Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once said, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” The creative minds at Glazer Children’s Museum (GCM) would agree with Shaw because they believe you’re never too old to play like a kid.
They believe in this so much that they offer adults the opportunity to play like kids in the museum every other month. This playful opportunity is called Grown Up Night. Grown Up Night started in 2017 as a way to generate funds for GCM, a nonprofit organization.
“We started hosting them quarterly and when they started to take off, we began hosting Grown Up Night every other month,” said GCM’s school and youth programs manager, Emily Woods. “At this point, we’ve hosted about 12 Grown Up Nights with themes ranging from ‘Outer Space’ to ‘Toga Party.’”
The next one will take place on Friday, March 13 from 5:30-8 p.m.
GCM’s last Grown Up Night was held on January 10 and was ‘Pirate Invasion’ themed. Local Gasparilla Krewes invaded Grown Up Night, where they passed out beads and posed for photo ops with guests, as well as participating in the event’s activities.
Tickets for GCM’s Grown Up Night cost $25 and include free beer by Florida Avenue Brewing and snacks from local restaurants while supplies last. There is also a cash bar available for cocktails.
In the coming year, GCM hopes to expand Grown Up Night to include even more partnerships with Tampa-based businesses. All the proceeds from Grown Up Night go to fund the educational programs at GCM.
“We love Grown Up Night because it gives us the opportunity to share our museum with guests who might not otherwise get to play here,” said Woods. “We believe that play matters and hope to inspire the grown ups in our community to play like kids again.”
Future dates and themes for GCM’s Grown Up Night are March 13, with the theme being ‘Spring Break,’ as well as Friday, May 29 with the theme being ‘School’s Out for Summer.’
If you would like to learn more about Grown Up Night at Glazer Children’s Museum or if you’d like to purchase tickets for the event, you can visit the museum’s website at https://glazermuseum.org/grownups or call 443-3861. Glazer Children’s Museum is located at 110 W. Gasparilla Plz. in downtown Tampa next to Curtis Hixon Park.
