4 Best Performing Arts Venues in Orlando, Florida

When this stunning, state-of-the-art venue opened in the heart of Downtown, it elevated the arts for Orlando. Encompassing three unique stages, it's where major Broadway productions found a home; where musicians such as Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, and Elvis Costello have performed; and where opera, symphonies, ballet, and comedy shows fill the calendar year-round.

This nonprofit art house is a cinematic treasure. First-run, quirky independent films are shown in this intimate theater, where locally sourced food is brought right to your table (yes, there are tables). Home to the acclaimed Florida Film Festival—as well as Jewish, South Asian, and Reel Short Teen film fests—the cinema also houses the very popular outdoor Eden Bar.

The theater complex has four stages, where a typical season includes 11 plays covering classics (including Shakespeare, of course), contemporary, musicals, comedies, and family shows. The theater also hosts the very popular Orlando International Fringe Festival, the oldest in America. The season runs June through April, with the Fringe Festival in May. PlayFest! The Harriett Lake Festival of New Plays offers world-premiere and staged-reading opportunities for new playwrights. The theater is in Loch Haven Cultural Park, just a few minutes north of Downtown, where the Orlando Science Center and the Museum of Art also stand.

Held at the Wonderworks hands-on science and activity center, this dinner show is exactly as its name suggests: a magic show filled with jokes, gags, and tricks. The magicians' juvenile one-liners make this delightful for kids and pleasingly silly for adults, and audience participation plays a huge part in the experience. A pizza/salad/soft drink buffet is open prior to the show.