2017 Gay Travel Guide - 33

Arts & Culture

The Unexpected Side of Orlando
Orlando is abuzz with culture - and all
kinds, too! This city is as proud of its
arts as it is of its nightly fireworks at the
theme parks. Culture vultures could stay
busy for weeks.

Dr. Phillips Center for the
Performing Arts

Art Galleries and Museums

CityArts Factory is where the flavor of
local artists comes alive in the largest
collection of art galleries in downtown
Orlando. Check out the art while mixing
and mingling at their regular Third
Thursday Gallery Hop - it's loads of
cosmopolitan fun! The Grand Bohemian
Gallery in two locations-downtown
Orlando and Celebration-features a
variety of art, including jewelry, glass
and sculpture pieces. The Bösendorfer
Lounge is a gorgeous venue for cocktails
and live music.

Orange County Regional History Center

The stage is set for even more dazzling
performances at Orlando's gorgeous
flagship home for performing arts. The
downtown center includes the Seneff
Arts Plaza for outdoor performances,
the 2,700-seat Walt Disney Theater as
the main stage and the 300-seat Alexis
& Jim Pugh Theater. Enjoy performances
by the Orlando Ballet, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra or upcoming
Broadways shows in 2017 and 2018
including Finding Neverland, The Book
of Mormon, The Lion King and Rent.

The Cornell Fine Arts Museum sits on the
campus of Rollins College in Winter Park
and features a diverse collection that
includes the works of Henri Matisse,
Pablo Picasso and Thomas Moran. And
the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum
of American Art, also in Winter Park,
houses one of the world's most impressive collections of works by famed artist
Louis Comfort Tiffany.

History and Culture

Orlando is a modern city with a rich
history. Before theme parks, attractions
and hotels, it was a land of cowboys,
pastures, swamps and rolling, citruscovered hills.
The Orange County Regional History
Center, a Smithsonian Affiliate, takes
visitors back through Orlando's 12,000
years of history, from the famous
sinkhole that swallowed a whole city
block to what life was like in Orlando-
before air conditioning-in a Pioneer
Cracker home. The center itself, built in
1927, is a historic downtown landmark
and once was Orlando's sixth Orange
County Courthouse. Fun rotating exhibits
add color and whimsy to the mix.
VisitOrlando.com/lgbtq 33
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2017 Gay Travel Guide
