Travel Tip for Downtown Orlando Mills-50 District – Mad Cow Theatre – Ivanhoe Village

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Zac runs a live theater in Orlando and he says, “As an Orlando resident, my biggest tip is to leave the theme park area and see the ‘Real’ Orlando.” Here is the inside scoop - Zac says visit the following sites:

Downtown Orlando (http://www.downtownorlando.com/)- In addition to being the home of Mad Cow Theatre, Downtown has wonderful dining and experiences. Visitors should check out Kres Chophouse ($$$) for dinner or Gringos Locos ($) for lunch, stroll around beautiful Lake Eola, and check out the boutiques in Thornton Park. The monthly Church St. Car Show is not to be missed.

Winter Park ( )- Home to several great museums, including the most comprehensive collection of Tiffany glass (Morse Museum http://www.morsemuseum.org/) Winter Park has a couple lovely shopping districts along Park Avenue and in Hannibal Square (Including Rifle Paper Co. and Makr Cary Goods two amazing stores specializing in handmade goods!) The scenic boat tour gives you a peek into the back yards and gardens of million dollar mansions surrounding the city?s lakes and canals. Pretty much anywhere you want to stop to eat is going to be amazing, but I suggest Prato and Park Plaza Gardens.

Mills/50 District (http://www.mills50.org/ ) - Artsy mix of eateries and nightlife near the namesake intersection. We have a larger selection of Vietnamese restaurants than most anywhere in the US, galleries, creative firms, and dive bars. This is the neighborhood I call home. Late-night dining at Bananas is a blast, and venues like Will?s Pub and the Peacock Room offer nightly entertainment with local music and drink specials.

Ivanhoe Village - Just north of Downtown on the shores of beautiful Lake Ivanhoe (We’ve got a lot of lakes!), this neighborhood offers antiquing and boutique shops and a selection of restaurants. 1618 Something Modern offers mid-century modern furniture and décor, and Washburn Imports becomes a craft beer bar at night!

Other areas to check out include College Park (wonderful dining,) the Milk District (another artsy area with plenty of drinking holes), Audubon Park (amazing weekly market on Monday nights) and Loch Haven Park (http://www.omart.org/pages/loch-haven-park - Cultural Corridor featuring the Orlando Museum of Art (http://www.omart.org/ ), Orlando Science Center (http://www.osc.org/), Mennello Museum of Art (http://www.mennellomuseum.com/), and 2 theatres.)

In the heart of Downtown Orlando, Mad Cow Theatre (http://www.madcowtheatre.com/ ) is one of Orlando’s most respected professional theatre companies presenting compelling works of theatre for a wide-range of audiences, with a passion for both classic and contemporary plays and musicals representing the best of American and World literature.

He says that they have more than 250 performances, classes and events throughout the year, with 10 plays and musicals and the annual Orlando Cabaret Festival and Orlando Puppet Festival.

Thanks for the tips Zac.

For the links to Zac’s theater click here -> http://www.madcowtheatre.com/