July – August 31st Exhibit – Spy Tech from Then to Now

Jul 01, 2026   — Aug 31, 2026   

Categories Open Hours

Spy Tech from Then to Now

📅 July 1 to August 31, 2026 | 🕔 During open hours Long Island Explorium, Port Jefferson

✨ A hands on exhibit experience exploring codes, ciphers, and cybersecurity for families

Spy Tech from Then to Now invites families to step into the world of secret messages, hidden codes, and the STEM behind keeping information safe. Visitors will try hands on “spy challenges” that explore how people protected and uncovered information during the nation’s founding, and how those ideas connect to modern encryption and cybersecurity.

Activities are designed for kids and caregivers to do together, with interactive puzzles, code cracking, message making, and simple problem solving tasks that build confidence and curiosity.

  • Crack simple codes and solve spy puzzles
  • Make and decode secret messages
  • Explore patterns, logic, and early ciphers
  • Connect historic “spy tech” to modern encryption and cybersecurity
  • Work as a team, test ideas, and try again

Takeaway

  • Kids leave thinking about patterns, logic, and how STEM shapes privacy and security in everyday life

🎯 Exhibit Details

  • Dates: July 1 to August 31, 2026
  • Location: Long Island Explorium, Port Jefferson
  • Included with admission and membership during regular open hours
  • Family friendly, designed for kids and caregivers to participate together

🗺 Suffolk County 250th Anniversary Passport Program

  • The Explorium is a participating stop
  • Visitors can collect a commemorative passport stamp during their visit

📋 Visitor Notes

  • Activities are drop in and self guided, with staff support as available
  • Some challenges may rotate throughout the summer, so families can return for new puzzles

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About the Long Island Explorium (a 501(c)(3) not for profit, charitable organization)
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Founded in 2005, the Long Island Explorium is not just a museum, it is a launchpad for imagination and discovery. Through interactive exhibits, engaging workshops, and community events, we strive to ignite curiosity and passion for science and learning in hearts young and old. Join us on this adventure, where every question is a journey, and every journey brings us closer under the canopy of the cosmos.

Long Island Explorium is committed to the development of programs and exhibits deeply rooted in research and evidence based practice. Our programs are aligned with NYSSLS, ELA, Math, and Social Studies Standards.

These events are organized by the Long Island Explorium and provided free of charge in our support of children and STEM enrichment. If you would like to support this or any of our programs, please consider a donation of $10 to the Explorium by visiting our Support Page: https://longislandexplorium.org/support-us/

Please view our Visit Us page to learn more about our reopening and enhanced protocols: https://longislandexplorium.org/visit-us/
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July 1 - August 31st - Exhibit Spy Tech from Then to Now: STEM, Secrecy, and the Birth of a Nation invites visitors to explore secret messages and hidden codes. Try hands-on activities inspired by historic spy techniques and modern encryption, uncover local history, and see how STEM helped protect information during the nation’s founding - and continues to today.