08/18/2026
D-Day 2026.
It’s an understatement to say how happy I am with how well this event went.
This year, in addition to staying open later and debuting two more beautiful rooms, I spent the week leading up to the event writing 60 different information sheets and posting them throughout the bunker. Even when I handle every tour myself, there’s simply no way to speak to every tangible piece of history in the building. These sheets gave people the ability to explore at their own pace, stop and read about what interested them, ask questions as they had them, and ultimately learn far more than they would from a tour alone.
And it worked better than I could have hoped.
While the general consensus was that attendance on the beach was down significantly this year, we welcomed nearly 40% more visitors than we ever have before.
The girls and I were completely on our own Thursday which would previously been an actual nightmare, and we had fewer reenactors staying on site throughout the event. Despite that, we were able to comfortably welcome significantly more people through the bunker without feeling overwhelmed. The information sheets seemed like such a small addition, but they completely changed the way people experienced the museum. Visitors stayed longer, explored more, learned more, and seemed genuinely more connected to the experience the bunker was created to give.
Seeing people take their time reading, looking closely at the artifacts, talking about what they had learned, and coming back with questions was incredibly rewarding after all the work that went into it.
Most of all, I’m grateful. For Gary and his tireless support, for Ayla who handed ALL of the admissions, for the friends who stayed on site with us, the ones who invited us out and also came out and partied with us, the guests who walked in as strangers and left as new friends, and everyone who showed up and supported what we’re building here.
D-Day 2026 was our biggest and best one yet.
-HG
