By Amy Diaz
For my seventh birthday, I asked my parents for a set of encyclopedias.
Hanging out with my best friend as a kid meant reenacting scenes from books, and my favorite game to play with my younger sister was “library.”
I think I had a fun childhood, but when I went to the Glazer Children’s Museum on Feb. 8 for Grown Up Night, I felt less like I was reliving my childhood and more like I was living someone else’s.
A $25 ticket at the door got me kid-friendly snacks like chips and pretzels, and not-so-kid-friendly beer from Florida Avenue Brewing.
With a neon pink wristband confirming my adult status, I made my way in.
“Yeah!” by Usher was the first song to play as I walked in, which took me back to my elementary school days of field trips to Astro Skate. It’s my go-to throwback song.
Over 300 adults in the three-story children’s museum were dancing, drinking, laughing and most importantly –– playing.
One group of grown-up friends kicked off their shoes and opted for lounging in a big sandbox with all the necessary tools for castle construction.
A couple of musically-inclined adults played the childhood classic, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” on a rainbow light-up keyboard.
One adventurous man took to the rock-climbing wall. A few rebellious women crawled through climber exhibits, despite the 55-inch height limit.
Some adults ventured to the exhibits meant for kids to pretend to be adults, like the laundromat and Publix.
I got a beer right away to blend in with the other inebriated adults and try to loosen up. “Being a kid is totally easy,” I told myself. “Just stick a Lego on another Lego or something!”
I found the Lego art wall and moved a couple around before becoming self-conscious about my vision for the piece. I put a pink Lego next to a brown Lego. I mean, what was I even doing?
I also realized I had been working next to somebody else’s design, which was undeniably phallic, and decided to try something else.
I wandered into the Twinkle Stars Theater and witnessed two grown men wearing reptilian costumes, writhing on stage and releasing high-pitched squeals. The few members of the audience gave standing ovations. I’m sure if I had gotten there sooner, I would have been able to appreciate the performance a bit more.
I downed the rest of my beer and braved myself for the third floor.
To my horror, I watched adults willingly plop down on those treacherous scooters we were all forced to play on in physical education. I winced imagining the number of times I ran over my fingers while kicking for my life on those death traps.
On the other side of the room, people were hula-hooping, which is a much more approachable activity. I made my way over to participate because, not to brag or anything but, I’m like, really good at hula-hooping.
Unfortunately, one man decided to push the envelope and use multiple hoops, so there weren’t any left. I retreated.
I found solace in a glowing box of sand with an ocean floor projected onto it. I swept one finger through the sand and watched the holographic fish swim around it.
I was a shy kid, so I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I found myself away from the climbers, actors and Lego-artists. But just being there, spending an hour away from work, school, chores, and other adult responsibilities, felt like I was reliving my childhood.
A woman in a toga walked past me and asked if I wanted to join in on the parade that was about to begin. I channeled my inner child, and just as young Amy would have, I passed.
If you go: The Glazer Children’s Museum puts on the Grown Up Night, 110 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, every few months. Presale tickets are $20 and tickets at the door are $25. Snacks and beer are free as long as they are available, and they also have a cash bar. The event is 21 and up.
