Washington, D.C.
Spy Kids: Sleuths & Secrets With Your Grandchild
Program No. 23214RJ
Decode D.C.’s history of espionage with your spy kid grandchild, as you visit the city’s most notorious spy sites and learn about investigative gadgets from former CIA & NSA agents.
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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone?
800-454-5768
Age 10 - 14
ROOMING OPTION PRICING
The figures below indicate the rooming options available.
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Jun 20 - Jun 25, 2024
1,899 999 | ||||
Jun 20 - Jun 25, 2024
| 1,899 / Adult
999 / Child
| 1,899 / Adult
999 / Child
| 2,549 / Adult
999 / Child
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Filling Fast! Jun 27 - Jul 2, 20241,899 999 | ||||
Jun 27 - Jul 2, 2024
| 1,899 / Adult
999 / Child
| 1,899 / Adult
999 / Child
| 2,549 / Adult
999 / Child
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Filling Fast! Jul 11 - Jul 16, 20241,899 999 | ||||
Jul 11 - Jul 16, 2024
| 1,899 / Adult
999 / Child
| 1,899 / Adult
999 / Child
| 2,549 / Adult
999 / Child
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Filling Fast! Jul 18 - Jul 23, 20241,899 999 | ||||
Jul 18 - Jul 23, 2024
| 1,899 / Adult
999 / Child
| 1,899 / Adult
999 / Child
| 2,549 / Adult
999 / Child
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Full Inventory Jun 12 - Jun 17, 20251,999 1,099 | ||||
Jun 12 - Jun 17, 2025
| 1,999 / Adult
1,099 / Child
| 1,999 / Adult
1,099 / Child
| 2,649 / Adult
1,099 / Child
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Full Inventory Jun 26 - Jul 1, 20251,999 1,099 | ||||
Jun 26 - Jul 1, 2025
| 1,999 / Adult
1,099 / Child
| 1,999 / Adult
1,099 / Child
| 2,649 / Adult
1,099 / Child
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Full Inventory Jul 10 - Jul 15, 20251,999 1,099 | ||||
Jul 10 - Jul 15, 2025
| 1,999 / Adult
1,099 / Child
| 1,999 / Adult
1,099 / Child
| 2,649 / Adult
1,099 / Child
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Full Inventory Jul 17 - Jul 22, 20251,999 1,099 | ||||
Jul 17 - Jul 22, 2025
| 1,999 / Adult
1,099 / Child
| 1,999 / Adult
1,099 / Child
| 2,649 / Adult
1,099 / Child
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6 days
5 nights
13 meals
5B 4L 4D
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Washington, DC
2
National Cryptologic Museum, D.C. Highlights
Washington, DC
3
Mount Vernon, Spying & The Revolutionary War
Washington, DC
4
International Spy Museum, Free Time
Washington, DC
5
Udvar-Hazy Center Military Aviation, Spy Craft
Washington, DC
6
Program Concludes
Washington, DC
At a Glance
Invite your grandchild to join the ranks of Harriet the Spy, Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown as they transform into student sleuths and spy kids during a week of mysterious adventure. Together, you’ll investigate Washington D.C.’s cryptic history during visits to the city’s most notorious spy sites, as well as the International Spy Museum and the Cryptologic Museum at the NSA Headquarters. Meet former CIA agents, and learn about different spying devices and decoding tactics on this covert adventure!
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Program involves walking up to two full miles each day, taking Washington, D.C. public transportation, and getting on/off motor coach.
What You'll Learn
- Enjoy a private, hands-on presentation on the art of espionage from a former intelligence officer.
- View rare spy artifacts and learn all about the art of espionage at the International Spy Museum.
- Decode D.C.’s history of espionage at Mount Vernon as you learn about the Culper Gang, America’s first Spy Ring, coordinated by George Washington himself.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Steve Flynn
Steve Flynn was raised in Oregon. He pursued graduate work in intercultural studies and has extensive experience leading educational groups for students and adults both within and outside the U.S. A current resident of Washington, D.C., he has spent his professional career working in international student exchange programs for the University of North Carolina system.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Steve Flynn
View biography
Steve Flynn was raised in Oregon. He pursued graduate work in intercultural studies and has extensive experience leading educational groups for students and adults both within and outside the U.S. A current resident of Washington, D.C., he has spent his professional career working in international student exchange programs for the University of North Carolina system.
Charles J. Miller
View biography
Chuck Miller served 28 years at the Central Intelligence Agency and National Reconnaissance Office. At the CIA, he held assignments as a technical operations officer, program manager, systems engineer, and technical counterintelligence officer. At the NRO, he served as mission director, project manager and senior systems engineer. Chuck served abroad for ten years in support of overseas operations. Chuck retired in 2001 and was awarded the Career Intelligence Medal and the NRO Silver Medal for Achievement. Since 2009, Mr. Miller has been an independent consultant.
Ella Schiralli
View biography
Ella Schiralli is a certified D.C. group leader with a passion for sharing the culture, history, and modern vibrancy of our nation’s capital. She graduated from George Washington University with a B.B.A. and E.M.B.A. Ella values diversity and is passionate about leadership. She has had the opportunity to work and volunteer in organizations that range from advanced homeland security solutions and public policy advocacy, to women’s military achievements, the performing arts, and children’s advocacy.
Leigh Jameson
View biography
Leigh Jameson is a Virginia native and local to the D.C. area for most of her life. She has over thirty-five years' experience as an actor and storyteller, and has served as a group leader throughout the East Coast. Over the past fifteen years, Leigh has worked with some of the most prestigious museums in the country, including the Smithsonian's American History Museum, Mount Vernon, and Colonial Williamsburg, and has two published guidebooks focused on this history.
Brian Hilton
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Brian Hilton was a guide and researcher at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate for 10 years, and has portrayed George Washington as a historical interpreter since 2007. He was selected as the James Madison Fellow for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2021-2022, and currently is the official George Washington for the City of Alexandria, Virginia. He is, first and foremost, an educator and academic portraying Washington with the goal and intention of informing, inspiring and interacting with audiences across the country and around the world.
Tim Phillips
View biography
Tim Phillips hails from a background in libraries and public speaking. Originally from the Kansas City area, he developed a love of reading, history, and travel. This eventually culminated in a new career that allows him the best of all worlds, combining his love of travel, education, and engaging in new experiences with people from all over the world. Tim lives outside Washington, D.C. in West Virginia with his wife and three dogs.
Suggested Reading List
(5 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Spy Kids: Sleuths & Secrets With Your Grandchild
Program Number: 23214
Of Spies and Lies
Any serious study of the Vietnam War would be less than complete without accounting for the CIA's role in that conflict-a role that increased dramatically after the Tet offensive in 1968. We know most of the details of military engagement in Vietnam, given its greater visibility, but until recently clandestine operations have remained shrouded in secrecy.
Cast No Shadow: The Life of the American Spy Who Changed the Course of World War II
A biography of one of the most successful spies in World War II tells how she used international, high-ranking trysts to pry top-secret information from the enemy and put it into the hands of Allied forces.
Capturing Jonathan Pollard
Jonathan Pollard, an intelligence analyst working in the U.S. Naval Investigative Service's Anti-Terrorist Alert Center, systematically stole highly sensitive secrets from almost every major intelligence agency in the United States. In just eighteen months he sold more than one million pages of classified material to Israel. No other spy in U.S. history has stolen so many secrets, so highly classified, in such a short period of time. Author Ronald Olive was in charge of counterintelligence in the Washington office of the Naval Investigative Service that investigated Pollard and garnered the confession that led to his arrest in 1985 and eventual life sentence. His book reveals details of Pollard's confession, his interaction with the author when suspicion was mounting, and countless other details never before made public. Olive points to mistaken assumptions and leadership failures that allowed Pollard to ransack America's defense intelligence long after he should have been caught.
Spy Science: 40 Secret-Sleuthing, Code-Cracking, Spy-Catching Activities for Kids
Discover how spies use science to keep--or uncover--top secrets.Learn how to go under cover, master Morse code, and even build devices to see and hear through walls! These and dozens of other fun-filled activities give you an inside look at the science behind spy gadgets and tricks of the trade. All the activities are completely safe and can be done with everyday stuff from around the house.
Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring
Meet Mary Bowser, an African American spy who was able to infiltrate the Confederate leadership at the highest level. Enigma Alberti dramatizes Mary Bowser’s suspenseful story—how she pretended to be illiterate, how she masterfully evaded detection, how she used her photographic memory to “copy” critical documents.
Using spycraft materials included in a sealed envelope inside the book, a canny reader will be able to discover and unravel clues embedded in the text and illustrations, and solve the book’s ultimate mystery: Where did Mary hide her secret diary?