Explore Differently at these Passport Places

Think history is just books, portraits, and tours? Think again! These Passport Places offer visitors unique experiences, allowing them to explore history in new and exciting ways. From immersive Dungeons and Dragons adventures, puzzling escape rooms deep underground, to hands-on exhibits and experiences, these Passport Places will challenge the ways you interact with Canada’s history and offer you a new perspective on historic sites.

Escape Room – Diefenbunker, Ottawa, ON

 

Welcome to the world’s largest escape room… located in a Cold War bunker 75 feet underground! This unique experience, created in collaboration with Escape Manor, challenges visitors to find clues, solve puzzles, and break out of the Diefenbunker. Take your pick of two challenges: Covert Ops where you and your group have snuck away from your tour guide only to find an enemy spy organization planning a nuclear attack, or Radioactive where your lives are in the hands of a supercomputer after a nuclear event at ground level.

Will you escape the Diefenbunker?

 

Immersive Dungeons and Dragons – Colony of Avalon, Ferryland, NL

Step-up your Dungeons and Dragons game by fully immersing yourself with this game, hosted by Colony of Avalon in a 17th century kitchen. The perfect combination of history and fantasy, this hosted game is sure to help you unleash your imagination as you set off on an adventure you’re sure to remember.

Your D&D experience can be booked online: https://colonyofavalon.ca/experiences/hosted-dungeons-dragons/

 

Lego Challenges and Morse Code – Heart’s Content Cable Station, Heart’s Content, NL 

Over 100 years ago, Heart’s Content Cable Station played a crucial role in transforming global communication when the first successful transatlantic cable was brought ashore, connecting North America and Europe. Today, visitors can explore this history and challenge themselves through coding challenges in the Discovery Room and sending coded messages via Morse Code.

 

Dalnavert on Drugs Tour – Dalnavert Museum, Winnipeg, MB 

Explore a different side of the Victorian era with this tour from Dalnavert Museum and discover drug use (and misuse) and how trade routes, technology, science, and societal beliefs influenced drug and medical culture.

Tours can be booked online: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/friendsofdalnavert/items/467539/?full-items=yes&flow=817374

 

Train Simulator – Toronto Railway Museum, Toronto, ON 

All aboard! Step behind the controls of a locomotive with the Toronto Railway Museum’s Train Simulator, which will transport you back in time to the 1950s. Travel through Toronto’s Rail Lands and pass by landmarks like Union Station and the John Street Roundhouse. After your ride, stop by Don Station—once a working train station, now home to the museum’s gift shop featuring unique train-themed items and memorabilia.

 

Battle Re-enactments – Battlefield House Museum & Park, Stoney Creek, ON 

What better way to experience history than to experience and witness it firsthand? Each year on the first weekend in June, Battlefield House Museum hosts a re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek, a decisive victory for the British during the War of 1812. Come to Battlefield House to immerse yourself in the time of the War of 1812, interact with soldiers, learn some skills, and watch the re-enactment.

Check their website for more details and exact dates: www.hamilton.ca/battlefield, www.hamilton.ca/reenactment

 

Blacksmith Shop – Orwell Corner Historic Village, Vernon Bridge, PEI

Step back in time and into a 19th century blacksmith shop at Orwell Corner Historic Village! Say hello to the talented blacksmiths in the forge as they walk you through the blacksmithing process, and make you a special keepsake to take home.

Available for ages 16 and up. Learn more on their website. https://orwellcornervillage.ca/experiences/ 

 

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The above historic sites are part of the Trust’s Passport Places program, a National Trust membership benefit that provides free access to over 100 historic places in Canada, as well as 1000+ National Trust places abroad. Become a member today!