IDs checked at the door for Minnesota Children’s Museum

Upcoming Adults@Play invites grown-ups to unleash their inner child

Franki Hanke, Senior Reporter

Usually, the Minnesota Children’s Museum is overrun with children and filled with the sounds of imagined narratives, shrill laughter, or overtired screaming as kids of all ages fill the multiple rooms of the play-based museum. However, the evening of March 7 the space will be adults-only for an after hours event that gives the big kids a chance to play.

“At Minnesota Children’s Museum, our mission is to spark children’s learning through play. But, it’s important for adults to play too. It helps reduce stress and contributes to overall well-being,”Courtney Finn, Director of Strategic Communications, said. “We came up with this event to provide adults the opportunity to play like kids again.”

This will be the fourth Adults@Play event following the success of the first three, but with a new galactic games theme.

“I would definitely recommend it. I’m already RSVP’d on Facebook to go again this year,” Josie Adkins, previous attendee, said.

In the past, 700 to 900 people have attended, which is why advance tickets are recommended, but they are not required.

“It’s a fun night out with friends or family and also makes a great date night. We’ve continued to do these every few months because people really enjoy them.”

Not only is it fun, some people are curious about the recent renovation of the museum so this ticketed event gives even those without children a chance to check out the new space.

To keep everyone fueled for the cosmic-themed activities such as making color-changing slime, creating a racing rover, and playing in space yard junk in the Imaginopolis exhibit, there will be food and drink available for purchase.

At the previous event last September, the museum offered snacks like bratwursts and beer-cheese pretzels alongside their usual fare.

While there’s activities happening, participants aren’t required to partake.

“People can play throughout the museum,” Finn said. “This event is playful and fun.”

So, if slime isn’t their jam, participants can take to the Our World exhibit to play within a miniaturized city to run their own farmers market filled with plastic food or man the hardware store in a tiny apron or run to The Scramble to walk a netted catwalk 40 feet up or slide the spiral slide.

“We ended up spending most of our time in the Our World exhibit with the mail trucks and farmer’s market because it brought back nostalgia from the visits we made when we were kids,” Adkins said.

The event is the opportunity to explore all the exhibits without worrying about taking out a pint-sized human or being pegged the weird, overzealous adult. Instead, it’s exactly the time.

“I wanted friends to experience it with me, because it’s a fun and safe place to act a little childish—not something we’re allowed to do in our regular lives anymore,” Liz Mathews, previous attendee of the last three Adults@Play events, said.

Tickets went on sale on Feb. 8 for $15 a piece. They can be purchased at mcm.org/adultsplay/.