Orlando Culture and Nightlife
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In this section: the arts and nightlife.
The arts
Entertainment in Orlando is not an unadulterated diet of kitsch and theme park razzmatazz. The city has a vibrant cultural scene, with everything from Broadway shows to opera and orchestral music. As far as the performing arts are concerned, the majority of the top-quality shows are staged between October and April, although there is plenty to choose from year-round. The main venues are listed below.
Museums & Art Galleries:
Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art
445 North Park Avenue Winter Park, FL 32789
Tel: 407-645 5311 www.morsemuseum.org
The world's most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, including jewelery, pottery, paintings, and glassworks.
City Hall of Orlando - Terrace Gallery
400 S Orange Avenue Orlando, FL 32801
Tel: 407-246 4278
Showcases Florida artists and travelling exhibits.
Orange County Regional History Center and Heritage Square
65 East Central Boulevard Tel: 407-836 8500
Set in the 1927 Orange County Courthouse, this award-winning museum explains Florida's diverse history from Native Americans to cartoon heroes.
Orlando Museum of Art
2416 North Mills Avenue
Tel: 407-896 4231 www.omart.org
Collections of American, African, and ancient American art plus touring international art exhibits.
Orlando Science Center
777 East Princeton Street
Tel: 407-514 2000 or 888-672 4386 www.osc.org
Dozens of interactive exhibits that keep all ages entertained plus an eight-story CineDome screen, the world's largest domed theater and planetarium.
Theaters:
Cirque Du Soleil
Downtown Disney West Side
Tel: 407-939 1298 http://www.cirquedusoleil.com
Don't be misled by the name. This is much more than a mere circus. Outrageous costumes (and prices) and outlandish acts make this a very memorable evening indeed.
Surfside Playhouse
Brevard Avenue and South 5th Avenue Cocoa Beach
Tel: 321-783 3127 www.surfsideplayers.com
A community theater featuring first-rate performances.
Broadway In Orlando
201 South Orange Avenue, Suite 101 Tel: 407-423 9999 or 800-950 4647
Presents a series of national touring Broadway productions at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center.
Ballet:
Central Florida Ballet
4525 Vineland Road, Suite 204, Orlando, FL 32811 Tel: 407-849 9948
Opera:
Orlando Opera
Bob Carr Performing Arts Center Tel: 407-426 1717 or 800-336 7372 Celebrating over 40 years of performing in central Florida.
Concerts:
Bob Carr Performing Arts Center
401 Livingston Street Orlando Tel: 407-849 2070
A year-round community auditorium that hosts regional and national music, theater, and dance.
Orlando Arena
600 W Amelia Street Orlando Tel: 407-849 2020
One of the main concert venues in the area.
Nightlife
Orlando's theme parks do an excellent job of keeping their clientele after hours, which is a shame, as downtown (Orlando's not Disney's) is worth the excursion.
Downtown Disney and CityWalk, on the other hand, have restaurants, bars, and clubs all centrally located with transportation back to resort hotels until late evening, so you need not worry about drink driving. Downtown Disney can still be too pristine for an evening and both seem to be taken over by local teens during the weekend. Downtown Orlando is exactly what you'd expect from a bustling city: a mixture of stylish clubs and bars, some characterful watering holes, and a large variety of independent restaurants. The choice - something never in short supply in Orlando - is yours.
Nightclubs:
Adventurers Club
Downtown Disney
Modeled after a gentlemen's sports club of the 1930s, this bar and nightclub offers eccentric live stage shows in four different rooms.
8TRAX
Downtown Disney
Relive the disco days of the 70s. Mannequins Dance Palace Downtown Disney Once voted the Southeast's best dance club. Spinning dance floor and state-of-the-art light and sound systems keep crowds going.
the groove
CityWalk A hip dance club with a throbbing sound system frequented mostly by young singles on the make.
Pubs & bars:
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville
CityWalk
A spin-off of Jimmy's original Key West booze house. The original is the biggest tourist trap in Key West. This one has the best margaritas in CityWalk.
Cricketer's Arms
8445 International Drive
The Mercado Tel: 407-354 0686
A taste of England serving 15 imported beers and four hand-drawn ales.
Lucky Leprechaun Irish Pub
7032 International Drive Tel: 407-352 7031
Irish beer, song, and cheer.
8 Seconds
100 W Livingston Street Tel: 407-839 4800
A rodeo bar with a mechanical bull and dance lessons.
Music Venues:
Pleasure Island Jazz Company
Downtown Disney
Features current jazz stars and local artists in a relaxed environment.
Pat O'Brien's
CityWalk
A copy of New Orleans' famous watering hole, featuring duelling pianos and its trademark Hurricane, a potent rum concoction.
CityJazz
CityWalk Hosts live performances of fine jazz musicians.
Latin Quarter
CityWalk Sexy salsa and stiff drinks. The live performances draw a big crowd.
The Social 5
4 N Orange Avenue
Tel: 407-246 1419 www.orlandosocial.com
Nightly live music from local and national acts.
Comedy Venues:
Comedy Warehouse
Downtown Disney
The Who, What, and Warehouse Players offer hilarious improv every night.
SAK Comedy Lab
380 W Amelia Street
Tel: 407-648 0001 www.sak.com
Improvisational comedy show.
Cinema:
Universal Cineplex
CityWalk
Tel: 407-354 5998
AMC
Downtown Disney Tel: 407-298 4488
Enzian Cinema
1300 South Orlando Avenue, Maitland
Tel: 407-629 1088 www.enzian.org
Florida's only not-for-profit cinema and the best place to see non-mainstream movies.