Thursday, November 20, 2008

Become a Spy in Washington DC

My work team took a "field trip" on Friday to the International Spy Museum in Washington. I had been before and already thought it was a great museum, but this time we paid extra to do "Operation Spy."

Operation Spy is an hour-long event where you are transported to a fictional country in the middle east called Khandar. A maximum of 15 people are allowed to participate at one time and together the group experiences what it is like to be a real spy in a themed environment with live-action challenges using spy equipment.

The heart pounding event is based on real spy experiences and the outcome is dependent on the actions and decisions of the group which means it might end differently if come back another time.

You and your group have to use spying tools and techniques to track down who stole a valuable and dangerous item while navigating through the cobbled streets of Khandar. You don't know who you can trust, you are working with a time deadline and you have to avoid being discovered all at same time. In no other museum in Washington (possibly the world) will you be instructed to run!

Some of the adrenaline pumping tasks include using surveillance cameras to spy on an agent and listen in on her conversation with a contact, searching an official's office without leaving any trace that you were there, disabling security cameras while not being seen, picking several locks, and making two quick get-aways in a truck and in a helicopter. Unbelievably, you do all of this and more in the museum and it feels real!

If you know when you will be at the museum you can book and pay for your timed tickets on-line to be sure that you can participate. Since only 15 can go at a time, I would recommend this. In our case, our work team made up the entire group, but usually you will be participating with other tourists visiting the museum.

Want to know more or book your tickets, click here.

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