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CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: An untitled sculpture by artist Nancy Rubins can be viewed from the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour; Orlando Shakespeare Theater offers special programming in conjunction with its productions; “Cracker” horses are on hand at Forever Florida, a natural oasis just south of Orlando.

T here are so many cultural opportu-nities in Central Florida—from

world-class museums to performing arts—that it can be easy to overlook some of the area’s less obvious cultural pursuits. Even some of the area’s most well-known venues have undiscovered delights within that you won’t want to miss. And then there are the places you may not have even thought to visit for cultural enrich-ment; the region has a bounty of hidden gems just waiting to be discovered.

WATERFRONT DELIGHTSThe famed scenic boat tours of the

Winter Park Chain of Lakes just took on a new dimension with the Art of the Lakes Boat Tour. This tour of Lake Osceola and

Lake Maitland spotlights the remarkable outdoor pieces on both private and public property that can be seen from the water. Highlights include Block on Blocksby Fletcher Benton, an untitled piece by Nancy Rubins made from recycled air-plane parts that survived Hurricane Charley, and The Victorious Christ by Albin Polasek at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens.

The City of Winter Park also features Art on the Green, which began in 2006. It’s a periodic exhibition of large outdoor sculptures. The 2012 juried exhibition, also presented by Massey Services Inc., will include the works of eight artists on display in downtown Winter Park. The exhibition will be from September 1

through March 1, 2013. Learn more about either program by calling 407.599.3399 or by visiting cityofwinterpark.org.

THEATRICAL SURPRISESLooking for bargain-basement Bard?

Orlando Shakespeare Theater performs student matinees at 10:30 a.m. on week-days, and the public is welcome on a space-available basis. Best of all, tickets are only ten bucks apiece. The matinees include most of the theater’s Signature Series, including its Shakespeare produc-tions.

And you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck. Each performance starts off with a pre-show address, and after the perfor-mance there’s a post-show discussion

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Unexpected OrlandoCENTRAL FLORIDA IS RICH WITH CULTURAL TREASURES THAT EVEN LOCALS MIGHT BE MISSING OUT ON.

BY DENISE BATES ENOS

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with the actors. You can buy tickets by calling the box office at 407.447.1700; online reservations aren’t available, but you can check out the schedule and get more information at orlandoshakes.org.

You’re likely already aware that the Orlando Repertory Theatre is a top-notch venue for children’s theater, but here’s something you might not know: you can go behind the scenes, too. Backstage tours are available for just $5 per person for such upcoming productions as Sideways Stories from Wayside School, A Wrinkle in Time and A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas. Space is limited, so make reservations in advance by calling 407.896.7364, x. 1, or visiting orlandorep.com.

NATURALLY APPEALINGThink everything in Orlando is manu-

factured magic? Think again; our region is abrim with natural wonders. To get a feel for the area’s native flora and fauna, check out Florida EcoSafaris at Forever Florida, a 4,700-acre eco-ranch and wildlife con-servation area.

Here, amid undeveloped wilderness, wetlands, cypress forests and meandering streams, you can ride a zipline (including the longest one in the state), take a horse-back safari, ride a unique “bicycle” along the treetops or join an informative eco-safari. The eco-safari starts with a ride through the Crescent J, a ranch with Spanish colonial cattle and “Cracker” horses, which are directly descended from the ones Ponce de León and other 16th-century Spanish settlers brought over from Spain. Call 407.957.9794 or visit floridaecosafaris.com for additional information.

ALL THAT JAZZThe Grand Bohemian in downtown

Orlando is famed for its art gallery and exhibits featuring notable artists. But did you know that music is also a large part of its repertoire? From 8 to 11 p.m. on Monday evenings, there’s a Jazz Jam at the Grand Bohemian, with Don Black on the sax and Joseph Jevanni on the piano. As they scat, bop and improv, they’re joined by a variety of local singers and instrumentalists for an evening of unique entertainment.

And on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings (times vary), the Bösendorfer Lounge is the site of Bohemian After Dark

and other special events, which showcase a variety of music styles and musicians. There’s also Sounds of the Bösendorfer on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., featuring area pianists.

Call 407.313.9000 for more informa-tion, or you can check out the Grand Bohemian’s events calendar online at grandbohemianhotel.com/theboheme/alldailyevents.asp.

EXTRA, EXTRAIf you haven’t been to The Charles

Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art lately, it deserves a second look. In fact, U.S. News & World Report magazine recently included the museum in its list of 12 “Best Things to Do” in our area. The new Laurelton Hall wing, which opened last year, has added 6,000 square feet to the museum, with stunning re-creations

THE NEW LAURELTON HALL WING at the Morse Museum is not to be missed: The stunning $5 million addition houses re-creations of Tiffany’s famed estate and its vast holdings.

IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO, THE GRAND BOHEMIAN offers a sophisticated music scene that features performances by jazz and other musicians almost nightly.

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of Tiffany’s famed Long Island estate, which was partially destroyed by fire and rescued by the Morses.

But that’s not all that’s in store for summer visitors. A pair of free family pro-grams designed for elementary school-age children continue into July and August. Each Tuesday in July, the museum is offering guided family tours that culmi-nate in a fun take-home craft activity. Kids will make Japanese sword guards just like the ones Tiffany himself collected and used to decorate Laurelton Hall. And on July 13 and 27 and August 3, the Friday Family Films event includes a short film, gallery tour and art activity. Call 407.645.5311, x. 136, for reservations (a $5 refundable deposit per child is required) and information.

HIT THE TRAILAnd there’s additional unexpected art

to discover here; at The Mennello Museum of American Art, the outdoor sculpture garden is a part of the brand-new Dinky Line bike trail that opens this summer, with a ribbon-cutting by City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer scheduled for July at press time.

The trail begins in downtown at Magnolia Avenue and runs 1.25 miles along the former “dinky line” railroad spur from downtown Orlando to Loch Haven Park and the Ivanhoe Village Main Street District. It’s part of the Orlando Urban Trail and takes bikers over the Lake Formosa bridge and through the Mennello sculpture garden. Works here include Langford Suite #19 by Winter Park’s Frank Gady, Big Red Dog by Dale Rogers, Neptuneby Paul Marco and Albert Paley’s Star. For more information, call 407.246.4278 or visit mennellomuseum.com.

WEIRD SCIENCEThe Orlando Science Center (OSC) has

great permanent and visiting exhibits and its Cinedome offers the ultimate big-screen experience, but it also has lesser-known features waiting to be explored. There’s the observatory, where you can stargaze on one of the largest publicly accessible refractor telescopes in the area, and a “zap-tastic” live show called High Voltage that is simply electric. You’ll get a chance to be zapped with an electric current that turns your body into a conductor; hold a fluo-rescent light bulb and it will glow!

And here’s a fun fact you may not real-ize when you see the scaly critters in the Nature Works exhibition. The live gators there aren’t owned by the center; they’re on loan from Gatorland. The park lends them to OSC when the alligators are just babies—not exactly cute and cuddly, but long before they grow into the chicken-eating behemoths on display at Gatorland. When the babies grow into “toddlers,” the center rounds them up, returns them to Gatorland and brings a new batch of babies back to Nature Works. Find out all about the fun at OSC by calling 407.514.2000 or visiting osc.org.

STEP INTO MY PARLORAfter being saved from the wrecking

ball in 2000, the historic Casa Feliz was moved and carefully restored. Now the rustic Spanish-farmhouse-style structure designed by famed architect James Gamble Rogers II, once a private home, is the site of a variety of special events both public and private.

Among those events is the Parlor Series, lectures and performances that pay homage to the home’s historic role as “Winter Park’s parlor.” The original own-ers, the Barbours, were known for their legendary social and fundraising events.

BIG RED DOG BY DALE ROGERS stands on the grounds of The Mennello Museum of American Art, and can now be seen via the new Dinky Line bicycle trail, opening this summer.

STARGAZERS OF ALL AGES SHOULD TAKE NOTE: Orlando Science Center is home to the area’s largest publicly accessible refractor telescopes.

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Today, the Parlor Series takes place in the home’s Polly and Thaddeus Seymour Parlor, named for the couple who spear-headed efforts for the home’s restoration. Artistic presentations, poetry readings and lectures on local history and lore are among the offerings.

There’s also “Music at the Casa” on Sundays from noon to 3 p.m., which is free and open to the public. You can take a guided tour of the home and the Gamble Rogers II Studio during your visit, too. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the green and make an afternoon of it; there may even be artists creating original works of art on site during your visit. Find out more at casafeliz.org.

HIT THE ROADMost of us were assigned to read On

the Road by Jack Kerouac at some point in our academic careers. He was right here when the book made him a literary lumi-nary, living in a tiny house in College Park as he hammered out his follow-up to that notable book. The Dharma Bums was written over a period of 11 days and nights in that home, which now serves as an active tribute to the author, as well as a writer-in-residence retreat. You can take a virtual tour of the home, or apply for a residency, at kerouacproject.org. Also interesting to note is that a typescript of The Dharma Bums that has Kerouac’s and other editors’ handwritten notes is now housed at Rollins College in the Olin Library Special Collections & Archives.

THE ART OF LIVING WELLArt & History Museums–Maitland

offer beautiful and historic places to visit, but the Maitland Art Center also has an interesting Artist-In-Action program that some people may not be aware of. The program provides non-residential studio space for both established and emerging artists. It reflects the Center’s current mis-sion and also re-creates its founder André Smith’s Research Studio, which was estab-lished in 1937 and housed an aesthetic and intellectual community of prominent artists who lived and worked on the premises. What makes the current pro-gram different is its public component. Each of the Artists-In-Action—currently Camilo Velasquez, Cicero Greathouse, Rob Reedy and Trent Tomengo—will give workshops, lectures, school tours and critiques.

To learn more about the program and its artists, call 407.539.2181 or go online to artandhistory.org.

Central Florida is the ultimate vacation destination, and it’s a pretty wonderful place to live, too. And while it’s easy to focus on the area’s obvious charms and tourist-targeted attractions, there’s so much more to see and do. Spend time vis-iting the “biggies,” but also make time for our lesser-known but equally enjoyable points of interest.

Denise Bates Enos is a regular contributor to OAM and Orlando magazine.

Upon Arrival

Your first clue to Central Florida’s commitment to and

support of the arts begins the moment your plane lands or you start driving around town. At Orlando International Airport, there’s notable art on the walls and even the floors, where a mosaic work by local artist Victor Bokas greets countless fliers. There are also sculptures on the grounds. After you leave airport property, creatively painted utility boxes and sculptural bus shelters (see page 12) in the International Drive area have an artistic bent.

Public art also can be found throughout Orlando and its sur-rounding cities, including additional utility boxes painted by Mills 50 artists in the Mills Avenue-Colonial Drive area, sculptures on the grounds of the Orlando Museum of Art, as well as public spaces down-town and in other Central Florida municipalities. The Amway Center even boasts an extensive art collec-tion valued at $2 million.

Local eateries, such as Dexter’s, Dandelion CommuniTea Café and Raphsodic Bakery also support the local arts scene, enhancing our quality of life here in metro Orlando.

DESIGNED BY FAMED ARCHITECT JAMES GAMBLE ROGERS II, historic Casa Feliz hosts various events throughout the year, including a culturally rich Parlor Series.

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