Been There, Done That!: National Museum of Crime & Punishment

Does your child want to be a crime fighter? a CSI detective? a super hero? Then this is the place to go. What a great museum!!! This was such an awesome, interactive experience both for the adults and the children.

I have to admit, the beginning of the museum is a little scary because it takes you through the history of crime and punishment dating back to medieval torture chambers and methods. In the first few minutes my daughter said she was ready to leave but that section was very small and then it got really interesting, really quickly. You go through the cowboy days, the Mafia days, learn about the different types of crimes (from massacres to Internet crimes), see the FBI's most wanted list and even a replica of Al Capone's jail cell. Warning: They do show actual photos of crime scenes from serial killers and massacres that can be very graphic but you do have the option of bypassing them.

At the entrance to the museum, each child is given an activity booklet that applies to every section of the museum. As they go through each section of the museum, depending on the topic on display, there are scavenger hunts, secret codes to decipher, and even a murder mystery to solve. You'll do fingerprinting, a police lineup, experience being in a prison cell.....and breaking out, be tested on your ability to remember a "perp" after witnessing a crime, use the FBI shooting simulator, drive a police car simulator through a high speed chase, learn CSI procedures, and so much more. At the end of the museum is the film studio for America's Most Wanted. You won't see John Walsh there but you can go on the set and I think sometimes McGruff, the Crime Fighting Dog makes an appearance. Of course, no museum is complete without the gift shop, or in this case, the Cop Shop. So many cool things to choose from.....we left there with handcuffs and a NCIS backpack.

I have to say, as far as interaction and learning goes, this museum is at the top of my list so far. It's not one of the free museums in Washington DC, but it's definitely worth every penny. It kept our interest the entire time and took a few hours to go through the whole thing.

It's not on the National Mall, it's across from the Verizon Center, so be sure to have money to pay for a parking garage (around $20 and most only take cash) because street parking is not easy to come by. You can get there by the Metro too, exit at the Chinatown/Gallery Place station.

Kid's View: "The beginning part was creepy but the scavenger hunt throughout the museum was fun and the shooting and car chase simulators were really cool and fun."

http://www.crimemuseum.org/