National Cryptologic Museum, Annapolis MD

Talk about your hidden gems! This week we went to the National Cryptologic Museum which is the museum of the NSA (National Security Agency). Upon arrival, we were greeted by the volunteer at the front desk. She shared that all volunteers are former employees of the NSA. The museum doesn't look like much from the outside, but it was a big hit with my son and his friend!

The volunteer asked each of the boys if they wanted to try the Crypto Kids Challenge, which they both eagerly accepted. They were each given a clipboard and pencil, a Caesar Cypher Wheel, and a sheet with 15 blank spots to fill in. As we moved through the museum, each of the 15 challenges were marked by a cartoon figure. The sign would pose a question about some sort of code breaking topic, and then would have a code to set their cypher wheel to, in order to break the code and find the answer! This task alone helped the boys to forget that it was a museum, and make them feel like they were truly code breakers. When they completed the chart correctly, they were able to take the sheet back to the front desk for a prize!

In addition to this smart and interactive activity, the variety of code machines and stories about code breakers was incredibly informative and interesting. The machine that had the largest "wow factor" was definitely the Enigma machine, which was used in world war II Germany. They had paper and pencils out, with directions on how to set the machine and write/break different codes! Each boy put in their name, and typed the code that appeared as each letter was typed. We then reset it, typed in the code letters, and watched as their name lit up, letter by letter.




While the Enigma machine, and many other machines and gadgets were not surprising to learn about, we found the Hobo Communication exhibit to be particularly unexpected and fascinating. First we read about who hobo's are and how they traveled around the country looking for work. What we didn't know was that there were many towns where they were unwelcome when there wasn't work to be had. The hobo's had to create a code language of images that they carved all over different towns, letting other hobo's know if the town was friendly or not, if the people in certain houses were friendly, if their were dogs, etc! The exhibit is a model town, with a listing of symbols that they used on the side. Each symbol had a button to press, which lit up that area of the town. This was fun and educational.

In addition to the cool things listed above, they also had exhibits on technological advancements, the Vietnam War, Navajo Code Talkers, invisible ink coding, women in code breaking, and African American's role in code breaking.

This museum was small, but great, and allowed us to enjoy 2 hours worth of time in a great and educational venue. We also appreciated the phone tour that you could dial into at many of the exhibits. They provide you with a list of all the codes and the phone number at the front desk, and then as you walk through, you can call the phone number and type in the code and # key to hear about each part of the museum. We just hung up after each session, and then hit redial whenever there was another exhibit that we wanted to learn more about!

What great and free fun this was! However, if you get a chance to donate, they greatly appreciate it. They even have a sign-in sheet to show potential donors how many people come to this non-government funded museum. This is a great place for field trips!

Website: https;//www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic-heritage/museum/ 

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Laurel Park (Horse RacingTrack), Laurel MD

It may not be as well known as the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain, but also exciting and much more local is watching the horse races at the Laurel Park! I certainly advise calliing ahead and/or checking the calendar on their website, but races typically take place Thursday-Sunday, with Race times starting at around 1pm. When speaking with them on the phone, they told me that the races had roughly 30 minute breaks in between each one. What I didn't know was that typically, the races were one lap and that the whole race lasted about 2 minutes. However, for races that are larger events, they may have more laps and last for longer, but the crowds will also be larger. 

While this doesn't seem like a lot of time, knowing this now, I think we would have brought some activities (card or board games with us) to fill the time in between. However, in the hour and fifteen minutes that we were there, we were able to see 3 races. It was also helpful to see the big screen in the middle of the track, which let us know how much time until the next race. 

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS IS AN ESTABLISHMENT FOR GAMBLING! While we did not bet (and this is a free activity), it is important to note that most of the people that are there were there for betting. However, we found that because most people were there for gambling, they seemed to be more heavily staying inside and watching multiple races on the television screens. We however, went out to the actual track and stood right up against the fence next to the finish line and winners circle! What a great view that was for the races that were won by a nose (literally)! 

In between races, we ate on the picnic benches, and talked to a few of the other people who were outside to get a better understanding of how people pick horses to win, what the odds meant (this was a fun math lesson for my son), and all of the different things that go into the training of the horses. Most people were pretty happy to share their knowledge. 

Additionally, since we went to the races on a Thursday afternoon, and the track area was mostly empty, we were able to call out to the jockey who won one of the races, and he stopped to take a picture with the boys. They also gave their jockey goggles to our kids as a souvenir! When the weather got too hot to stay outside, we went inside and upstairs to an area where you could watch the races in air conditioning through large glass windows! Very few people were in there, so we were able to sit in nice leather chairs, right over the race track. This was a cool view to take in for our third race, and a great place to maybe play a game while waiting in between. 

While this is obviously not an event geared towards children, my kids certainly had a fun time, and said that they would like to come back another time.

Website: http://www.laurelpark.com/

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Main Event, Columbia, MD

Main Event, located in Columbia, Maryland is a do it all fun zone for families and friends to have a great time. They have a beautiful bowling alley, which had big TV screens, glow lights, and the ability to have bumpers be up or down depending on which player is bowling (this was an easy process). Any time we had a question, the staff was more than helpful. The lanes were clean, the balls were in good shape, and they had nice seating areas for each lane. If you wanted to purchase food, I believe they had that option as well.

In addition to the bowling alley, they also had a large arcade with a selection of video games that included both ticket-earning and non-ticket earning options. They also had a nicely sized prize store. If bowling and arcades don't excite you, then surely the laser tag arena will provide you with tons of fun. The equipment was well maintained, and there were no faulty issues which made the games very enjoyable. Lastly, if you want to avoid all technology, they also have several billiards tables and shuffleboard tables. These tables were in immaculate shape, and were located right next to a restaurant. 

Make sure before you go, that you check out the different deal offerings. We went for Monday Madness, which offered two options. For $10.95 per person plus shoe rentals, you can get all you can bowl, laser tag, billiards, and shuffleboard. If this option is not what you are looking for, you can also get the $10.95 deal for unlimited arcade games (non-ticket earning). This deal goes from 4pm-closing (1am). They also have a summer fun pass, a food and fun combo, and a kids eat free Tuesdays program. We spent 3 hours on our Monday Madness experience, and the kids had a blast!

Just know that this location is part of Columbia Mall, but can be accessed independently from the parking lot. It is right near the Barnes and Nobles. 

Website: https://www.mainevent.com

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Swallow Falls State Park, Oakland, MD

 Swallow Falls State Park provided a wonderful camping experience for our family this summer. Located right near Deep Creek Lake and all of its activities, this park offered clean camp sites for about $20 per night. They sell ice and firewood at the entrance to the park, and paying for camping gives you access to the trails and waterfalls. The camp sites were close enough that you could go with friends and be near them if you got neighboring sites, but far enough apart that everyone had their privacy. The bathrooms/showers were cleaned during our 2 days there by staff, and the shared water pump was very accessible to multiple camp sites.

Although there are falls called Swallow Falls, the larger and easier falls to get to in Swallow Falls State Park are called Muddy Creek Falls. There you will find a beautiful and scenic 54 foot waterfall, the largest free falling waterfall in the state, and the 3rd largest overall in the state. If you want a slightly longer hike (still under 2 miles), Swallow Falls are also scenic and enjoyable, just be prepared for a steep incline.

Website: http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/western/swallowfalls.aspx

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Splash Island (DCL Adventures), Oakland, Maryland

Summer is the best time of year to get out and do fun activities with kids. While DCL Adventures had several great options in Western Maryland (including Monkey Business Adventure Park, and Deep Creek Axe Throwing, we opted for some fun in the sun at their Splash Island location, housed at Will O’ the Wisp. What an incredibly fun place!!!

Upon arrival, the staff was very friendly in getting everyone checked in with the online waiver system. They were patient and willing to answer questions as they arose. Once we completed the waivers, we were pointed in the direction of the life vests, and sent down to the lake. The activity was a surprise for my kids, and when they walked down to the inflatable obstacle course, their eyes lit up! Within seconds, we were in the water and climbing onto the obstacles. With over 20 different obstacles linked together, my boys were thoroughly entertained for the entire hour time slot that we were signed up. They easily could have played for another hour if we had the time. My youngest son even commented that "this is the best activity we did all summer!"

The obstacles ranged in their level of difficulty, and my kids found the floating bridges and the hamster wheel to be the most challenging. They also had multiple life guards on duty, and when one of my boys got stuck they happily jumped in and helped him get through the obstacle. They really enjoyed climbing the tower and jumping off from near the top, as well as the large slide and the swing! This is definitely a place we would come back to in the future, and we would also definitely try their other activities. The ropes course looked like it provided a variety of challenges as well.

Pricing: $30 per person, per hour.

Address:

20160 Garrett Highway

Oakland, Maryland 21550

Website:

https://dcladventures.com/

https://www.facebook.com/splashislandmd/

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