We had family in town this weekend and it was just too cold to convince everyone outside for a Winterlude adventure, so we opted for one of Ottawa’s quirkiest family adventures: a visit to the Diefenbunker in Carp.
We first visited the Diefenbunker almost exactly two years ago; I remember it was another bitterly cold day as well and joked to the girl at the admissions desk that the next trip would definitely be in the sweltering heat of July. Not much had changed since our last visit, except for the fact that on a cold January morning we had the place almost entirely to ourselves, and on this visit the place was lousy with people seeking Winterlude alternatives to freezing on the Canal. While the kids followed clues on a Winterlude scavenger hunt and my brother and sister-in-law took in the exhibits, I entertained myself looking for fun photo opportunities.
Like this one! Tristan is generally resistant to anyone foisting their rules, world-view or peccadilloes on him, and he knew where I was going with this one the moment I pointed the sign out to him.
The kids could not walk past a rotary dial phone without stopping to pick one up and play with the dials. My niece was equally fascinated with every keyboard she encountered. I’m going to start calling her “Miss Moneypenny.”
My brother gets that I like to play and is patient enough to play along when I notice the really interesting shapes and shadows that appeared when he was framed in the door of the giant bank vault in the basement of the Diefenbunker.
Some stuff is just cool. I had a turntable in a box like a suitcase, but mine wasn’t as old as this one. What year do you figure this is from? Maybe mid-1950s?
And finally, you know you’re with your tribe when you say, “Pop a Charlie’s Angel’s back to back pose!” and your brother and sister-in-law instantly do this:
Even though nothing has changed since our last visit, and we had the disadvantage of no tours AND visiting on a very busy day, we still really enjoyed this excursion. And did you hear that the Diefenbunker is partering with Escape Manor to turn the Diefenbunker into the world’s largest escape room adventure? From the website:
You are on the final guided tour of the day, when you and your friends duck into a room and hide so that you can spend a night at the museum. You soon discover that it is not a museum at all. It is actually a cover for an enemy spy organization. You overhear some people talking behind closed doors of an imminent attack scheduled for tonight! You must escape! But first, you must find the communications room, stop the launch sequence and phone-in the Red Alert transmission to the outside world before it is too late! 12 people, 60 minutes. Do you have what it takes to save the world?
I can tell you that we’ll be going back for another visit to check THAT out! It sounds awesome! Even without the Escape Manor adventure, though, the Diefenbunker remains one of my favourite Ottawa family adventures.
I hang my head in shame as I say “I have never been.” Perhaps this weekend we finally take on that adventure.
Julie, you must go! You guys have such a quirky sense of humour, you will love it!