Located across from the Fashion Centre in Pentagon City, The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Museum is excellent and a worthwhile visit. It's also free. Plan on taking an hour for your visit. But to enter the museum, you must go through airport-style security, i.e. show your ID, take all the stuff out of your pockets (plus take off your belt if you are wearing one) and go through a scanner. This makes sense because this also the headquarters of the DEA. Security is so tight that even after going through the scanner there's another security checkpoint at the elevators that go to the DEA offices (the museum is on the first floor so there's no need to take an elevator). The museum itself is clean, modern and attractive with lots of interesting exhibits. I liked the interactive exhibit where you role play as an agent seeking to nab the supplier of drugs that are dropped off at a car wash. I was kinda surprised to see a photo here of the sheriff from the Washington State community I grew up in picking/confiscating poppies in a field. I really appreciated that the language used in the exhibits was objective and matter-of-fact. You don't see hysterical 1930's-style Reefer Madness propaganda. I was the only museum visitor during my time there. Ironically, after I left the museum, I saw a woman wearing a government badge smoking a joint out on the sidewalk nearby (to be fair, I don't know if this lady was a DEA employee). read more

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Came here with my boyfriend. Learned a lot through the exhibits. It's small and you're able to complete it within an hour. You'll need to present your ID and go through a metal detector. Museum itself is free. read more

DC is always good for museums, and if you watch Law & Order or any other police shows on TV, this free museum is a good spot to spend an hour if you're in the Arlington area. Located in the lobby of the DEA building, I had to go through a security checkpoint to get in. The space itself is small, but doing the interactive exhibits makes it a full hour. The majority of the museum consists of static displays of items such as DEA raid jackets, weaponry and equipment as well as items seized during raids of (in)famous criminals. They also have various educational posters about drugs, their history and street names. It is similar to the DARE programs a lot of us took in Elementary School. The best part is the interactive exhibit where you get to take part in a simulated surveillance operation. The options and paths in the exhibit are pretty well organized. This museum would be better if there was someone, at least a Public Affairs Officer around for questions..or even cooler, a masked agent to talk about activities. read more

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We dropped by the DEA museum knowing it's small but wanted to check it out. They have a strict security process which was quick. Once inside you get the stark realization of how bad the fentanyl issue is in America with photos of victims on the walls. Once inside the museum they have segments that detail individual drugs and some history of how it's impacted America. The self tour was quick but to the point. read more

DEA Museum - Museums Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This place is a hidden gem. It is kind of hard to find outside of the signs directing you here. It is located in the very secure Lincoln Place Building. To enter the museum, you must present your government issued ID and go through a tight security screening. I felt like I was going on a flight. Admission to the museum is free and the museum is pretty much the building's first floor. The tour is self guided and the exhibit area is not very large. I walked here so I did not have to worry about parking, but I can imagine that parking here is difficult since there is no onsite parking available. I did see metered street parking and a commercial lot within a reasonable walking distance, but there is nothing too close. The first thing you will encounter is the Faces of Fentanyl exhibit which are pictures of people that were killed by misusing fentanyl. The photos line the hallway and include the world famous musician, Prince. You will also find the Wall of Honor in the hallway which tastefully honors those DEA agents that made the ultimate sacrifice. The main room has exhibits that include: The Science of Addiction, Drug Waves, History of the DEA, and a revolving Spotlight Exhibit that featured the takedown of El Chopo while I was there. There is also a changing exhibit area that was featuring Disrupt, Dismantle, and Destroy, an exploration of the kingpin strategy, during my visit. Other exhibits include the DEA Takeback program, marijuana, synthetics, DEA tools, and What Drugs Do to Your Brain. They have seized items on display as well as equipment and clothes used by agents in operations. The museum is well organized and tidy. I really enjoyed it and gain some knowledge of the DEA. I spent about 45 minutes here and that time flew by. I feel that it should have its own stand alone building and not tucked away on the first floor of an office building. I really like this museum and think that it does not get as much publicity as it deserves, nor in an optimal location. read more

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Really great museum! It's FREEE!! It's located on first level of their 600 building closest to mall. The museum had really cool artifacts that they seized and was very informative. They have tour guides that are very knowledgeable and make the tour fun SHOUT OUT TO CAISE!!! Also, they have a large memorial wall of all the victims that lost their lives to fentanyl. It's very sad and touching... there new born babies :( Overall, this is a cool museum where they have a rotation of seized property from various drug bust that look cool. read more

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In the land of free museums (the D.C. area), the DEA Museum is often overlooked. Visiting on a Wednesday morning in February, here's my experience. 1) Museum: Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., admission is free. There's one main area with exhibits and it's essentially two rooms. When I visited, a high school group was there and the space felt crowded. The exhibits talk about America's connection to drugs- how we fight them and how drugs affect people. There are a few interactive exhibits and memorials honoring law enforcement. It's a lot of reading so come prepared. 2) Security: Since it's located in a federal building, you must go through security. You start by giving your I.D. to the guard, go through security and wait in the lobby for a museum staffer to let you in. 3) Parking: It's impossible. Street parking was a bust so park in the paid Costco lot. Metro if you can. It's near the Pentagon City station. 4) Neighborhood: It's right by the Pentagon City mall and new development with cafes and restaurants. If you love coffee, go to Commonwealth Joe. read more

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Although the museum was small, it had plenty of information about drug concerns, drug abuse history, and how people lost their lives to drugs sadly. I wish the museum had positive effects about some drugs too such as marijuana instead of only the negative effects since many states are legalizing marijuana, which was biased. read more

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I can't remember my first visit to the DEA museum but I sure do like how they renovated the museum. Nice added touches. I also like that you can now visit this museum on Saturdays. Admission is still FREE. read more

DEA Museum - Museums Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

The museum, itself, was well done. However, I had a terrible experience with gift store. The salesperson was rude and acted as though she didn't want to be there. When I tried to question her about some of the merchandise, she acted as though she was being bothered. read more

I walked by the DEA's buildings at least 3x week when I lived a few blocks away, and every time I passed I thought "I need to check out the museum"; sadly, it closed for renovations, then Covid began and then I moved back to Boston. However, when I knew I would be in town for an entire week I added this to my list for the week. Upon entering, I was greeted by a nice woman who gave me some information, invited me to walk around and to ask her if I needed any assistance. This is a cool little museum, I was inside for about 45 minutes but there is also a lot of things I didn't read so you might stay longer. There are also drawers to pull out on some of the displays, so if you see a drawer pull, pull it out for cool info! When I looked online prior to visiting, I noticed that they had a few items which belonged to El Chapo; if you want to see how the Drug Lords live, check out two of his gold-encrusted weapons in the display case. Someone on another review site was whining because she had to go through a "really sensitive" xray machine; yes, you need to go through security because they will not just let you into the building (so be nice and have your ID ready). Definitely check it out! read more

informative about America's War on Drugs. It was easy to find street parking. Nothing else nearby,

This FREE museum is super tiny. Most only need one hour here. They have interactive kiosks and tons of things to read and look at. So if you are thorough you could theoretically spend 2 or 3 hours but most would only take 30 min to an hour. It was a really good museum for being that tiny. There was so much information about the history of drugs in the USA. I didn't know opium dens were a huge problem in the early years. I always thought drugs were a relatively new thing from the 70's. I definitely learned alot in my short visit. read more

I gave it 5 stars because I know it would of been a great museum. My hotel was around corner but it seems like it would be easier to park at the shopping center across the street. read more

DEA Museum - Museums Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

FREE. Very good information, artifacts, and chronological order of the drug trade. This museum is expertly curated with tons of information. I didn't have time to read all the exhibits, but it's laid out very well. read more

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This is a free museum, basically right across the street from the Pentagon City Mall! I had to go here for a class assignment, and took my friend here with me. Be weary of parking situations when trying to get here, as there is street parking (paid, usually) and also the parking at the Pentagon Mall shopping center itself. There is also the option of taking the Metro line. The museum itself is split into two parts: the Wall of Honor, and also the main informative exhibits. You will need to enter through the security screening first, and then be able to grab pamphlets & brochures for the information you may need. It's split into different time periods, and each part of the exhibits have fun interactive activity. There are also some examples of methods of taking drugs, along with information about people who have worked in the DEA before. I'd recommend you check it out! There was actually a lot of stuff I didn't know before, until I went to this exhibit (and I work in pharmacy). read more

One would never guess that this place existed in what looks like an ordinary corporate building. But it does, and you should go, because: 1. It's free. 2. It's small and compact, but they pack so much information into the exhibits that you could spend hours there gaining knowledge about the history of drugs in the U.S. and the huge media events capturing them. ...Need I say more? read more

"I want Americans to realize that, although they may not use drugs, everyone is impacted by drug use in this country," DEA Administrator Karen Tandy ('03 -'07) I love these tangible, intimate experiences. While the Washington, D.C. museums get all the glory, Northern Virginia makes up for it in heart. So, this isn't the Smithsonian- get over it. The downtown museums tend to be time intensive and feature a smorgasbord of topics. This museum is easily digested and can be experienced on a leisurely lunch break, but is best experienced if you allow more than an hour to peruse. This museum certainly makes use of its space and there is something lurking around every bend. The museum opens like a storybook and reads like a Dan Brown novel. There's plenty of history, a little suspense and there's plenty of stuff that makes you realize that there is more to the DEA than what you saw on Breaking Bad. The first chapter opens with a storefront that symbolizes the changing face of main street America over the decades. Travel down the road from the 1920's and 30's apothecaries, the head shops of the 60's and 70s, the crack houses of the 1980's and onto a modern marajuana vending machine that was disguised as medicinal, but was owned and operated by people who did not don the caduceus symbol. From there, expect to be whisked through the decades of illicit drug use and see the evolution of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Learn about the Anglo-Chinese Opium wars, find out why the Bayer company used heroin for medicinal purposes, see pieces of The World Trade Center up close and discover why the world once considered cocaine to be a "wonder drug." You can also expect to learn how the DEA works to regulate new and perspective drugs and how the DEA and forensic scientists are MFEO. (Meant For Each Other.) Celebrities and athletes are not immune to overdoses or prosecutions and feature prominently throughout the decades. Read about people like Janis Jopplin, Jack Kerouac, Len Bias, Kurt Cobain and Jerry Garcia while hearing clips of the famous, and sometimes infamous, Billie Holiday. It's reported that Jimi Hendrix's people weren't too enthusiastic about his induction into this particular "hall of fame." Along the way you'll see various pieces of seized property and clothing worn by agents who were behind various sting operations. Who knew that DEA agents were so pimp back in the day? We're talking fur coats and green platform shoes that would make Superfly envious. Verdict: Compact, interactive and impactful museum, fresh from a $400,000 renovation, patiently awaits the honor of your presence. Currently it's only open M-F so plan accordingly. read more

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The was a nice little museum to spend an hour or two at. We decided to come here recently as we always see signs for it, but it is only open on weekdays. Information was clearly laid out and had a very nice flow overall. For such a small museum they have a lot of different formats for delivering information and some interesting instillations. I would say this is a nice hidden gem and you should definitely hit it up if you get the chance. read more

Good place although it would be nice if there would 've been more info about Noriega-North...i.e. Contra and to extent did that affect the U.S.A. in late 80's early 90's. A niece are we winning or loosing the war concluision would also be....although on second thought I think we all have our biased opinions. read more

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Being a huge fan of narcos on Netflix, I was surprised this museum was so close to my hotel. I had to check it out!! So cool they had a timeline of the evolution of drugs and America. They had a lot of information of drugs in the medical field as well. Note: enter through the back of the Building. Only downside is that it's a little small and short and they could work on the decor a bit. Staff was great and they had so many cool artifacts. read more

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This is a great little museum that is easy to get to and is very informative. You can get through it in an hour or two depending on how much you want to read. The history of US drug use and laws was interesting. Make sure you start at the left and go around in a clockwise direction if you want to go chronologically. The staff were friendly, and parking is easy. Recommend they add a little bit more interactivity. The computer that they had was frozen. Think some more interactivity might hold kids' attention better. read more

Awesome museum, lots of information on drugs and the agency. My daughter was even able to become a junior special agent! This is a must see museum if in the area. read more

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Good appreciation of history. Small and great for those who ate interested. Take about an hour or so. read more

DEA Museum - Museums Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Definitely underrated! Not even a 5 minute walk from the subway station and the workers are all very friendly. You have to go through a metal detector but after that you're free to roam the exhibit. Very informative and there's a plethora of handouts that are only KIND of cheesy. Old drug psas play on the screens as you go through. I loved the variety of artifacts they had (we even found out we bought a type of spoon used for meth at a yardsale!). I'll recommend this to anyone I know coming to DC. read more

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Nice little museum in a corporate building. It has a time period of when drugs were introduced into our country and how the DEA first started and hunted down these criminals. Worth the walk through. read more

This museum was a refreshing change from the other DC Museums. FULL of interesting history and information but much smaller and less crowded. It was nice not to be surrounded by school groups and have some personal space to enjoy this museum. read more

Located right next to the Pentagon City Metro stop in the DEA headquarters, it is easy to think the size of the musuem would leave many questions unanswered to those that explore it. However, what the musuem lacks in size, it makes up in the presentation of exhibits. Its drug exhibits touch everything from the Chinese Opium trade to the present day legalization of marijuana in the United States. The exhibits are easy to read and understand and one can easily spend 3-4 hours going through the information. There are also a few movies and interactive kiosks which help supplement learning. Because of its location, it doesnt seem to get much traffic at a given time. When I went, there was only one other family there the wole time which allowed me to better enjoy the experience. Most importantly, it is completely FREE. Highly recommend checking this musuem out and heading across the street to enjoy one of the many great restaurants the area has to offer. read more

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My last assignment lasted over 5 years and was at building 700 Lincoln Place which houses the museum which is located on the ground floor. I retired and moved on. I never visited our museum. Why? I have no answer. However, today thanks to my lovely bride, who forced me back into the building, I finally visited the museum. Really glad I did. It is a well planned and highly informative. If your in the area recommend you stop by. read more

Let me first say I was drug here against my will (no pun intended). My bf had to do a class project that had him here and man it was bor-ing. The security was crazy tight getting in so don't bring anything you might have to explain or might get you stopped at the airport. I always notice the closer I get to DC when visiting museums the more over-the-top the security is. This museum is about the drug infiltration into the United States and how it has shaped our law tactics, cultural outlook, and the consequences/effects it has had overall on our society. There's a MP3 player you can take along with you to hear everything about the museum as you walk along from exhibit to exhibit. This was more helpful than I'd like to admit. The exhibits themselves are pretty creative and I did enjoy all the photography shots and artifacts from the early 1900s to current time. If you want to scare your children into not doing drugs this is a good stepping stone but if you're not in need of this sort of education I feel like Wikipedia or an A&E special might be able to do the same trick. read more

This museum was only a 10 minute drive out of the city and definitely worth the trip. Weird old paraphernalia from the drug days of past accompanies by lots of informative pictures and videos. I went with my family and it took about one hour to see everything. Parking isn't the greatest, Costco parking lot is nearby for a minimal fee. read more

This is a great introduction to drug addiction, opium war, drug trafficking, and how pharmacy has changed. They also include some artifacts that have been confiscated by the DEA in the past. While this museum is quite small, it is a great 1-1.5 hour visit if you're in the area and taking the time to read through the descriptions. The exhibit is suitable for 10+ years olds. The day I went, there were a LOT of students on field trips visiting so it appears to be frequented often. Staff was friendly and as a visiting pharmacy student, they also offered speakers if I scheduled a tour in advanced. I parked across at the Fashion Mall which was reasonable in price- $2 for less than 2 hours and $3 for up to 3 hours! read more

This museum was a pleasant surprise and far exceeded what I initially imagined. I decided on the DEA museum because it was free and very close to the Pentagon Mall where I was at. Little did I know that I would genuinely enjoy what the tiny little museum would offer. Although smaller than any other museum I've ever visited, each exhibit had a plethora of information in it. And since I was rather ignorant on drug use within history, I learned a lot more than I anticipated. The structure of the museum was also really simple, since each area is split into different time periods. Overall, this museum was a surprisingly good experience from me, and it was free, which is always a plus! read more

So if you're ever running really early to pick up someone from Reagan National or you just happen to find yourself wandering the streets, stop in to waste a few. Not sure I would have ever stopped in here other than that I needed to kill some time before a flight arrived...but needless to say I went in. The museum traces the history of drug enforcement on opium trafficking... Interesting huh? Honestly the best part is a simulated head shop with a huge bong name The Tokemaster. Hey everyone has their opinions of drug use and we must fight the fight blah blah blah... Only improvements I could see is possibly letting them jam that tokemaster in my mouth and let me work it like a Vuvuzela until they funnel us tourists into the lobby to serve a healthy dose of funyons and golden grahams. Grubs~ read more

Wonderful small museum in Arlington. Entrance is actually on Hayes even though the address is Army Navy. Cool display on history of drug abuse as well as drug seeking behaviors and physiology. Impressive wall of fame showing DEA agents who died in the line of duty. Gift shop is extensive with good quality shirts. The lady who worked there was pleasant but seemed pre occupied with reading her novel. No public parking lot and you either need to find street parking or park at Costco or Nordstrom. read more

A hidden gem! I absolutely loved this museum, if you can work around the limited hours (why I am giving 4 stars) make sure to go! I live one block away and it took me a long time to finally get in and I'm so glad I did. So interesting and detailed! A must see! read more

Definitely worth an hour or two if you can make their pretty restricted hours of operation. Only open Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm, closed federal holidays. It's free too. I visited on a random Friday I had off from work around 1pm and there were a few other people in the museum, but my feeling is it never gets very crowded. For a location reference point, it's right across from the Pentagon City mall. There is an audio tour option which I would have done if my battery had been higher than 50%. You go to a website and access the audio tour through there- no wifi available and no headphones are given out. They basically have three current exhibits: "Illegal drugs in America", "Good medicine, bad behavior", and "Drugs:costs and consequences". The "Illegal drugs in America" basically goes through the decades outlining the history of drugs, drug abuse, and drug law enforcement. It starts with the opium wars and how opium became popular and imported from Asia and spans all the way to more recent Narco trafficking and prescription drug abuse. Surprisingly, it's not obnoxiously akin to a "don't do drugs" ad and is just more factual. They have some interesting things on display: weapons, confiscated evidence, paraphanelia, law enforcement badges, and even a part of an underground trafficking tunnel. "Good medicine, bad behavior" basically displays the prescription drug epidemic and features pharmacies through the decades and lengthy displays on how the body reacts to prescription drugs. It also features obituaries from teens/early 20s individuals who were prescribed too much and died. This exhibit was more an ad to discourage drug use, and I, personally, just skimmed this exhibit. The "drugs costs and consequences" is more geared towards kids. Remember the DARE program? This is pretty much what the exhibit is in a nutshell. Anyways, I wouldn't go out of your way to visit here and I was really only impressed with the first exhibit, however, I'm glad I can now say I saw this museum after walking by it countless times. read more

We came on a weekday when it opened at 10am, and it wasn't crowded at all, so that was nice. Like others have said, this is a pretty quick visit. I took the time to try to read as much as I could, and I still got through everything in about an hour and a half. I'm about to graduate pharmacy school, so some of the content (like how the drugs act and the history of pharmacies) isn't very new to me, but I thought the history of drug abuse was informative and interesting. It's free, so worth stopping by if in the area and have a little time. read more

Great place to go; only two stops from Reagan Airport in Pentagon City! I checked in early for my flight and thought I might check out this museum since I've seen Narcos on Netflix. You'll need to go through security check-in similar to any other museum in DC. The exhibits were both interesting and informative with actual DEA seized-items on display. My favorite was Rafael Caro Quintero's Colt .45 pistol bedazzled with diamonds. Another interesting item was the wall that honored fallen agents who gave their lives; Kiki Camenera was on that wall needless to say. Just beware that this museum is closed on Monday. read more

Small but cool museum for DEA history. One of the little known places in DC. Close to the Pentagon or Pentagon City Metro. Good gift shop.