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Porto Alegre has an active cultural life. Rua Padre Chagas (and adjacent streets in the Moinhos de Vento neighborhood) is a good place to find sophisticated cafés, bars, and restaurants.
Occupying what was Porto Alegre's finest hotel at the turn of the 20th century, the salmon-pink Casa de Cultura Mário Quintana has two art-house cinemas, one theater, and several exhibit rooms. The popular Café Santo da Casa, on the seventh floor, has regular jazz and classical music performances and gets busy with an after-work crowd.
With its conspicuous 350-foot brick smokestack, the Centro Cultural Usina do Gasômetro was the city's first coal-fired power plant—built in the late 1920s, when the city experienced rapid growth. Today it holds theaters, meeting rooms, and exhibit spaces on the banks of the Rio Guaíba. A terrace café overlooking the river is the perfect place to take in a sunset. The center is open Tuesday–Sunday 9–9. To find out what's on, it's best to call ahead, as there is little up-to-date information published online.
