Parade of Trabants at the International Spy Museum

Parade of Trabants at the International Spy Museum

A Trabant is a small, boxy car from East Germany, and it has a loyal fan base here in DC. Every November the International Spy Museum parks a pile of them on L'Enfant Plaza, along with other vintage cars, vans, scooters and cycles from the Cold War era. This year is the 20th time they have done it.

The cars are the draw for grown-ups. For kids, the hands-on stuff is better: you can try Berlin-style graffiti, and there is a station where you test whether you could squeeze into the kind of tight space people used to escape East Berlin. You can also vote for your favorite vehicle and ask the owners how on earth they keep these things running. A German band plays through the day. It is free and the museum says no registration is needed.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓It is outdoors, so dress for November. Layers and a hat for little ones. You will be standing around on the plaza.
• ✓Plan on an hour or two. Younger kids will look at cars for about 20 minutes. The graffiti and the tight-space activity are what keep them there.
• ✓Museum tickets are separate. The parade is listed as free. Going inside the Spy Museum galleries needs its own ticket, so decide before you go.
• ✓Let your kid vote. It gives them a job. Ask them to pick the funniest looking car and explain why on the walk home.
• ✓Check spymuseum.org the morning of. Weather can change what is set up outside.