addition.

The museum is one of the few in DC that do charge for admission, but the price of this does seem fair.

I loved the place. Granted I was able to tour only 50% of the museum because I took my own time. I had to scoot through the rest of it since it was closer to 7pm.
Within 2 hours I could do only 50% of the museum.
Place is interactive and educational.

Totally not worth $27…well $24 with military discount. Very very very boring. It’s a bunch of reading and a whole bunch of items dealing with spying all thrown together but nothing interesting. Layout Not thought out to keep people interested. I’m adult and I could have fallen asleep. I could read a book with images of spy items and been more entertained. No interactive exhibits. Very disappointed. Totally not worth it. Just saying if you’re going to charge that much, check out the Museum of the Bible. That’s how you do a museum if you’re going to charge that much.

Very kid friendly and interactive. That being said, the interaction and kids make this a difficult museum to navigate. Still recommend it!

This started out with staff having us play a game and I was worried that the whole thing would be geared for children but thankfully that wasn't the case.
While there is plenty to keep children entertained there is also a lot of fun and informative things for adults to spend a few hours.

We are on a tour to many DC monuments, museums, and sites. I was kind of surprised this museum was included on the itinerary and did not expect much. I found the displays educational and the interactive kiosks entertaining, it definitely kept us engaged for an hour, but more time could have been spent if reading all displays.

Not sure of the cost because the tickets were bought by the tour.

Nothing overly impressive here. Obviously substantial history of past spy cases. Spending couple of hours is plenty.

Wonderful place! Interesting exhibits and information. The interactive spy experience made it that much more enjoyable. Would recommend anyone going to D-C to visit the museum! Great gift shop too!!

This place was a lot of fun. Much to see and do. Some interactive exhibits keep your interest. Plan on spending 2-3 or more hours.

When I saw the spy museum I had to go and I was not disappointed. There is lots of information here but there are some interactive things and games you can play which make it more entertaining than simply walking through a museum. You have a cover identity and a mission as well. There were a lot of people when I visited so I would recommend early morning and during the week may be better as well. You can easily spend 3 hours here.

It almost seems silly to pay for a museum in Washington given the numerous free museums that make up the Smithsonian Insitution. So when it was recommended to me that I go to the Spy museum I was a bit wary as it is not cheap.

However, after going I must say that I am glad I went as this museum is very good. From spying techniques, to the history of famous spies, to interactive activities that let you practice intelligence techniques, this museum offers a great window into the world of spying.

This place is SPECTACULAR!!
The set up and how they maneuvered people around is just very well controllled and my family loved it. The architect of the building is a bueaty in itself.

My children had so much fun. They are 10 and 12 yrs old, and they did everything they could here. Be prepared to spend at lease 3 hrs here.

Every little agent should come here to be spt certified!!

A lot to take in. It’s interesting to see the cat and mouse games that go on between us and them. How others try to get our information and we do the same.

Very interesting! It's not just for children. The interactive spy story is very easy to do. We especially enjoyed the docent in the room about women spies. So much incredible information.

Timed entry, but if you need to leave I was told you could come back later that day. We ate at Subway across the street.

I really wanted to love this museum. We had booked for 11 o'clock for myself and 2 teenagers. Right on our heels was a summer camp crew with 20+ young kids. So if we slowed down to read exhibits or do any of the missions, we were quite quickly overwhelmed with young children. It was crowded even without the camp kids, so much so that it was not possible to enjoy the space and exhibits. As this is one of the only paid museum experiences, it would be a big improvement if they limited the ticket sales more so that those paying for tickets could enjoy the very interesting and attractive exhibits.

We took our 12 yr old grandson, soon turning 13. We spent 2 hours and if he wasn’t ready to leave each area and move on we could have spent more time! There is so much to read, see, watch that I would suggest you NOT take anyone younger than 10-12 yrs of age. My grandson was not at all interested in reading anything and quickly browsed collections or moved on due to the crowd.

Parking is underground, safe, entrance is across the street from the museum sort of tucked away and pricey! We paid $26 for 2 hours!

We had a reservation for Friday morning. It was already doing decent business with larger families or groups. There is no eating, chewing gum or drinking except for water while you are on your mission.

You are given a card which then you put on a kiosk screen and answer personality questions. Then you are given a spy name and mission. These kiosks appear a couple more times and give you more information for your mission like a place to meet and what/who you’re looking for. The funniest part for me was creating a disguise on your own photo and then you are told if you succeeded. At the very end of the museum is the final kiosk however it looks quite different from what we had been using. So pay attention to details, good luck on your spy mission and have fun!

This is a very different DC experience!

This museum for once costs money and is quite expensive but it is worth it. Please note he moved a few years ago and is now located south of Mal. Lots of information and items relating to World War II and the Cold War. Nice shop.

We visited here on August 22, 2025. We ordered tickets online in advance of our trip and we recommend that you do this. The entry process is quick and efficient. The museum is well laid out with a ton of exhibits, interactive displays and the like. You also get to go on a series of linked activities that test your spy skills. Everything is very informative and the artifacts on display are very interesting. You could easily spend the day here if you read all the displays and engaged in all activities. This was a fun activity and we highly recommend it.

Overall a great interactive museum. Definitely allow at least two hours to enjoy the attraction.

Side note: be careful with what you purchase from the store. I bought a few things for my kids and they did not work and it seems like no one answers the phone unless it’s for a membership.

What a great surprise. The museum was fun and interesting. I would recommend allowing more than the suggested 2 hours for the main museum. After 2 hours we were only ~60% of the way through and didn't read everything. The floor is marked to help you understand progress which is really helpful.

I would give them a 6-star rating if I could.
You need a full day for a floor and they have two to explore.
Great innovative design. 10,000 tons of superbly interesting information.
There is one problem. It is not for kids. Too complex and remote for most of them. 16+ maybe.

Adults and 9 year old kids in our group had a blast. The 3-year old in our group did not have anything to do-come without your toddlers if you can :)

The entry times are well spaced and very well organized. However, we were there during holiday week and it was very crowded Once we got inside, and the whole we were there.

There is a lot of stuff to explore and learn about and interact with here! Just doing the Mission stuff and a few other short stops took us into 2 hours easily.

Note some of the stuff the kids learn here is dark and heavy (eg, 9/11 plane pics, bin laden capture details); just be prepared to discuss.

Will definitely come back next time we are in town!

This museum was really fantastic and entertaining but could’ve used more interactive exhibits and maybe less online ones? The overall experience was really fun and the staff was nice. Getting spy identities and being a spy was fantastically interactive and fun, but they did a good job of also including history and information about real life spies and what they do.

The International Spy Museum is the only activity we paid for while in D.C. (besides food and transportation), and we saw a lot. Our group was aged 21 to 62 years and we all LOVED this museum. I saw young children there, but if you’re not able to read, listen, and understand the exhibits, I can’t imagine it being a truly great experience for them (imo). We spent three hours on the fifth floor, went to lunch, then came back for the fourth floor and still didn’t see everything. We especially enjoyed getting into character to test our spy abilities.

It was a very good interactive activity to break up the day of museums and monuments. We had so much fun that we stayed much longer than we thought we would. It was a little pricey but it was worth it. There was a large variety of things to read, watch, and interact with.

This is a great time, especially if you have kiddos. Very interactive. It is set up to go through in a certain order and there is timed entry. So a couple of things
1. Make sure you book your tickets in advance or you wont get in especially if on a weekend (you maybe fine for a random wednesday morning in march)
2. It will take at least 2-3 hours minimum to get through because of the way its set up and even longer if you do every hands on thing. Something to keep in mind depending on your start time
3. Remember its NOT part of the smithsonian, so you gotta pay

We enter the
Spy Museum waiting to see a completely interactive museum.

What we saw was many stories that seemed like a narrative of
Mystery. Photos, papers and rickety and badly presented instruments.

The exhibits do not follow a chronological order that allows to follow a history of espionage.

Many spy stories that only show the “alleged successes of American espionage” disdaining the great stories of others.

I expected to see and play espionage instruments, and worst of all, technology in the current spying environment shines through in its absence.

The price is very expensive for what it offers.

I do not recommend it under any circumstances.

It seemed more like a pamphlet than a historical narrative of global espionage.

It started with a tantrum... not by the children, but by me. After a morning of conference calls, the prospect of herding four squirmy kids through another crowded exhibit didn't exactly thrill me. But we'd promised, so off we marched to the International Spy Museum in hopes of finding a combination of family entertainment and maybe, just maybe, a few surprise lessons in leadership to save for the next keynote.

Stepping inside, it's great. Cool exhibits, bright lighting, the promise of mystery. They provide you with a spy identity, which in theory sounded wonderful. Unfortunately, the implementation failed to deliver. It was hurried and bland, and whatever character we were supposed to be never really interacted with the rest of the experience. We began well... meticulously learning our code names and missions... but by the second exhibit, it was evident this identity was not a thread that ran continuously. It was a tenuous bookmark than an immersive narrative, at least from our perspective.

And crowded. Oh, so crowded.

Floor-to-ceiling with tourists all competing to have a turn at the interactive screens. The children were thrilled, naturally, racing from station to station. But for us grown ups, it was a lot of elbowing through throngs and trying to keep up with who had strayed off to decipher a cipher or scurry through the air ducts.

The air duct crawl was pretty fun.

The museum was more low-key than expected... lots of reading, lots of standing around. For a place that billed itself on the thrill of espionage, it was more of a history lesson. The "missions" were hazy, and any great "point" or moral lesson seemed obscured by the sheer number of things to look at and do, and just red arrows on the crowded ground to "guide us".

The real high point? A physical challenge where you hang from a metal rod for as long as you could manage. No hidden codes, no spookwork, just plain physical endurance. Vinny took first, hanging on for a full 40 seconds while the rest of us could manage only four. That experience was great not just due to the friendly competition, but due to it being direct, focused, and something anybody could really engage with. It was the directness that made it memorable for them, an uncomplicated relief amidst the rest of the museum's over-crowded, over-stimulating atmosphere.

Still, in all its flaws, the Spy Museum did have some brilliant moments and ones I'll take back to Not the HR Lady and Workcations. There's something impossibly cool about seeing actual spy gear and hearing how far people will go to maintain secrets. It brought up discussions... about trust, about danger, about how being a "spy" in real life is more often than not a matter of listening and thinking under pressure than about gizmos. As a leader, that served as a reminder.

In parenting and in careers, the tools you have are not as valuable as your ability to adjust, improvise, and trust the ones around you.

So yes, it’s worth a visit if you’re in D.C. Just adjust your expectations. The Spy Museum is more “museum” than “spy adventure,” and its attempts at gamification fall a bit flat, at least for us. But for families juggling work and travel, it’s a chance to sneak in some history, a few laughs, and maybe even a fresh perspective on how to navigate the ever-shifting roles of boss, parent, and secret agent.

Super fun experience! Very engaging activities for all ages and references to movies and well known real spy stories!!

Needless to say this was very interesting. It takes time to read and take it all in but it is an amazing journey for anyone that is interested in Intelligence and how it is collected. They also had the Bond in Motion exhibit there which was the icing on the cake. Very cool!

Unlike any museum, it’s all about spying, the Cold War, cyber security and such. They issue you a spy identity at the door and it’s filled with interactive displays and games where you hone your spy skills. There’s plenty of history about spying too. Kids love it ! It’s very popular so you must pre-book reservations and pre-purchase tickets or you’ll be unable to get in.