A man sitting at a metal table, squinting in the harsh spotlight, grins for his wife, who giddily snaps pictures of her husband being interrogated by a menacing J. Edgar Hoover. A couple of rooms away, a group watches a wildly dancing Beyonce as Destiny Child's hit song "Bootylicious" plays in the background. Not far off, Robert E. Lee sits grimly with a quill poised above a sheet of parchment, about to admit defeat and surrender the Confederacy.

If You Go Madame Tussauds Washington, D.C, at 1025 F St. N.W., opens at 10 a.m. daily. Admission is $25 for adults, $18 for children and $23 for seniors. Call 202-942-7300 or go to madametussaudsdc.com