International Spy Museum

800 F Street NW, Washington DC, DC 20004 (Downtown / Chinatown)

202-393-7798

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28 visitor photos

Ranked #74 of 228 attractions in Washington DC

1105 Reviews

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Type: Speciality Museums

Activities: Group tours/bus tour, Driving

Fee: Yes

Recommended length of visit: 2-3 hours

Description: Opened in 2002, the International Spy Museum provides interactive exhibits and contains the most extensive collection of spy artifacts ever displayed.

Useful Information: Wheelchair access, Activities for older children, Stairs / lift, Bathroom facilities

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1,105 reviews from our community

Matthew C

Tooele, Utah

Top Contributor

51 reviews

25 attraction reviews

Reviews in 12 cities

6 helpful votes

“Do the Operation Spy tour!”

Reviewed 21 May 2013 NEW

The Museum itself was fairly impressive, but the best part was the Operation Spy tour that they do at an additional charge. It may have been my teenager's favorite part of the whole trip!

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Thank you for visiting the International Spy Museum and providing your feedback! We're happy to hear that your family enjoyed saving the world in Operation Spy and we hope your mission was successful! Thanks again and Keep Spying! More

CJJ092

Atlanta, Georgia

Senior Contributor

27 reviews

15 attraction reviews

Reviews in 10 cities

9 helpful votes

“Interactive and interesting museum”

Reviewed 20 May 2013 NEW

I had heard good things about this museum and my friends were not wrong. A really fun experience that would satisfy any age from older kids to adults. Nice bonus that it was not packed and you had time to linger if you wanted to read and learn at your own pace. Lots of interactive displays that kept my interest... More

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Thank you for visiting us at the International Spy Museum! We're happy to hear to hear that you were given good intel about the museum and enjoyed your visit. If you are interested in learning more about the constantly changing and evolving world of espionage you may be interested in our scheduled programs and workshops or maybe even become a... More

Lorraine B

Windermere, Florida

Senior Reviewer

7 reviews

3 attraction reviews

Reviews in 5 cities

“I Spy!”

Reviewed 19 May 2013 NEW

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Spy Museum, although it was a Saturday and EXTREMELY crowded and LOUD. The museum is well put together and the exhibits are great. We did the one hour "spy experience" and although a bit corny, it was fun and interactive. We were not able to see the entire museum, however everything we did... More

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Thank you for visiting the International Spy Museum! The International Spy Museum is the only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to espionage and the only one in the world to provide a global perspective on an all-but-invisible profession that has shaped history and continues to have a significant impact on world events. The International Spy Museum features... More

Julie Y

Whitby, Ontario, Canada

Reviewer

5 reviews

4 attraction reviews

Reviews in 3 cities

“Great for any age”

Reviewed 17 May 2013 NEW

What a fun place. Obtain your new identity and remember all the details. You never know when someone may want to know who you are. Great historic spy equipment from around the world. The interactive James Bond exhibit is especially fun for children and teens. Had a great time. You can also participate in an assignment if you like, maybe... More

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Thank you for visiting us at the International Spy Museum! We are happy to hear that you enjoyed testing your spy skills by memorizing a cover and exploring our new Exquisitely Evil exhibit. We hope you will spy on us again to test your skills further in our Operation Spy Mission! Keep Spying! More

Clazman

Perth, Australia

Senior Contributor

22 reviews

13 attraction reviews

Reviews in 7 cities

7 helpful votes

“Waste of money”

Reviewed 14 May 2013

Biggest waste of money on our entire trip. Having some experience in this field, displays contained incorrect and misleading information

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Hello Thank you for visiting the International Spy Museum and taking the time to provide your feedback about that visit. . Our curatorial department of seasoned museum and intelligence agency professionals take the subject matter seriously and appreciate constructive feedback from guests. We encourage any guests who have any discrepancies, inaccuracies or questions about our Spy material to please reach... More

Leslie S

Doylestown

Contributor

12 reviews

5 attraction reviews

Reviews in 5 cities

2 helpful votes

“I Spy”

Reviewed 12 May 2013

Fun and informative...007 exhibit added to the day. You got to take on a new persona and actually be a spy for the length of you visit. I think kids would really enjoy it.

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Hello "I SPY" Thank you for Spying with us and giving a debriefing about your International Spy Museum mission. We are glad your visit, was a good experience. Keep Spying and we will catch you later! More

Michael2810

Melbourne, Australia

Top Contributor

165 reviews

48 attraction reviews

Reviews in 48 cities

72 helpful votes

“Ho hum....”

Reviewed 11 May 2013

Unfortunately I found this to be a bit mundane. Most of the stuff on display and in galleries end around the era of the Cold War in the 60s. Then there is the second display on James Bond - well laid out but James Bond is fiction. There is so much more that could be done in this field to... More

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Hello Thank you for visiting to the International Spy Museum and providing feedback about your visit. Our museum mission is to educate the public about espionage in an engaging way and to provide a context that fosters understanding of its important role in and impact on current and historic events. We feature the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever... More

Jaime G

Lebanon, Maine

Senior Reviewer

7 reviews

3 attraction reviews

Reviews in 2 cities

2 helpful votes

“Spy Museum”

Reviewed 11 May 2013

First time to the Spy Museum. This was very fun for myself and my 55 yr old mother. This is something that would be great for all ages. There was so much stuff to see and interact with. It was fun to pick my spy idenity and see if I would be a good spy or not by the end... More

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Thanks for spying on us at the International Spy Museum! We're glad you and your mother enjoyed your visit here Mother's Day weekend! We hope you were successful in memorizing your cover and testing your spy skills. We look forward to seeing you again! More

vwc20841

Boyds, Maryland

Senior Contributor

33 reviews

19 attraction reviews

Reviews in 14 cities

13 helpful votes

“Intrigue and Mystery!!!”

Reviewed 10 May 2013

The International Spy Museum in Washington DC is a fabulous place to spend a rainy day. We only had 2 1/2 hours to visit but we made the most of it. However, we felt that we could have spent the entire day visiting because there is so much to see and do. It is a very interactive museum where you... More

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Thank you for visiting us at the International Spy Museum! We are happy to hear that we were a fun place to visit during a gloomy day and hope you will visit us again, even when it's sunny! There are so many artifacts, interatives, and videos here that it's hard to see it all in one visit. We hope you... More

Pipin186338

London, United Kingdom

1 review

“Not as serious as the Imperial War Museum display”

Reviewed 9 May 2013

Certainly an interesting array of trade-craft tools but lacks a great deal in detail. S.O.E. exhibits were numerous with little information regarding origin (no mention of Station IX or XII as the pioneers in gadgets and devices of WW2). Nobody on hand to answer any serious questions and its main aim is primarily to satisfy the curiosity of Joe public... More

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Thank you for visiting the International Spy Museum and taking the time to provide your feedback about your visit. The International Spy Museum features the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display. Many of these objects are being seen by the public for the first time. In our exhibit space we have detailed descriptions of each... More