I will echo Hoverfly’s advice and sign up for a class and Gwl1 also offered a good suggestion about choosing theater but I will give you a different reason.
I worked on a university campus for 27 years. A university is a collection of warring camps that fight over the limited funding available. Each department, (Business, Math, Art, Science) is generally segregated from the other departments and each one has its own stereotypical collection of people.
Digression: One of the university presidents I worked was very interested in having a diverse student body and he spent a lot of money on “foreign student” scholarships. I offered him a serious suggestion that he could accomplish much of the same thing by holding business classes (for the business students) in the art building. The mixing of those two diverse cultures would have been good for both the business students and then art students. The idea never got off the ground because he correctly pointed out the faculty would never do it.
Second digression: I once was giving a talk to university folks on desktop publishing and I gave them an “art test” that didn’t require them to draw a picture of a pirate. I told them to walk around in the fine art building for a little while and if they didn’t feel too out of place, they probably were an artist
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If there is anyplace that would accept heels its the fine art department of a university campus. Be ready for a very aggressive but tolerant bunch of folks (remember these folks don’t think twice about getting up on a stage).
On the campus where I worked, we catered to “non traditional” students so someone in their 40s (and older) would fit right in.
As far as security goes, I left the university 8 years ago so I don’t have a feel for the current level of campus security but 8 years ago, If you didn’t behave badly, no one would have stopped you.
One additional thought, theater, art, and music departments are always having shows and performances that are open to the public. Many are free or the cost just covers the expense.