Arts & Culture in Altamonte Springs
Recommended Arts & Culture by Groupon Customers
From the outside, Professor Wonder’s WonderWorks laboratory appears to have flipped completely on its head. When visitors enter the upside-down edifice, they must first pass through the psychedelic, spinning lights of the Inversion Tunnel, which turns the building right-side up for families to embark on a full day of entertaining, educational activities. More than 100 interactive exhibits spark excitement around natural phenomenon, including replica space capsules that visitors can climb into, a gallery of mind-bending illusions, and the lab where Cabbage Patch Kids are grown in petri dishes.
Some of WonderWorks Orlando’s hands-on displays allow guests to experience the aftershocks of the San Francisco earthquake of 1989, throw a strike against Derek Jeter, and lie down on a bed of 3,500 sharp nails without so much as a scratch. Additional activities include the Indoor Ropes Challenge Course, which exercises bodies and minds as challengers navigate three stories of swinging beams and suspension bridges, and the XD Theater 4D, which transports viewers to swift canyon roller coasters, haunted mines, and Mars with full-motion seats and 3-D visuals.
Although Orlando Shakespeare Theater gets its name from the Bard himself, the ensemble of thespians produces a wide variety of shows. Shakespearean tragedies, comedies, and space operas anchor their season, but newly developed works also make their way onto the bill, as do plays for young audiences. Kids learn how to create their own pieces of theater during summer camps and classes, hosted both offsite and in school.
During My Ohana Luau’s interactive dinner show, dancers call patrons of all ages onstage to learn Polynesian dance moves and befriend hula girls, creating a song-and-dance spectacle flanked by an authentic island-style buffet. Before the show, visitors dine on a buffet of delicacies such as Hawaiian-style steak and pulled pork with sweet-and-sour sauce, prepared fresh daily by a Samoan chef. A flaming fire knife dance serves as the performance's triumphant conclusion, wherein performers hailing from diverse Polynesian regions gambol in elaborate headdresses and traditional island garb. Parties celebrating birthdays and anniversaries relay their excitement to the house emcee, who announces landmark occasions to the crowd.
The eatery’s full bar further enlivens shows with cocktails such as the Flaming Volcano for two, a mixture of three types of rum with orange and pineapple juice that burns brighter than a bonfire fueled by SAT-prep books. For less formal fare, the onsite café serves simple omelet breakfasts, and the pool-deck menu centers on sandwiches.
Moviegoers kick back in tiered stadium seats and absorb unobstructed views of Hollywood’s latest studio releases at Cobb Plaza Cinema Café 12. A Dolby Digital audio system ensconces audiences in a seamless cocoon of sight and sound while couples raise the armrests on their high-backed leather chairs for optimum cuddling. The concession stand entertains taste buds with theater classics such as popcorn, candy, and Coca-Cola along with a full menu of beer and wine options. Drivers can snag parking spots in the attached garage for $2.50 with validation, and youngsters can pedal their tricycles over to the theater in the summer months for free kiddie showings.
Spotlight Theatres screens enrapture audiences with first-run movies. In each movie house, digital sounds and visual projections of fresh Hollywood films alight inner emotions of audiences resting in plush, high-backed stadium seats—each outfitted with a coin-operated mustache comb—or thrown directly into the action through 3-D technology. As eyes and ears relish motion-picture pursuits, soda, candy, and bounties of salty, crunchy popcorn emerge from the concession stand to occupy chatty mouths or catapult towards the screen to feed the hungry actors.
As one of the only dedicated art houses in Daytona Beach, Cinematique's all-digital theater and surround-sound system immerse theatergoers in national, international, and local independent flicks. In addition to the latest celluloid, Cinematique screens cultural events, pairs indie movies with live improv comedy, and hosts a Saturday-night showcase for local filmmakers, musicians, poets, and Oscar-statue impersonators. Through its Daytona Beach Film Festival, Cinematique supplies audiences with a vast assortment of movies, from internationally acclaimed directors to local and student filmmakers. The theater also illumes an inflatable screen with cinematic classics at free outdoor showings at the Daytona Beach Bandshell, commencing each film at dusk so patrons and cinephilic fruit bats can relish its crystalline picture quality.
