A NYC Museum All About What You Don’t Get To See

Most people would be lying if they said they’ve never fantasized about being a spy. The thrill of stealing the secrets of somebody else and getting out undetected is a rush that everyone dreams of feeling. Now in the Big Apple, on the West Side, there’s a way to get that same adrenaline boost but without the danger of being caught.

Enter SPYSCAPE, an interactive museum that teaches visitors the history of espionage from World War 2 onwards. The museum has actually been around for about two years, but as with almost all tourist attractions in the city, Covid-19 shuttered its doors. Now reopened, this blue-and-white-hued treasure trove of secrets is keeping its patrons safe with some innovative Covid safety precautions.

“We’re trying to make the experience as hands-free as possible,” explained Stuart Neal, Director of Operations at SPYSCAPE.

Upon entry, you’ll be given a wristband and stylus pen. There are 12 kiosks scattered across the exhibit to interact with, where you scan your wristband and play addictive challenges or answer questions about yourself, something I’ll talk about more in a minute. Wise-cracking employees stand at the ready with gloves and sanitizer near attractions where touching things can’t be avoided, making sure that you’re always clean and protected.

Now onto the good stuff; what will you see here?

After a stellar briefing, you traverse a number of exhibits focusing on different eras and the kinds of espionage that took place within them. The World War 2 section covers the German enigma code and the British codebreakers that successfully deciphered it. This part is filled with relics like a working enigma machine, scale models of the U-boats they were kept on, and much more.

The Cold War section goes into the spying and counter-spying between the United States and the Soviet Union, and all the high-tech and weird gadgets used. There’s also an overarching story of one U.S. spy who was stopped before he was able to share secrets to the Soviet Union.

There’s even a section on modern day internet surveillance and “hacktivism,” going into figures like Edward Snowden and his infamous leaks.

For those who dream of the Hollywood vision of spying there’s also a special exhibition about James Bond, going into the behind-the-scenes of the movies and the history of 007’s iconic car, the Aston Martin DB5, and even showcases the one Pierce Brosnan drove during his run as the character.

Now back to the point about those challenges. Throughout the museum are a number of games for you to play, from donning a headset and calling out security camera footage, to deciphering an enigma to ensure the safety of an agent in occupied France, all created by former intelligence officers and psychologists.

Those interactive kiosks ask you personality questions and tease your brain with number and shape puzzles. Depending on how well you do at all of these challenges will determine the role SPYSCAPE assigns to you at the end of the adventure, and to show you would you could be should you become a spy, from a handler guiding your allies to a spycatcher keeping your own secrets safe.

However, Neal explains that these puzzles are much more than just fun and games, and that SPYSCAPE aims to help people learn about something more in the process.

“People hear about this and think ‘Oh, it’s just learning about how to be a spy,’ and it’s really not,” he said. “We teach people about spying to teach them something about themselves.”

Tickets for SPYSCAPE can be found here, or call 1 (212) 549-1941