Capital Assets

Washington is a city of famous museums--the Smithsonian, the National Archives, even the White House. But could those attractions be too famous? Visitors who are drawn to them almost automatically may not realize that the nation's capital boasts a second tier of smaller, more specialized museums that are equally fascinating and often possess certain distinct advantages over their bigger, better-known brethren. For starters, they are less crowded and often inexpensive or free. In those institutions, adventurous tourists can find colorful, offbeat exhibits highlighting world-class collections, in some cases the only ones of their kind.

Consider the example of Mimi Donaldson, 57, a Los Angeles motivational speaker and author. Donaldson regards herself as something of an aficionado of museums--having been to 50 of them around the world. But when, on a recent business trip, she toured Washington's International Spy Museum, she found the experience unlike any she had ever had. The five-year-old facility is the only one in the world dedicated entirely to espionage and features artifacts, interactive displays, films, video and historic photos. Exhibits show how to create and hide coded messages, tell the story of celebrity spies such as Julia Child and Marlene Dietrich, and offer a glimpse of espionage in biblical times.

Donaldson saw items ranging from a 1777 letter by George Washington authorizing a network of spies in New York City to a latter-day camera so tiny that it is concealed in a button. "I grew up in the cold war, where we sat under our desks in school during drills and hoped that we wouldn't be bombed," Donaldson says. "The Spy Museum brought that time in my life back to me in full, living color."

Like many of Washington's specialty institutions, the Spy Museum seems to have a particular appeal for baby boomers, perhaps because they have the historical perspective with which to appreciate the subject. According to Peter Earnest, founding executive director, 75% of the museum's visitors are 50 and older. Boomers like Donaldson can live out their Mission: Impossible fantasies by selecting an undercover persona--complete with false name, age and other traits--upon entering the museum. Before they exit, an interactive display tests them on how well they remember the details of their new identity.

Those whose taste for high tech has been whetted by the spyware can move on to the Marian Koshland Science Museum. The institution, part of the National Academy of Sciences, explains "the science behind the headlines" in layman's terms and focuses on cutting-edge research and how it impacts people's lives, says director Patrice Legro. There are exhibits on global warming, forensics and DNA replication, and even an interactive display called "Lights at Night" that allows visitors to navigate the globe using a joystick, along the way viewing data on energy use and population changes around the planet.