This is one museum that is actually worth paying for — especially if you're burned out on the more nutritious museums (which you will be any second now), or if you have children over age 10. The Spy Museum, one of D.C.'s most popular attractions, is noisy with films and interactive displays. But at the end of the day, this museum works because spies are cool, and so are KGB lipstick pistols and invisible-ink letters. Be sure to check out the exhibit on the Navajo codetalkers and the history of spying going back to Moses. Then have dinner at Zola, a sophisticated American restaurant adjacent to the Spy Museum. (Yes, D.C. now has a few sophisticated restaurants. Incredible but true.) Reservations are recommended. Take the red, yellow or green line to Gallery Place/Chinatown.

• 1. International Spy Museum
  800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004 38.896978-77.023344 spymuseum.org
• 2. Zola
  800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004; 202-654-0999 38.896978-77.023344 zoladc.com