International Spy Museum, Washington DC: Learning spycraft & seeing Bond-style gadgets

Enter the world of espionage at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC. Learn spycraft, see famous gadgets, and compare James Bond to reality.

Taking on Operation Spy

It’s a race against time to find the evidence and the nuclear detonator. Fail, and disaster could befall the fictional republic of Khandar. We’ve been warned to leave everything just as we found it, so the office break-in isn’t noticed.

This makes ransacking the shelves and rifling through bins to find secret plans a more delicate operation than expected. But a good spy doesn’t leave obvious clues.

These are the lessons being taught to the espionage novices on Operation Spy. It’s a crash-course simulated mission run by the International Spy Museum in Washington DC. And if the bumbling efforts to find a secret door at the start is anything to go by, the group is hardly packed with budding James Bonds.

A fake mission based on real life

But teamwork is required to get through a series of tasks. These include following someone’s movements using security cameras, getting the sound quality right to be able to hear a bugged conversation and interrogating a suspect. There are also a couple of dramatic last minute escapes to charge through. Playing at being 007 for an hour certainly isn’t a relaxing business.

The mission is fake, but it is based on a real life case. As with most things in the International Spy Museum, there has been plenty of input from those with real life experience.

Disguises and adapted cars

The former CIA chief of disguise has given tips on how agents can change their looks in a hurry. The CIA-issued kit on display contains mixing dishes, a dye brush, a fake moustache, tweezers and scissors. But quick fixes include changing your facial expression and putting a pebble in your shoe. That may sound silly, but it changes the way you walk – and that can sometimes be enough to hide in plain sight.

Hiding someone often takes more effort than that, however. On display is a car from East Germany that was used to take escapees to the West. Dummies are folded up in excruciatingly uncomfortable positions beneath a false floor at the front and in a secret compartment under the back seats. It’s a bleak reminder of what people were prepared to endure in order to get away.

Cold War stories

The museum is full of great stories from the Cold War. There’s the tale of residents complaining about chalk marks being left on a postbox being used by a double agent for dead drops. And then there’s the absurd story of the Soviet Union and the US allowing each other to build new embassies. When the ambassadors moved in, both buildings were quickly discovered to be riddled with bugs and listening devices.

Spy gadgets

But for people who are more Q than M, the museum is at its most interesting when showing off the special spy gadgets used over the years. There are cameras concealed in hairbrushes and pistols hidden in wartime smoking pipes or KGB-issued lipsticks. Handheld document scanners, knives secreted in lapels and electronic stethoscopes used for safe-cracking are also on display. Some of the Bond technology isn’t as far-fetched as you might think.

The world of James Bond

The Bond villains, however, may be a little more outlandish. And a special exhibition downstairs delves into the baddies encountered in the 007 movies over the years. This includes lots of costumes and props – such as the orange henchmen suits from The Spy Who Loved Me, Goldfinger’s shoes and Scaramanga’s golden gun.

But it’s most fascinating when the world of Bond is compared to real life. Bond, it seems, had access to facial recognition technology before the CIA. The films also saw international drug barons as a threat in 1989’s Licence To Kill – just before the CIA freed up resources to tackle the drug trade as a priority.

The plausibility of some evil schemes is tackled too. The SPECTRE organisation, headed by Ernst Stavro Blofeld, is deemed highly unlikely to have a real life equivalent. It’s also highly unlikely that a man-made earthquake could be used as a weapon, as in A View To A Kill.

But now Daniel Craig has finally given up the Bond role, this a fine place for would-be replacements to learn the ropes.

Admission costs for the International Spy Museum

The International Spy Museum uses a “plan-ahead pricing” model, meaning ticket prices fluctuate based on demand, date, and how far in advance they are purchased. The cheapest rates are secured by booking online well ahead of time. All visitors, including children under six, require a timed-entry ticket.

Hours of operation for the International Spy Museum

The International Spy Museum operates on seasonal schedules. Visitors should always check the museum’s official website for the exact hours on their day of visit, as times are subject to change for holidays and peak seasons.

• General fall/winter hours (September – February):
  • Monday – Friday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
  • Saturday: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
  • Sunday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
• General summer hours (July – August):
  • Monday – Thursday: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
  • Friday – Sunday: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
• Last entry is typically one hour before closing time.

Nearby attractions to the International Spy Museum

The International Spy Museum is located at L’Enfant Plaza, placing it within walking distance of many of Washington, D.C.’s most prominent landmarks and cultural centres.

• National Mall: The vast area stretching from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol, home to numerous monuments and memorials, such as the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
• Smithsonian Institution: The museum is a short walk from the various Smithsonian museums, including the Smithsonian Castle and National Museum of the American Indian.
• The Wharf: A vibrant, modern waterfront area offering extensive dining options, live music, and boat access.
• U.S. Capitol Building: The meeting place of the United States Congress, located a short distance away.

FAQ: frequently asked questions about the International Spy Museum

More Washington DC travel

While in Washington DC, you can also learn about where the power really lies on a Pennsylvania Avenue walking tour and visit Abraham Lincoln’s Cottage.