Press Releases

Spy at Night

January 09, 2009

Intrigue, deception, daring escapes, delicious drinks and five star treats...it’s your turn to live a spy’s life! The hottest destination for cool cocktails and sophisticated fun in Penn Quarter is now declassified at the International Spy Museum. Whether you’re in the mood to sip The White Knight signature cocktail or prepared to leap into a covert operation, Spy at Night is the secret mission for you.

Each Friday and Saturday night beginning at 6 pm, the International Spy Museum transforms! Exclusive evening access to the Museum’s immersive spy experience Operation Spy is at the heart of the Spy at Night Experience. Operation Spy transports each guest into the role of a U.S. intelligence officer on an action-packed international mission. The hour-long interactive experience combines live-action, video, themed environments, special effects, and hands-on activities to create a series of reality-based challenges where participants “think, feel, and act” like a real intelligence officer in the field. At mission’s end, it’s bottoms up for everyone, a chance to toast the team and debrief with fellow agents. Those who purchase a ticket to Operation Spy will receive a beverage and will have the chance to win additional prizes. Tickets are available online at www.spymuseum.org

Spies at Night can enjoy The White Knight, other drinks and a mouth-watering bar menu, including Spies in a Blanket, all from the award winning Zola kitchen. A variety of spy skill challenges will also be available, including secret message deciphering contests and spy trivia competitions. Every Friday will offer a different expert tradecraft demonstration: from handwriting analysis to polygraph testing, you just might learn something startling and new about your date! Highlights include:

• Polygraph Demonstration: Do you have the savvy to beat a lie detector? How do interrogators know who is lying and who isn’t? Get the lowdown on lie detection—the questions to ask, tip- offs to lying, and strategies to get at the truth.
• Meet a Spy: Meet former CIA intelligence officer, Melissa Mahle, who offers an insider’s peek into the shadow world of spying. From the Reagan years through 2002, Melissa ran operations against Al Qaeda terrorists, conducted missions to interrupt illicit networks plotting to sell weapons of mass destruction, and completed assignments throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.
• Disguise: You know the ways make-up can be used to attract the opposite sex, but have you ever needed to blacken your eye, rough in a scar, or change gender? In the spy world, cosmetics are used to create a new identity, uphold a back-story, or even ease an escape. Uncover the tips and tricks of disguise when it is used to infiltrate and create a cover.

Spy at Night is a great way to experience all the Museum has to offer. Starting 9 January 2009, come to the International Spy Museum for a special taste of the spy life!

The International Spy Museum is located at 800 F Street, NW in Washington, DC’s historic Penn Quarter, within four blocks of the National Mall, directly across the street from the National Portrait Gallery, and within one block of FBI headquarters and Ford’s Theatre. The Museum is conveniently located near the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metrorail station serviced by the red, yellow and green lines.