On my last trip to Washington DC I visited The International Spy Museum, another DC “edutainment” museum, like the Newseum, that costs a $18 entrance fee, but is well worth it due to its sleek, new design and fun atmosphere. (I love well designed museums.)

The museum includes a mix of fact and fiction, including true-life spy stories and some prominent television spy history as well. Exhibits like “The Secret History of History” explain early code making and historical spy missions. Most exhibits include interactive features that help to keep older children (and child-like adults) entertained.

Above: Museum guests break into a room during the Operation Spy adventure. Image from spymuseum.org.

If you are in for a little Carmen Sandiego-like adventure, I encourage you to get a $25 ticket that includes the Operation Spy adventure. This adventure isn’t really very educational, and could be written off as a silly gimmick, but I found that it’s fun for adults and older children. You have to break into a room and a safe, follow someone on a security camera, and more.

If you choose not to do the Spy adventure, the museum provides you with a mini-adventure of its own, asking to you choose and memorize a “spy identity” throughout your museum trip.

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