Finally Playtime Again!

Sunday night we made our return to Strong Museum after more than four years.  The last time we were able to go was for a free night through Jacob's brain study in January 2019.  Carter went on a field trip this past summer, but we hadn't been able to go as a family in years.  It's terrible, I suppose, since Carter is rapidly growing out of the last of his peak years for the museum, but the pandemic and the museum's germy hands-on nature didn't really inspire me to rush back.  They're in the midst of some expansions, too, so I suppose the tendency is to wait until all of the new stuff is open to get more bang for your buck.  But offer me a free visit and I am all over that!  We have done that a few times in the past, both through the brain study and also for special nights courtesy of a company I have an investment through (thanks to my grandma), but those disappeared over the pandemic and I was so excited to finally get an invite to another one!  Even better that it was the night before the first official day of February break!  Unfortunately, Jacob decided to stay home to relax and do some homework.  We told him he was welcome to come, but we were concerned he'd get bored and spend most of the two-and-a-half hours complaining, so we suggested that if he couldn't help himself, he should really stay home. 

This was our first time parking in the new parking ramp (thankfully it was free--it's now another thing that normally needs to be paid for) and coming in the relocated entrance.  Construction is still ongoing and eventually there will be a cool new atrium entrance.  Our first stop was in the storybook area because Carter loved this one spot when he went on his field trip.  It was a detective-themed section with a hidden room you got into through a bookcase, a two-way mirror, a painting with eye holes, and spooky sounds you could trigger from the hidden room.  Then, on our way through to the back of the museum, Carter had to try the sword in the stone!

Our next stop was the pinball room.  It's always a favorite!  I played a couple rounds of Hot Wheels pinball and stunk at the kid-sized-but-challenging Super Mario machine, while Carter did Indiana Jones, The Simpsons, a basketball one, and Tron.

Our next stop was the butterfly exhibit.  While it's not Carter's favorite (and Craig wouldn't even go in), I always like doing it at these events because it's free.  Normally it's an upcharge on an already expensive ticket, so when I don't have to pay, I want to take advantage.  And it's sort of like the zoo--it's always different and you never know what you might see!  I used to be terrified of these sorts of things, but I have apparently desensitized myself over the years...even if they are still a bit buggy!  I no longer have a panic attack, but swoop too close to my head and I can't promise I won't shriek a little!

This lizard cracked me up.  It had that roving eye that always reminds me of the female assistant to the theater manager in "Sing!".  She was a lizard with a fake eye, and that one always seemed to move independently like the real lizard's eyes.

The unimpressed facial expression always amuses me.

I always wander around fruitlessly chasing butterflies for a photo op.  I didn't get all the ones I wanted to, but I did get a couple good ones.

Halfway through the path there was a steel drum.  Carter patiently waited for his turn and promptly realized that notes were labeled on sections of the drum.  He started playing simple songs that he'd learned with his viola.  It was so cool to see him make that connection.

I always like a funky flower.  These looked like raspberries when their petals fell off.

I spent a while chasing down blue morphos but none of them wanted to open their wings so I could take a picture of the vibrant blue inside.  The outside is intricate, but is brown and a little too moth-like for me.  A couple were nicely posed but wouldn't open, and then we saw a girl who randomly had one on her finger.  I just caught it!

This is what the outside looks like.  Amazing, but too insect-y for my tastes.

One more for the road...

I finally gave up and it was back out to check out the rest of the museum.   On the way there, Carter did the photo op where it looks like you're a superhero climbing the building.  It took a couple tries but I think he nailed it!

There was a new Raceway Arcade section in the one hallway.  I swear this area used to have a doorway to the special traveling exhibit space, but now it hosts a bunch of racing video games.  There were some crazy throwbacks that took me right back to the late 80s.  Craig and Carter enjoyed playing Mario Kart!

Guess who won?

While they were playing I checked out a couple other spots toward the former front of the museum that's now closed off to the outside.  They added a ropes course over the Bill Gray's diner that wasn't open but looks fun.  I also stopped by the fish tanks on my way through.  I liked this picture.

And I couldn't help but grab a selfie with the Count on my way back!  I miss going into the Sesame Street area, but thank goodness we didn't--we barely had any time as it was!

In fact, we're outgrowing a lot of the stuff, like the mini Wegmans and some of the climb-and-crawl spaces.  It's a strange feeling, but not entirely terrible.  Big kid stuff is fun, too...just different.  

Upstairs has a bunch of displays featuring older toys.  I was very impressed by this Erector set of a ferris wheel--it was at least a couple feet tall. 

There is a certain sobriety brought on by seeing your childhood toys in a museum.  Barbies, Smurfs, Care Bears, early battery-operated toys that were precursors to handheld video games, my favorite computer game...each case brought back another memory or reminded me I'm just old enough to have my childhood remembered like that in a formal museum setting.  It's a little strange.  But man, was it a great time to grow up!

I thought this Lego Mario was pretty super!

There were also a bunch of video games upstairs, ranging from old school upright games like the arcades of the 80s, to bubble hockey and giant-scale games, and on to free demo games to play with if you didn't want to get tokens (but at least everything was a single 25 cent token).

Craig and Carter loved the Star Wars game.  They didn't quite beat the Death Star, but they did enough to make the Ewoks cheer!

By this point we were running out of time.  We walked into the Toy Hall of Fame section and played with a couple things, and before we knew it, it was just about time to go.  We did a quick run into the crooked room, and this video sort of cracked me up.  It's so hard and disorienting to walk in this wacky space.  And that's why they have pads on the walls!

On our way out, we discovered that the trophy in the winner's circle could actually be picked up.  So of course Carter had to get another picture like this!

It really was fun to finally go back even if we don't get to enjoy a lot of the museum these days--between the time limitation and Carter's age and interests.  Some day we might have to shell out the big bucks to head back for a full day and really explore even the little kid stuff for nostalgia purposes and before Carter completely outgrows things with size limitations!  But I think we'll likely wait until the latest expansion is completed, which I think is supposed to be later this year.  That will include a whole bunch of new video game elements including more of the history and the Video Game Hall of Fame.  There's also supposed to be an outdoor park themed to board games.  I hope with these changes it may allow for some shifts that could make room to bring out more of the old collections - I miss the rows of old dolls and dollhouses, among other things.  I think they used to display things like train sets, too.  They may not be as exciting, but the collections were always impressive and I think it's neat for parents and modern kids to see how things have evolved.  I just love how the museum turns adults right back into kids, whether they're reminiscing upon seeing their toys on display or getting right in there playing with the interactive exhibits.  I saw an older woman on her knees playing with the toy trucks that scoop up the fake rocks, and I definitely put a few pegs in the giant Lite Brite!  It's such a special place, and while I will always enjoy going there, we're getting precariously close to the point where our family enjoyment will officially wane and I'll have to start looking forward to having grandkids to take there to enjoy it all over again.  That can wait, for sure, but having kids rapidly aging out of exhibits makes that vision a bit clearer!  In another 15 years I will definitely be ready for a return visit to the toddler stuff!  But for now, we'll enjoy what we can of these last few years of Carter's childhood and do as much reminiscing for ourselves as we can...and maybe I'll have to take my sweet godson there sooner rather than later!  Anyway, it was a fun trip back, but a solid reminder of how fast time is moving.  It doesn't seem like that long ago that we took Jacob there for the first time...and now kid #2 is almost over it.  How?!  Time is a thief, people.