International Spy Museum, Washington

Considered to be the country's only public museum devoted to the history of global espionage, the International Spy Museum teems with multimedia displays, hands-on activities, and educational events. Filled with low-lit halls and mysterious doors, the museum backs up its exhibits with experience; many of its board members, staff, and speakers are former spies. Executive Director Chris Costa, for instance, is a career intelligence officer and a former member of the National Security Council at the White House; frequent speaker Oleg Kalugin once held a position as major general of the KGB. Through special talks and an array of exhibits, the group reveals several hundred years of spy techniques and gadgetry, showcases connections between real spies and pop culture, and draws from international backgrounds to grant a global perspective.

The current exhibition, Exquisitely Evil: 50 Years of Bond Villains, features James Bond’s chief adversaries, their henchmen, lairs, and weapons. Over 110 movie and historic artifacts from the James Bond films are on display through the end of 2018, including Zao’s Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day and Jaws’ teeth from The Spy Who Loved Me.