CIA Declassified - Spy Exhibit at the Franklin Institute

With fall just around the corner, it is time to review some great indoor places to take the geeks in training. One of our staples is the Franklin Institute, which until October 5, 2013 has a great special exhibition: "SPY: The Secret World of Espionage". The exhibition features actual spy equipment from the CIA, FBI, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and private collections, spanning the time from WWII until the end of the Cold War.

German Enigma machine

Many items look as if invented by Q, such as a poison-tip umbrella, microfilm hidden in a hollow nickle or a prototype of the insectocopter, a flying mini-robot in the shape of a dragonfly.

Poison-tip umbrella

Carrier pigeons

Although this exhibit is not as hands-on and interactive as the regular exhibition, it still provides opportunity for smaller kids to open hidden dead drops or crawl a secret tunnel. The laser maze that required to jump and crawl without setting off the alarm was definitively a favorite.

Clock wall with all world time zones

Geek Factor: 4 out of 5
Fun Factor: 4 out of 5


Heard of any other geeky weekend activities? Leave a comment!

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