Time to Let Little Minds Grow!

A sneak peek at the Glazer Children’s Museum made clear that it will be a unique and amazing addition to downtown Tampa.

In case you haven’t heard, the Glazer Children’s Museum opens in Tampa on Sept. 25. After my preview, all I can say is: WOW!

While it was still under construction at the time, it took no stretch of the imagination to realize what a special, fun place it will be.

The museum is located in the heart of downtown Tampa along the Hillsborough River. While they expect most of their visitors to be families with children between the ages of 1-10, it is truly a destination that will fascinate all ages. Museum planners have incorporated little conveniences that visitors will appreciate. Designating parking in the Poe Garage will even take you right to the front of the museum so parents won’t have to cross intersections and railroad tracks with strollers. What really makes the museum special, however, can be found on the inside!

While there is no possible way I can tell you about all the many unique and amazing attractions at the museum, I will say that I have visited quite a few children’s museums. Usually they leave me largely unimpressed. The Glazer Museum, however, not only offers things I’ve never seen but they even include items I’d never have even thought of!

Quite a few exhibits celebrate the history and unique nature of Tampa Bay. KidsPort offers a whole room with a replica of the Port of Tampa and Tampa Bay. Kids can build little boats, float them in the bay and even under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. As city planners, kids won’t just get to build a city. They can actually build models of downtown Tampa! Visitors can even sit in the cockpit of a plane with aerial footage of Tampa Bay playing out in front of them. During a visit, you can’t help but feel a sense of pride and appreciation for the city we are lucky enough to call home.

Even tried and true exhibits have been given a creative twist. The checkout aisle at the grocery store not only shows you food’s prices, but its nutritional information. In the Health Center kids can take care of cute, cuddly stuffed animals. Taking the idea of a playhouse even farther, kids can install plumbing and put up a fence around the house as part of their renovations. And who knew that you could build a whole exhibit around paper airplanes? Kids can design and test the flight capabilities of their paper airplanes and when satisfied, they can launch it on the airplane runway!

I can’t even begin to imagine how much fun kids are going to have at this museum, whose attention to detail is quite impressive. What truly makes this such a great destination for families, however, is the fact that the kids get to create their own experience every time they go. You will be able to visit the museum repeatedly and still feel like each trip is a new adventure.

The Glazer Children’s Museum officially opens Sept. 25. Memberships are already available online at www.glazermuseum.org. They have family friendly ticket prices and offer annual passes at a great value. Also check online for details about their Golden Ticket promotion through which 50 lucky families will win Golden Tickets to visit the museum the week prior to their grand opening!

The Glazer Children’s Museum
www.glazermuseum.org

Museum’s Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/GlazerChildrensMuseum

Learn More About The Museum’s Namesake:
http://www.glazerfamilyfoundation.com/

By Marilyn Gyselinck

Gyselinck, a resident of The Shires, can be reached at mari.gys@gmail.com.