Guided Tours of the Museum:

The Cryptologic Museum provides entertaining, fact-filled tours of the museum provided by current and former NSA personnel.  (They know what they’re talking about!)

All tours are recommended for high school through adult.  Younger audiences can arrange age-appropriate programming with our Director of Education. More information is provided below.

Groups of six or more should schedule in advance using the form below, or calling 301-688-5849, or by emailing crypto_museum@nsa.gov. (Groups between 21-40 people will be broken into two separate groups touring concurrently.) 

• American Cryptologic History Tour – presents the role, people, and machines of America’s cryptologic history through unique artifacts and stories – 60-90 minutes
• Creating the Legacy Tour – focuses on the role of women in America’s cryptologic history from the American Revolution through today’s cybersecurity – 60 minutes
• Advancing Technology Tour – illustrates through the exhibits and artifacts the intertwined relationship between cryptologic and technologic advances – 60 minutes

School Field Trips:

The Cryptologic Museum has fun, educational field trip programs for grades 4-12.  Contact the Director of Education to schedule your class by using the form below, or calling 301-688-5849, or by emailing crypto_museum@nsa.gov.

Class sizes 6-60. One chaperone per ten students are required, more are welcome.

• Scavenger Hunt – working in small groups, students hunt the museum for matching artifacts and answer history or cryptologic questions.  In the classroom, the Education staff go over the answers awarding small prizes for correct responses and teaching more about cryptographic methods and history. Different, age-appropriate hunts are provided for elementary, middle, and high school students.  (Levels cannot be mixed.) – Total time for hunt and answers: 2 hours
• Guided Tours – although generally not recommended for younger audiences, small groups up to 15 students can receive a guided tour of the museum from the Education Director.  High school classes (up to 40 students) can select a tour from the adult tour listings.  – Time: 60 minutes
• Add On Programs:
  • STEM and Language Talk – in addition to a hunt or tour, teachers can also elect to have a speaker from NSA’s K-12 Outreach Office.  They provide fun, interactive presentations on math, computers, cybersecurity, language, and/or careers. The museum Education Director can schedule it to coincide with your museum field trip. View the K-12 program offerings.
  • Presentations for Social Studies Classes – although normally provided in person at the host school or virtually, these programs are available for museum field trips as well.  They are designed to meet Maryland Dept. of Education Social Studies Standards for grades 4-8 and cover appropriate portions of cryptologic history for each grade.
    • Revolutionary Secrets – different interactive talks for grades 4/5 and 8 cover cryptologic techniques and their role in the American Revolution – 30 minutes
    • Civil War – different talks for grades 5 and 8 cover the cryptology, communications, and the role of enslaved and free blacks during the American Civil War – 30-45 minutes
    • Writing Made Secret – for 6th grade presents the history of writing and early methods of encryption from Roman times through the Renaissance – 30 minutes
    • Battle of Codes – for 7th grade discusses the role and results of cryptology, both making and breaking, in WWII – 45 minutes
    • Cold War – for 7th grade looks at the U.S. response to tensions of the Cold War – 30 minutes

Scout Programs:

The Cryptologic Museum has programs for Boy and Girl Scout badges and pins that are highly interactive and fun.

• Cub Scout Tigers can complete PORTIONS of “Curiosity, Intrigue, and Magical Mysteries,” “Stories in Shapes,” and “Tiger Theater” – 60 minutes
• Cub Scout Wolves can complete the elective “Code of the Wolf” – 2 hours
• Scouts can complete PORTIONS of the “Signs, Signals, and Codes” merit badge – 90 minutes
• Girl Scout Brownies can complete the “Cyber Security Investigator” badge – 1 ½ -2 hours
• Girl Scout Juniors can complete EITHER the “Cyber Security Investigator” badge or the “Detective” badge.  These are two separate programs  – 2 hours per program
• Girl Scout Cadettes can complete EITHER the “Cyber Security Basics” badge or the “Special Agent” badge.  These are two separate programs – 2 hours per program
• Other Boy and Girl Scout ranks can select any of the educational or Scout programs, but they do not meet badge or pin requirements for their ranks.

Cryptologic History Presentations:

Several talks on cryptologic history are available from the museum’s Director of Education.  These briefings can be presented virtually or (limited) in-person to high school and adult audiences.

School presentations (grades 4-8) can be found under ‘Add On Programs’ from the “School Field Trips” list.

• Advancing Technology -  the interconnected history of cryptology and the advancements in technology from ancient times through the space age
• Battle of Codes – the cryptology in WWII, both how the U.S. protected its communications and broke enemy messages
• Cold War: Tension and Response – the role of cryptology and Signals Intelligence during the Cold War
• Creating the Legacy — the role of women in American cryptologic history
• Revolutionary Secrets — cryptologic techniques and their role in the American Revolution
• Signaling the Civil War — cryptology and communications in the American Civil War
• Steganography: Hidden in History – a short history of hiding messages whether hidden in a shoe, microdots, or computer pixels
• Solving the Enigma — history of the German cipher machine, Enigma, and how it was solved by the Allies
• Talking in Code — history of the Native American Code Talkers from both World Wars
• Sharing the Burden — the role of women in cryptology specifically during World War II