Ever wanted to be a secret agent? Your dreams will come true at SPYSCAPE, the museum where you’ll learn about spies and become one yourself! Come immerse yourself in a museum like no other in this brand-new Manhattan attraction.
At SPYSCAPE, you’re a spy right when you walk in the door. Your Identity Band is an individualized wristband, which you’ll use throughout your visit at a series of stations that will build your Spy Profile.
Upon entry, you’ll receive a briefing, projected on a large screen and incorporating state-of-the-art special effects. After, you’ll receive your Spy Role at Debriefing. There are 10 Spy Roles, a set of profiles constructed with the help of psychologists and a former trainer in the British Intelligence.
In what might be the coolest personality test ever, you’ll be named an Agent Handler, Cryptologist, Hacker, Intelligence Analyst, Intelligence Operative, Special Ops Officer, Spycatcher, Spymaster, Surveillance Officer, or Technical Ops Officer.
Whether you’re a Cryptologist or Spymaster, you’ll be tasked with 4 spy challenges. The first is the Encryption Challenge, which puts your code-breaking skills to the test. You’ll read and send messages in code from behind enemy lines and then see how real spies communicate in code in a video following the challenge.
Then, test your polygraph skills at the Deception Challenge, where you’ll try your hand at duplicity in an interrogation room. Step into Jason Bourne’s shoes at the Surveillance Challenge. You’ll need to keep your eyes peeled as you look for clues in this 360-degree projection of actual CCTV footage.
Finally, in classic secret-agent form, you’ll test your acrobatic abilities in a field of lasers against a ticking clock! At the end of your mission, your individual Spy Profile will be emailed to you.
Also on view are exhibits about real-life spies. Learn about the teenage hacker who infiltrated the CIA and an FBI agent who found a mole inside the bureau. A wall of Guy Fawkes masks is on view as well, reminiscent of the hackers in the USA show Mr. Robot. The masterminds at SPYSCAPE gathered intel from investigative journalists, hackers, educators, and former intelligence agents to make up this one-of-a-kind espionage experience.
In addition to your interactive and educational walk through the museum, SPYSCAPE also provides food and drink at its on-site cafe, as well as a a gift shop full of spy gadgets. Their book shop sells over 1,000 titles, from spy thrillers to nonfiction accounts of intelligence agents throughout history.
The architects at Adjaye Associates designed the facilities at SPYSCAPE, in addition to their work at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Nobel Peace Center. Accomplished audio designer Nick Ryan created the soundscape for the museum, and Lighting Workshop of W Hotels designed the lighting.
SPYSCAPE is recommended for teens and adults, but feel free to bring spy-savvy kids, ages 8-12. Tickets are $39 per adult and $32 per child and designate a certain date and time for your visit. VIP tickets eliminate any waiting and your specific appointment time; they cost $59 for adults and $52 for kids.
The museum is open seven days a week from 10am - 8pm (last entry at 7pm). 928 Eighth Avenue, 212-549-1941, spyscape.com.
