Tampa
This historic 1926 theater in downtown is a gorgeous venue in which to see an independent film. The mighty Wurlitzer organ plays before most movies. Too…
Must-see entertainment in Southwest Florida
Tampa
Like it blew in from the Keys, Skipper's is a beloved, unpretentious open-air venue for blues, folk, reggae and gator-swamp rockabilly, beneath beautiful…
Naples
Naples' 85-piece Philharmonic Orchestra is increasingly recognized as one of the country's best young orchestras. Andrey Boreyko was named as music…
Fort Myers
The 1908 Arcade Theatre is home to the Florida Repertory Theatre, one of the best regional theaters in the state. It produces popular comedies, musicals…
St Petersburg
Well-loved outdoor concert venue inside an intimate courtyard; national and local bands reverberate downtown.
Sarasota
In addition to putting on the ever-popular Sailor Circus each year, this circus center offers professional performances along with circus training and…
Tampa Bay
Nine times out of 10 the biggest party in Clearwater Beach is at Shephard's, where three bars and a raucous nightclub brim with revelers. The Tiki Beach…
Sarasota
This lauded regional theater company is also an acting conservatory (in partnership with Florida State University). It presents a mix of commissioned…
Naples
Home of the Naples Players, the Sugden boasts two state-of-the-art stages, on the boards of which are enacted seven main-stage performances and four…
Westcoast Black Theater Troupe
Sarasota
One of only two African American theater ventures in Florida, WBTT has a reputation for high-quality musicals and thought-provoking dramas. Through the…
St Petersburg
The Florida Orchestra's office is in St Petersburg; it plays at Tampa's Straz Center as often as at Mahaffey downtown.
Fort Myers
March in Fort Myers means major-league baseball's spring training. Boston Red Sox (www.redsox.com) fans literally camp out for tickets to JetBlue Park on…
St Petersburg
One of the Tampa Bay area's most highly regarded regional theater companies presents American classics and recent Tony winners, along with improv comedy.
St Petersburg
The gorgeous, 2031-seat Mahaffey Theater hosts a wide range of performing arts, from touring comedy acts to Broadway, dance, orchestras and more.
Sarasota
This elegant, 1000-seat Mediterranean revival venue was built in 1926, and the two-month winter opera season is a serious affair.
St Petersburg
Up-and-coming bands of all stripes, and occasional national acts, play this restored art-deco theater (built in 1927).
Sarasota
Within the walls of this recently remodeled, bright-purple venue in the heart of historic downtown Sarasota, a rotating cast of stand-up comedians put on…
Fort Myers
The Minnesota Twins (www.mntwins.com) play in Hammond Stadium at CenturyLink Sports Complex, just southwest of the intersection of Daniels Pkwy and Six…
Sarasota
This wee theater in an alleyway off Pineapple Ave presents independent and foreign films. It's run by the Sarasota Film Society (SFS; www.filmsociety.org)…
Tampa
Cross a trendy South Beach nightclub with a plush art-house cinema, and you get this: a snazzy lobby cocktail bar and upscale munchies (mains from $10 to …
Tampa
The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning play hockey at the newly renamed Amalie Arena (formerly it was the Tampa Bay Times Forum) from October to April. The arena…
St Petersburg
Home to the major-league Tampa Bay Rays, who play baseball from April to September. There's a 360-degree walkway around the ballpark from which fans can…
St Petersburg
This old-fashioned 1924 ballroom hosts occasional events and has regular tea dances on the first and third Wednesday of each month from October through…
Fort Myers
This downtown performance space produces an eclectic slate of drama, children's theater, dance, music and film. The center also holds classes in the arts.
Straz Center for the Performing Arts
Tampa
This enormous, multivenue complex draws the gamut of fine-arts performances: touring Broadway shows, pop concerts, opera, ballet, drama and more.
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Sarasota
This city-run arts hall hosts crowd-pleasing favorites, from touring Broadway musicals to magicians, ballet, pops orchestras and more.
Sarasota
This highly regarded nonprofit community theater stages popular Broadway musicals, new plays and collaborations.
Tampa
This 21-plus comedy club in Ybor City brings the funny five nights a week with local and national acts.
Tampa
On the USF campus, the Sun Dome hosts rock, jazz, pop and other concerts – from Jimmy Buffet to Ludacris, from Luciano Pavarotti to the World Wrestling…
Tampa
The New York Yankees play spring-training baseball games in March at Steinbrenner Field, the 10,000-seat stadium modeled after the 'House that Ruth Built'…
Tampa
The NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers play at Raymond James Stadium from August (preseason) to December, but single-game tickets are hard to come by; most games…
