Reviews of National Cryptologic Museum (Museum)

Rachel Kern

Very fascinating museum full of code breaking devices. We took the guided tour, which I highly recommend.

Teresa Carr

Tour guide was wonderful! Very educational.

Jim caraway

Enjoyed the tour . SHARON WAS A GREAT TOUR GUIDE.

Mallory T

Highly recommend! So many interactive displays for children AND ADULTS! I got to mess around with an actual enigma machine (

Page Carr

WOW! What a find! This museum is amazing. We spent 5 hours exploring and learning. Tom greeted us at the door, explained some different programs (Trek Solver and a code sheet) the kids could do to go through the museum. He answered all of our questions and offered us tons of free materials to delve deeper into the things we found interesting. We highly recommend this museum. Everyone should visit to learn more. Hopefully Tom will be there when you visit - he is so interesting and his love for the museum shows in his interactions with guests.

john oliver

Very educational with informative displays.

Kevin Cottam

This was a nerd's paradise. There was so much to see, learn, and explore. Being able to actually touch an Enigma machine was amazing. I have to go back because I ran out of time before I ran out of exhibits!

whiteninja 1024

Had no idea this museum existed. It was very interesting learning the history of code breaking around the world. My kids really enjoyed it as well. Specifically the interactive display for hobo signals and then creating and breaking codes.

N Grothe

Great staff. Wonderful and informative displays of the rich history of the cryptologic field and NSA involvement. This museum helps put conspiracy theories in their place.

Craig N

You can actually use a real German Enigma to encrypt data at this Museum! Wish I had more time to spend there. We went for an hour on a business trip. You can't beat the price, free! So if you are nearby, and can only spare 20 minutes, you really need to stop and see this place.

Joe Carley

Tours guides were so in to and knowledgeable of the subject matter it made it very interesting and educational.

Samantha Birmingham

Wow!! This place is a hidden gem! If you're in the area, I highly recommend you stop in and see what this place has to offer

Elena Butler

Informative and fun. Great for scout groups.

Gabby S

Historical knowledge on coding. Great place to take kids to expose them to STEM careers.

Kathryn Nordvedt

Great museum. So much to see and do. The scavenger hunt is NOT to be missed.

Stephanie Weirich

Rich in history, I was in amazement to see the progression of cryptology from the founding of our nation through today. Experiment with codes develop your own and try to break the ones that are already there. See the gadgets of the past and imagine those of the future. This place was worth the day trip.

James Caraway

Take the tour - I really enjoyed Ms Sharon knowledge on the tour she guided us thru.

Jeremiah Stutman

It took me almost 10 years to finally make it here. This is indeed an amazing museum especially if your a crypto nerd. They have enigma machines you can actually use and touch. I highly recommend you take you time and spend as much time as you can at this museum. Hope you all have a great time. I sure did.

Austin Kolar

Lots of cool things from the history of cryptology. The German Enigma machine is there....and you can use it!!!

Joe Coop

Interesting history.

Christian Ankney

So much to learn with a friendly and knowledgable staff willing to teach you about anything there.

Kit Howell

A lot of cool cryptography historical items

Joanna Bradshaw

Good place to do a homeschool visit and learn about the world of military intelligence. Parking is easy and open.

Mike A

Very, very interesting. Hard to get to, but well worth it.

Ace Corsaira

Tiny, but packed with information! The layout is a bit confusing, but there's plenty to do and interact with regardless of age. I'd advise giving yourself more time than you think you need to explore; if you stop to read everything of interest, you may be in there for up to an hour longer than expected.

Ratko Vasic

Not big, not small, just right. Lots of stuff to see on small area. Best if you are lucky and have a curator doing tour.

Melissa Clark

A must see! The exhibits were amazing! Staff friendly and helpful.

yadhu r

One of the hidden gems around DC area! It was great to see and hear about the history behind other code breaking machines like Engima. Docents are quite helpful, and they provide a very good overview about the devices here. Museum is relatively much smaller in size (compared to the Smithsonians in DC) - you can cover most of it within a few hours. Definitely worth visiting.

Sara Santos

So much history. It is very interesting. Friendly staff. It is so amazing to be so close to the National Security Agency and be able to see all of the secrets and history behind how our nation is kept safe at a national level.

Robert Sacchi

A detailed guided tour. Gives a great history lesson.

John Howard

What an awesome experience!! Free admission and only ask for donations. We chose to walk around by ourselves instead of with a tour group. However, if you have the time, I would definitely join a tour. Such knowledgeable and fun staff that really know how to engage the people. So much history here and a lot of cool fun facts and information. We had a really cool experience, thanks so much!!!

Rebecca Eavenson

It was a difficult to find, but following the side with the streetlight that said"museum" and then taking a left on the road (seven colony) before the huge parking lot will lead you right to it. Lots of remakes of the barrios coding machines and tools used. Took the tour and then explored afterwards. Cell phone tour is also available

David Burnham

Well done museum. There is a lot of reading for parents and a lot of fun activities for kids.

Chris Murphy

Better stories than the Hollywood junk! It's amazing what we were able to do with strings of wire, relays and good old-fashioned hard work!

Richard Smith

Lots of interesting things to see. Make sure you see info about code talkers.

Wanda Cover

Wonderful free museum chock full of information and displays. Docent your takes 1.5 hours, and one could easily spend the day discovering!

Ana Scarlet

Lots of cool cryptographic machines here. Cool place. I got a tour with a group from my university. The guide was enthusiastic and informative. He focused on the role the machines played in history. I wouldn't spend more than 2 hours here as it's a pretty small place (1 floor). It is packed with things to see though.

Ivan Yosifov

Very nice museum.

Chris Buja

Tricky to reach around the security, however that best set the tone for the topic. Mostly static, but creative displays with some interactivity. Worth a detour.

Brian Hammill

Don't overlook this place. It is about the history of using codes and breaking codes from the very beginning of American history to the present. There are so many interesting stories here and unique fascinating machines used to break secret messages and create them. There is quite a collection of German Enigma machines. And the story of how the course of WWII was changed by figuring out the invasion of Midway was about to happen was truly engaging. The guided tours are worth making. The guides are very knowledgeable. Visiting the museum is free but do make some donation to help support it's operation.

virgil collington

Packed with cool info regarding the past and the NSA. Definitely a great spot to take history buffs.

Perry Lewis

Very interesting place you can learn some spy stuff here

Robert Sidtis

Learn about what gives america its cutting edge!

Nau Nz

Very nice place, not that many people know about it but it has a lot of good stuff to learn from.

Jim Katzaman

This is a great place with lots of history.

Stuart Garwood

One of the best museums in the Washington Baltimore area although less-known. Exhibits aptly demonstrate the weight cryptology carries, especially in Modern Warfare, particularly its effect World War II. Thoughtful and mathematically minded young people may be very interested. There is a library to look through as well and quite helpful and experienced docents many of whom worked at NSA.

Ryan Kelly

Lots of neat things to learn about how warfighters communicated information during the war.

G Smith

Great museum. Can't beat free admission! Very interesting to discover cryptologic history. They have an actual Enigma machine and many other artifacts.

Anthony Cruz

The National Cryptologist Museum was not so interesting, and also the wait was very long.

Jeff Jaje

Go with the guided tour, the guides are incredibly friendly, willing to answer questions, but good people. Like many museums run by the Fed govt, it's free to go through, and you can even use the Enigma machine hands on. You do not need to go past the guard gate at Fort Meade to get to the museum, which makes it just a little easier. Check it out when in the area.

eggshed; the shell of a man

Very cool place, would go again.

Frank the Tank

Great place to go and learn about history. The staff is very pleasant, helpful, and knowledgeable about the items in their museum. There is also a small cryptography library there too.

Tyler Robinson

Great info

Jeannine McDonald

So much fun, so much to see, could have spent hours there for their annual Stem event!

Mark V

History is so cool.

Umberto Fournier

This is a great museum and everyone should check it out. It is completely free! It has a lot of cool info about the history of cryptology and it's right by Fort Meade. It's a great way to kill an hour or two and a little interesting thing to see.

Joanne Quinn

Great museum! Free admission, guided tours, friendly & knowledgeable staff. They have several Enigma machines, the machine created to decode the Emgima machine, older japanese encryption devices, and some more recent devices. Google says they are not open on Saturdays, but the are open on the first & third Sat of the month. Take the tour. I will probably go back several times to take tours with different people.

Jesse Cantrill

Excellent presentation by docent. Be sure to call first and get on a tour.

Alvin Teel

Great .A must see

bill pemberton

Not only educational but you can you touch many items and you can use a real enigma machine! Well worth your time.

Nathan Kowalski

A real gem and worth taking a couple hours to visit. There are some unique artifacts and great displays providing insite into a little known part of our nation's history.

Pebbles Whiddon

This is a great place to see. It contains alot of very good information. It's also has things their for children.

Ali Hammons-Mygrants

There is a lot of information on varying types of cryptologic devices. It may be a small venue, but it is not short of information. Very informative guides and friendly volunteers. I do recommend.

Walter Johnson

This is a great place to take the kids. Lots of exhibits, with well-written explanations. The docents are often knowledgeable, and usually pretty friendly. Sometimes, they're former NSA employees. Exhibits often provide good historical context, explaining the importance of exhibits to their times. My kids always enjoyed a trip the cryptologic museum. Your kids probably will, too.

Josh Platt

Completely free to roam through the exhibits. Lots of cool information everywhere in the building. Not a full day museum though.

Joseph Harkleroad

Friendly staff. Working Enigma machine.

Ryan Rochefort

Great little museum, the tour guide was well educated on cryptology and was quite entertaining! The building is wheelchair and handicapped accessible.

Caroline Mackenzie

What a great museum!Have a great time every time we go.Really clean and well maintained.Great place to go and learn about history.

William Witt

Small but awesome FREE museum with interactive exhibits for both adults and kids. NEAR the NSA but you don't go in there. This museum is open to the public. You can even play with real working WWII ENIGMA coding machines. Only drawbacks, the museum is small, and there isn't much in the gift shop.

Shannon Hedges

Quite kid-friendly. My son was given a cipher disk upon arrival and found codes throughout the exhibits, receiving a small prize at the end. Craig has a wealth of knowledge and generously shared it with us. We always have a wonderful time here, and the gift shop is superb.

Russ Haggerty

Great crypto history well done.

Iram Carmona

This place was Awesome!!! The history is mind blowing. So much work, dedication, and technology to be on top for the sake of national security. And then to see the hard work and dedication of the people who have worked for the sake of our country. It's definitely worth going to and seeing the history this place has to offer.

Vladimir Gurevich

This is a hidden gem. A lot of information and even the working Enigma machine. The entrance is free and volunteers are very helpful and knowledgeable. I wish there would be a little more emphasis on cryptography, as opposed to cryptology. Sometimes it was a little difficult to separate those. "Regular" spy work is also "mixed in". Nevertheless, this is a great place that I'd wholeheartedly recommend both for adults and families with kids (probably age 8-10 and above). Oh, and there is an appropriately themed gift shop.

Kathleen Frampton

Most fascinating and informative museum trip ever!!

Christopher Pece

What a great museum. Definitely worth the stop.

Chris King

A blessing to the community.

Joan Cooper

Very interesting and informative. The staff was helpful and very engaged.

Chris Eaton

Cool museum with a lot of history you don't see elsewhere. Call ahead about a tour, the number is on the website. It's a bit hit or miss, but if you can get one, the tours are amazing. They are done by former NSA employees and they do an outstanding job. There is also a working Enigma from WW2 you can actually use, which is pretty interesting and a critical piece of history come alive. Can't recommend this enough if you are even remotely interested in the subject. It was a fantastic experience and a collection you won't see elsewhere.

Bret Browne

Love the staff.

Nancy McClanahan

Nice exhibits and good historical information

Kellie Lawson

Informative museum, I was invited for a retirement ceremony. Out was hard to find and very easy to run into Federal Security if you go in the wrong direction. Don't go in the wrong direction.

James Sanford

This is genuinely the weirdest museum ever built. Like, it might be worth going into just to marvel at how strange the entire place is. Actually, yeah. Just go and look at all the freakish animorph creatures and the model train town and the terrifying mannequins.

Tyler Givens

Very interesting little museum. Staff are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. You’ll spend plenty of time here without realizing it. Highly recommend to history buffs.

louis novak

Learned some things about Viet Nam that were new to me.

Ginnie Sebel

Too much info for the time we had. I want to go back Great staff. Very informative

Dee Step

Interesting museum at which there is much to learn. Contains a mass of information of cryptography and related topics. The best part is the historical approach to relaying information; the use of cryptography is displayed throughout American and world history from the Revolutionary War to WWII and beyond.

Frank H

A small little gem of a museum that is not intuitively easy to access even though there is a sign off the highway. GPS is kinda wonky here, so may want to look at Google maps before visiting. The museum appears to be staffed by very experienced people - this is probably more of an asset than the well done displays. Though I did not utilize the tour, after visiting, would recommend taking the tour as it will add great enrichment & context to the displays. Price of admission is free!

Fred Flores

Outstanding history for me and my past. Great memories here. Thank you.

Guilford Queen

I will be bring cadets to experience and enjoy the wonderful displays and the program geared towards students. Bravo on the museum's style and substance.

Jackson Autrey

What an interesting and well done museum. I really enjoyed my visit here and will be returning again soon as I did not quite manage to see everything in the time I had available. It is not a huge museum but it is very text-dense with numerous excellent exhibits.

Phil Harang

Very interesting and informative museum regarding the history of code making and code breaking. Many hands on exhibits. A special effort has been made to create a child friendly environment. Small enough to see everything in 2 hours. Very friendly staff.

Natalya B.

Very informative, lots of things to see in a small package

Jesus

Interesting place about history of cryptology in US history, but that's it. Still recommend it though

Randy Frizzell

The knowledge of the tour guide provided additional context,

Edwin Vonderbeck

Enjoyed the museum and the great displays. Even found a display about the USS Pueblo. Some very cool Cryptic devices in display

Ken Lewis

Fascinating small museum with a lot of neat but not well known history.

Scott Streett

Interesting option for a few hours and can't beat the price.

Luba B

Have been meaning to visit this place for months and finally got a chance to stop by. I originally decided I would peruse their website to educate myself because I could not make it during their open hours, but I'm glad I did stop in. Reception was very friendly and welcoming. The museum itself coders a lot of historical facts that I never knew that helped me understand the present much better. There is also a library with a suggested reading list available. I really got a lot out of my visit and would happily recommend it for anyone interested in cryptology or language and mathematics and how they are used together to create a new meaning.

C L

Small but packed with informative displays. Recommended!

Patrick Tai

Good exhibits, including Enigma and the "Bomb". Knowledgable staff.

steven lisowsky

Amazing setup..

fernando garcia

Lot of info and history loved!!

Laurel Martin

Excited for this place to update! Great museum off the beaten path. Took a tour. Guide was great, she is former NSA. She had a wealth of knowledge and helped explain the technical code breaking parts of WWII and Cold War to help accompany my historian knowledge of those eras.

Benjamin Huang

Visited here and followed a tour guide who was excellent and enthusiastic. Plenty of interesting historic crypto artefacts and loads of cool histories to learn about. There's fair bit of parking and entry and tour are free. There's also a little NSA gift store inside but it closes pretty early.

C W

The guy that sure was excellent and informative

cambull47

Great little museum showcasing codes and code breaking over thousands of years. Adding more authenticity are the guides who are ex NSA employees involved in code breaking! Well worth dropping in to.

Nicole

This was a great museum! Very in depth, clean, staff was friendly and informative. You need to make sure to give yourself enough time to get through everything. There's also a way you can do a audio tour on your phone by calling a number on the flyer they give you. My friends and I were visiting from Michigan and I hadn't heard of this museum before.

Jam

Great place to learn about the history of cryptology. Has guides and other resources to help your make your way around the museum.

David hollebeek

This is not a big place, but they have some interesting exhibits.

Kym Faulkner

A bit dated facility, but one of the best. Well laid out and such an interesting subject. Museum shows cryptology through the ages.

Clifton

Some of the most important contributions to history are here, including an enigma machine.

Christopher Goes

If you're in the area, this is a must-see.

John McFarland

Excellent small museum on the history of code breaking. Located NSA. Use map app to find. Small gift shop. No food or drinks. Highly reccomended.

Andrew Strutt

Amazing museum. You must go.

Thomas Earley

Nice hidden gem, plus it is free

Lewis the Fox

Nice little museum, lots to see and lots to do. Not a lot of people there and is very enjoyable. They have a miniature game room for the kids to have fun in with tiny decrypt the message games. Recommend for anyone who enjoys computers to give this place a look.

Thomas Stiles

Extremely interesting museum. No entry fee. Very kid friendly. Lots of great history from throughout US history.

aman bhusari

Great history museum and tours. The store on Saturday closes very early and we missed it. Be sure to get here early and visit shop prior to the tour

Crystal Wepman

Jennifer was great and helped us plan a field trip for our Homeschool group. She and her team helped to make the program applicable for all of our students preschool - highschool and everyone had a great time. Including Parents, Students, and younger siblings, we had just over 40 people in our group. We spent about 2 hours doing the scavenger hunt, exploring the museum, and some classroom time learning about different cyphers and codes. Thanks for a great trip. (Note: NSA is doing construction on their parking lot so you have to follow the small signs to get to the museum.)

Duane Matcha

Great museum. If you are into the world of spying, this is the place to visit.

Roger Raulerson

Dreams do come true best place in the world!

Eric Lorenz

This place is rich with history. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and are willing to answer questions. If you're coming here to see the latest and greatest tech, don't bother. Most of the display items are legacy. Obviously they can't open up a museum to the public and show everyone current tech and methods. The museum is somewhat small but you'll find plenty inside to pique your interest.

Matthew PT Casserly

A true treasure of history here

Becky Riggle

What a great museum! Admission is free and the museum is very well put together. They do a great job of trying to keep the visit fun for kids. There is an app you can download and special decoding areas to keep the kids engaged. There is a Cray supercomputer on display. Also, Engima machines you can practice encrypting messages with. We very much enjoyed this free museum!

Marina Memmo

You've got to see this place, especially if you love spy novels.

Anthea Eccles

So fascinating. Learned so much in a short time. Need to go back again.

Tony Smith

Free and interesting, worth dropping by and learning about some history.

Meredith Beck

Totally worth exploring! Gift shop hours are sparse but has a ton of cool stuff like pretty much anything you want to say NSA on it. I think it would be more enjoyable if it was spread out over a larger area and bigger/more concise text descriptions. Very information dense, if you or someone you're visiting with likes to read then prepare to spend a while there. They have a scavenger hunt to entertain kids.

Jason Adams

Kind of cryptic to find, but interesting once you do

Socorrito Baez-Page

This special interest museum packs a lot of information and interaction into a small space. Learn about codes and code breaking, the history of cryptology, and see actual artifacts all in one place. Note that the materials on display do rotate from time to time, so it is worth a visit every few years. A small library of interesting materials all related to cryptology and a gift shop round out the space. This is NOT the Spy Museum and is not commercially oriented. Dedicated docents are knowledgeable and eager to bring the exhibits to life. Be prepared to spend a few hours browsing and if you have kids, there are several activities available. Free admission and free parking.

Marilyn Mix

The museum has a variety of exhibits about the history of secret codes and code breaking. It tries to make it interesting for children with activities at many exhibits. I liked the displays about women and African Americans involved in cryptography. Admission is free. It’s a little hard to get to, but there are signs.

Edmond Joe

Everything you wanted to know and learn about cryptography is found in this free museum near the National Security Agency in Fort Meade. They have examples of cryptographic equipment including the Enigma machines there. Note that this museum is not always open each Saturday. Be sure to double check their website regarding their operating hours. We learned quite a bit about cryptography from our visit to the museum.

Jim Rasmussen

Fascinating! Love the revolutionary war period stuff.

Merilee Hudson

Great docent and tour. There was a lot packed into the small space.

evonderbeck

Great museum for kids. Lots to learn about cryptologic.

Hung Chu

A little small for a museum. If there is a free tour guide available, take it. Some interesting artifacts such as the devices used in WWII. The most interesting piece of factoid I learned is why the NSA is located around Fort Meade.

Scott Pittman

Very interesting place! Lots of neat insight into the effects of codes and cryptology into US history. Definitely recommended if that's something you're interested in!

Juliana DeLion

Excellent. The kids and I both had informational fun

Lisa Shafer

It is close to home and very interesting on how the military communicated on a different level wit secret code so noone else could figure out what was being communicated through telelgraph, etc!

glenn larkin

Great little museum for free and open to the public. It gives history of Enigma machines as well as those who died protecting America. Well worth the trip.

Black Cobra

Amazing place with very detailed information

Chuck Galco

Great stop for families, especially older kids. Games and puzzles to spark an interest in codes and puzzle solving. Very unique collection of spy stuff.

Samuel Birk

Great for Scouting and school trips. 3rd Sat of May is best day to visit.

Charles Li

This is an very interesting museum. It is especially great for kids who are gifted in math.

Junaid Barakzai

Very interesting place to actually go into and take a look at

Francine Hampton

Excellent info and artifacts, documents about spies and cryptology. Great scavenger hunt for kids using ciphers.

Margaret Hutton

We had the best experience. We did the guided tour and our docent was outstanding. Free parking. Free admission.

adam markley

Really neat museum! Lots of things to do and read about. They even have an app that is geared towards kids and helps them explore the museum. Would definitely go back

Oka H

I went this museum with colleague, it was nice. We enjoyed. I saw Enigma demonstration. That was fantastic. If you have an opportunity to stay in MD, and you are interested in cryption, you may like here. Maybe kids also like the quiz challenges. In addition, the gift shop deal good items.

Kendal Dore

Something for everyone. Family friendly! The staff was knowledgeable and readily available to answer any questions as well as make sure we didn’t miss anything. They have a cryptokids challenge to engage kids throughout the museum. Great experience and will be back again!

Kapil Rawal

A rich collection of cryptologic devices, from the very beginning to the latest technology. Has a working enigma machine on which we can decipher the code. Must visit when in Maryland.

A BC

Liked it. Very friendly to my accompanying eight year old. Lots to see.

Andy Finkel

Interesting museum with helpful staff. Free tours available.

Leslie Boulden

The employees are extremely knowledgeable, friendly and approachable. They answer questions very well and give a GREAT tour. Definitely check this place out whether you have kids or not. There's plenty for all ages to see, learn and interact with. TONS of history and historical items and documents.

Luis Molina

Educational, entertaining and very interesting museum

Daniel Anderson

Very interesting if you are in to cryptology and history.