Entertainment in Florida
-
A
Casino Princesa
Docked adjacent to the Hard Rock Café in the Bayside Marketplace, the Casino Princesa is a large, upscale yacht that departs on 4½-hour voyages that head 3 miles offshore. The boat has two decks of gaming tables (blackjack and craps are big), slot machines and bars.
reviewed
-
B
Automatic Slims
Slim’s sells itself as a seedy rock bar, but it’s really a marketing consultant’s idea of what a dive should be. The Harley outside, Coyote Ugly ambience and manufactured ‘edge’ make it the Blink 182 of Miami’s nightlife universe: watered-down punk and pretty nonthreatening.
reviewed
-
C
Boy Bar
- Miami, USA
- Entertainment › Bar
The North Beach boys (and just about everyone else) flock to this neighborhood cruise bar, where everyone plays pool, chills on the back porch and basically avoids indulging in too much South Beach–style madness. Which isn’t to say they don’t engage in a little bad behavior…
reviewed
-
D
Raleigh Hotel Bar
You’d best be orderin’ a Manhattan if you’re gonna sidle up to this cologne-and-leather bar. Like everything else in the Raleigh, this lounge evokes South Beach’s good old days, when guys like Al Capone and Meyer Lanksy cut deals in the corner and jazz set the soundtrack.
reviewed
-
E
Books & Books
The Coral Gables branch of the well-stocked and popular bookseller features frequent solo readings from famous (and not so famous) local authors, as well as group readings on a particular theme (science fiction, Tibetan culture, Brazil) and various book-discussion groups.
reviewed
-
F
Central Cigars
Enjoy a premium cigar and a classic cocktail at this stylish, popular watering hole. Perch at the long wooden bar or sink into a leather armchair; join the club and get your own humidor.
reviewed
-
Stock Exchange
At the marina at the southern end of Beach St, an older crowd flirt with each other via telephones set on the tables at this super-local retro place; just pick up and call if you spot someone you like. Music from the '50s to '80s will have you doing the time warp again.
reviewed
-
G
TradeWinds Lounge
Tiny bathrooms and big hairdos rule this nautical-themed dive. Smelling sweetly of stale beer, this classic bar's survived two locations and six decades. Crowds tumble out the door during happy hour, and there's live music – mostly Southern rock or '80s music – nightly.
reviewed
-
H
Lillian's Music Store
The crowd's a little older than in the clubs along University, so they appreciate that ele-gant stained-glass partition and the 3ft-tall gorilla at the entrance. There's great live music every night, but the Monday night jam sessions really pack 'em in.
reviewed
-
I
FSU Seminoles
From September to November, the FSU Seminoles football team plays to an 80,000-plus crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium on the FSU campus; tickets, it goes without saying, are like hen's teeth.
FSU Seminoles baseball steps up in the spring at Dick Howser Stadium.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
J
801 Bourbon Bar
Boys will be boys.
reviewed
-
K
Bill Cosford Cinema
On the University of Miami campus, this renovated art house was launched in memory of the Miami Herald film critic.
reviewed
-
L
New Theatre
This strong Coral Gables company performs an eclectic mix of contemporary pieces and modern classics that fall squarely between the conventional and alternative. You’ll be up close and personal with the actors since there are only 70 seats in the house.
reviewed
-
M
Sarasota News & Books
When they say 'from latte to literature' they aren't kidding. Along with plenty of books and magazines, this independent café serves strong and flavorful espresso. It's a perfect alternative to that ubiquitous coffeehouse chain that shall remain nameless.
reviewed
-
N
Touch
Touch’s owners turned Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry box into a lounge: a vintage-y, opulent mess of sensory glitter, gaudy overkill and refined elegance. Drink alongside a slew of Miami’s hiperati at this new Lincoln Rd resto-lounge and try not to be overwhelmed.
reviewed
-
Push Ultra Lounge
In a three-story brick building above Red Mesa Cantina, Push is St Pete's premier hip-hop nightclub, where celebs like Danica Patrick and Paris Hilton have been spotted.
reviewed
-
O
Abbey Brewery
- Miami, USA
- Entertainment › Bar
The only brew-pub in South Beach is on the untouristed end of South Beach (near Alton Rd). It's friendly and packed with folks listening to the Grateful Dead and slinging back some excellent homebrew: give Father Theo's stout or the Immaculate IPA a shot.
reviewed
-
P
Dewey's Tavern
- Miami, USA
- Entertainment › Bar
Dewey's is an art-deco dive (really; the exterior is a little gem of the genre) and it's as unpretentious as the best sordid watering holes get. Come here to get wasted and menace the crowds seeking serenity on quiet Alton Rd (just kidding – behave yourself!).
reviewed
-
Q
Griffin Stadium
Nicknamed ‘the swamp’ (coz only Gators get out alive), this 88,548-seat stadium is home to the UF’s Gators football team, which plays seven games a year here from August to November. Visit www.gatorzone.com for info about the team and other Gator sports.
reviewed
-
R
Chopin Foundation of the United States
This national organization hosts a treasure trove of performances for Chopin fans – the Chopin Festival, a series of free monthly concerts and the less frequent National Chopin Piano Competition, an international contest held in Miami every five years.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
S
Transit Lounge
Transit exists in some perfect-bar conceptual space, possessing the everyone-knows-your-name camaraderie of a dive, cool-daddio ambience of a good jazz club, the street cred of some of Miami’s hottest live acts and a welcoming but ruggedly sexy venue.
reviewed
-
Orlando Repertory Theater
Performances for families and children run primarily in the afternoon or early evening. Shows stretch the gamut of styles and content, including Anne Frank and Me, Hairspray and James and the Giant Peach.
reviewed
-
University of Central Florida Conservatory Theatre
The University of Central Florida Conservatory Theatre stages performances at the University of Central Florida and other area venues. The highly acclaimed Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, often called the best in Central Florida, also performs here.
reviewed
-
T
Empire/Climax
Techno, hip-hop and booty tunes draw a diverse crowd here, where DJs spin R&B and reggae to color laser lights on Friday and Saturday. On Thursdays you can drink all night (for free) after paying the cover, which increases as the night goes on.
reviewed
-
U
Regal South Beach Cinema
This mod, state-of-the-art, 21-screen theater anchors the western end of Lincoln Rd by being both an architectural delight and a filmgoers’ paradise. It shows a good blend of foreign, independent, and critically acclaimed Hollywood stuff.
reviewed