This morning, the National Cryptologic Museum celebrated its grand opening! Expert guides were present to give insight into the intelligence behind artifacts, current technology, and even the trained dogs. My children told me that they had the best time!

One of the most interactive and engaging exhibits was their car, which was set up to look like a regular video game experience with a steering wheel and screen showing where you’re driving.

Little did the driver know, someone was behind the car hacking into its system! Apparently, this is something that could actually happen in real life to any vehicle!

Taking the vehicle for a drive was the most flashy and modern exhibit, but the most adorable was Waylon the trained dog! We learned how the dogs use tennis balls as a reward after dutifully doing their work. Waylon was super sweet. He was my daughter’s favorite part of visiting! She had the honor of holding his leash, and she even received his special ID card for being his most loyal visitor.

At one point, his ears perked up, and he started looking at my cell phone. I was worried he thought there was something wrong with the phone, but the officers explained that he was asking for a photo! When I held up the phone, he immediately gave me a picture-perfect smile.

For the Grand Opening, there was a scavenger hunt that engaged children in learning about the artifacts. Each child received a cipher to help decode hints around the museum. After finishing the scavenger hunt, there was a fun prize.

One artifact that become important later in the escape room was the Enigma Machine, which was used in Germany in WWII. The guide showed how to encrypt your name and create your own code.

Another part of the scavenger hunt involved using invisible ink and revealing the word behind it after it had dried. While the ink was drying, there was time to explore the other artifacts.

Although I thought the museum was going to be a short visit around an hour long, we spent 4 hours there! All of the special activities, plus the delicious food trucks, made it well worth staying until our spot was called for the escape room.

The National Cryptologic Museum will be hosting NerdINT: 4 Nights of STEM at the NCM Festival 2022, where there will be STEM-related activities for all ages on 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, and 11/9 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

For more activities near the museum, check out Travel.

Make sure to follow Enjoying Family Life on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.