Museumania

If you happen to be in the D.C. over the Fourth of July (or at some point during your vacation this summer), you might check out what is probably the nation's preeminent trio of museums related to spying and crime. The oldest and the most off the beaten path (and the only free museum of the three) is the National Cryptologic Museum, located adjacent to NSA Headquarters, and focusing on the secret world of codemaking and codebreaking.

The International Spy Museum opened its doors in 2002 and has seen close to four million visitors since. In addition to its many exhibits, it also hosts special events such as the upcoming Evening with the Former MI5 Director General, Stella Rimington (July 8th), as Rimington discusses her work and her latest thriller Illegal Action which is hot off the presses.

The youngest of the museums just debuted this summer, the National Museum of Crime & Punishment. It has five galleries, plus a studio for tapings of "America's Most Wanted" (one of the co-founders if John Walsh), and interactive displays such as the area that re-creates a murder investigation from crime scene to autopsy.

Both the Spy Museum and Crime & Punishment Museum will set you back $18 apiece, but if you're looking for some air-conditioned entertainment in D.C. while perhaps getting an idea for a new novel, it's definitely worth the price of admission.