7 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 arthouse 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.

If Sherlock Holmes has always intrigued you, head to this long-running show for a four-course meal served with a healthy dose of conspiracy. Sleuths is a hotbed of local acting talent, with several totally different whodunit performances staged throughout the week. The comedy-mystery show begins during your appetizer. You'll discuss clues and question still-living characters over dinner and then solve the crime during dessert. Prizes go to top sleuths.

This musical dramedy transports you to gangland Chicago of the 1930s, when mobsters and their molls were the height of underworld society. You'll meet "Al Capone" and learn that you can become a member of the "family," but you've got to help take care of a rat in the organization. Flashy costumes and musical numbers are accompanied by a four-course American and Italian dinner that includes beer, wine, and cocktails, as well as nonalcoholic drinks for kids. Check the website for a 50% off coupon.

In a huge, ersatz-medieval manor you'll marvel at sword fights, jousting matches, and other exciting games. The two-hour tournament and four-course feast has more than a dozen charging horses and a cast of 75 knights, nobles, wizards, and maidens. Sound silly? It is. But it's also a true extravaganza. That the show takes precedence over the meat-and-potatoes (or vegetarian) fare is obvious: everyone sits facing forward at long, narrow banquet tables, stepped auditorium-style, above the tournament area. Kids love eating without forks; adults are swept away by the tremendous horse-riding artistry. Check the website and area attractions booklets for discounts.

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.