Best of Orlando 2015: Potpourri
Best of Orlando 2015: Eat and Drink Best of Orlando 2015: Personalities |
Bowling Alley
1 Kings Orlando
kingsbowlamerica.com/orlando
8255 International Drive, #120
Orlando
2 Splitsville
splitsvillelanes.com
1494 E. Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista
3 Colonial Lanes
coloniallanes.net
400 N. Primrose Drive
Orlando
Movie Theater
1 Cobb Plaza Cinema Café 12
cobbtheatres.com
155 S. Orange Ave.
Orlando
2 AMC Downtown Disney 24 with Dine-In Theatres
1500 E. Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista
3 Enzian
enzian.org
1300 S. Orlando Ave.
Maitland
Theme Park Ride
1 The Incredible Hulk Coaster
Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure
universalorlando.com
2 Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando
universalorlando.com
3 Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios
disneyworld.disney.go.com
Bike Trail
1 West Orange Trail
orangecountyfl.net
2 Cross Seminole Trail
seminolecountyfl.gov
3 Cady Way Trail
orangecountyfl.net
Best Non-Theme Park Attraction: Airboat tours at Wild Florida—tons of huge gators, a great breeze, and beautiful scenery far away from the pavement. Explore the wildlife park and view hundreds of exotic and native species. wildfloridairboats.com
Best Local Haunt: A Petrified Forest in Altamonte Springs offers up a nice Halloween alternative to other somewhat-pricey attractions, with live entertainment, laser tag, backstage tours, and an extra scare Total Eclipse night. apetrifiedforest.com
Entertainment Experience
1 Cirque du Soleil La Nouba
cirquedusoleil.com
Downtown Disney
1478 Buena Vista Drive
Orlando
2 Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
drphillipscenter.org
445 S. Magnolia Ave.
Orlando
3 SAK Comedy Lab
sakcomedylab.com
29 S. Orange Ave.
Orlando
Kids’ Entertainment
1 Walt Disney World
disneyworld.disney.go.com
Walt Disney World Resort
Orlando
2 Orlando Science Center
osc.org
777 E. Princeton St.
Orlando
3 Orlando Repertory
Theatre
orlandorep.com
1001 E. Princeton St.
Orlando
Performing Arts Group
1 Central Florida Community Arts
cfcarts.com
250 S.W. Ivanhoe Blvd.
Orlando
2 Orlando Ballet
orlandoballet.org
2211 N. Orange Ave.
Orlando
3 Orlando Shakespeare Theater
orlandoshakes.org
812 E. Rollins St.
Orlando
Best Venue to Hear Up and Coming Jazz Musicians: Rollins College and UCF’s music departments are alive with the next generation of jazz players, with the student-filled Flying Horse Big Band playing on the UCF campus. Rollins students and faculty offer free performances in the fabulous Tiedke Concert Hall. rollins.edu/music; music.cah.ucf.edu/jazz.php
Best Underground Dance Party: Body//Talk. A monthly pop-up disco in Orlando’s Milk District where young people get creative and dance the night away to local electronic artists. facebook.com/bodytalkparty
Music Venue
1 House of Blues
houseofblues.com
1490 E. Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista
2 Hard Rock Live Orlando
hardrock.com
6050 Universal Blvd.
Orlando
3 The Social
thesocial.org
54 N. Orange Ave.
Orlando
Venue for a Night Out
1 Dr. Phillips Center
for the Performing Arts
drphillipscenter.org
445 S. Magnolia Ave.
Orlando
2 SAK Comedy Lab
sakcomedylab.com
29 S. Orange Ave.
Orlando
3 Universal CityWalk
universalcitywalkorlando.com
Universal Orlando Resort
6000 Universal Blvd.
Orlando
Art Gallery
1 CityArts Factory
orlandoslice.com
29 S. Orange Ave.
Orlando
2 Snap! Space
snaporlando.com
1013 E. Colonial Drive
Orlando
3 Gallery on the Edge
facebook.com/galleryontheedge
2300 Edgewater Drive
Orlando
Museum
1 Orlando Museum of Art
omart.org
2416 N. Mills Ave.
Orlando
2 Orlando Science Center
osc.org
777 E. Princeton St.
Orlando
3 Morse Museum of American Art
morsemuseum.org
445 N. Park Ave.
Winter Park
Best Place for Starving Artists and Art Lovers: The art collections by Rollins College at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum and The Alfond Inn are truly remarkable and accessible, with free admission. rollins.edu/cfam
Best Old Standby: The Social. This venue has been open in Orlando for more than 21 years and hosts local and international acts. thesocial.org
Best Cheap Summer Outing With the Kids: Tubing at Rock Springs Run at Kelly Park. It’s $3-$5 to stay all day, so take a picnic lunch and enjoy (but on weekends, get there before it fills up, usually 10 a.m.) ocfl.net/cultureparks
Place to Get Married
1 Harry P. Leu Gardens
leugardens.org
1920 N. Forest Ave.
Orlando
2 Disney’s Wedding Pavilion
disneyweddings.disney.go.com
4101 Floridian Way
Bay Lake
3 Historic Dubsdread Ballroom
dubsdreadcatering.com
549 W. Par St.
Orlando
Best of Orlando 2015: Eat and Drink Best of Orlando 2015: Personalities |
Foot Race
1 Walt Disney World
Marathon Weekend
rundisney.com
2 IOA Corporate 5K
downtownorlando.com
3 OUC Half Marathon and 5K
ouc.com
Festival
1 Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
wpsaf.org
2 Epcot International Food &
Wine Festival
disneyworld.disney.go.com
3 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival
orlandofringe.org
Charity Gala
1 Runway to Hope
Spring Fashion Soiree
runwaytohope.org
2 Florida Hospital Golden Gala
floridahospital.com/foundation
3 Headdress Ball
headdressball.org
Best Answer to Climate Change: The Hive. A monthly think/do tank meet-up for sustainably minded activists to learn, plan and implement local solutions to global issues. ideasforus.org