Things to do in Florida, Emerald Coast
THE Arts & Culture
From ballet companies, theatre troupes, orchestras and symphonies to opera, jazz, art museums, galleries and cultural festivals, THE Beach can quickly fill the cultural calendars of both visitors and locals. Even though the largest city, Pensacola, has a population of just over 60,000, one of the unique aspects of living in both a resort area and a region with numerous military bases is that it injects not just new people into the area, but new ideas. No opera? Let’s start one. It’s great to have a symphony orchestra, but how about a community band as well? Many cultural groups got their start with just a few hard-working, enthusiastic people, and have since grown into genuine assets for an entire community.
Large arts alliances and other organizations were formed to assist smaller artistic and performing groups in finding wider audiences. The Bay Arts Alliance, The Arts Council of Northwest Florida, and the Cultural Arts Association, among others, are growing in numbers of member groups. New art centers, such as the Belmont Art Center in the Belmont-DeVilliers district of Pensacola, are helping inject new life into older neighborhoods by bringing in exhibits of regional artists’ work and providing a once-a-month Artist’s Market.
Panama City received the distinction of being named in the Top 10 of the “100 Best Small Art Towns in America,” judged on its numerous galleries in the historic McKenzie Park, site of art shows and concerts, and the restored Martin Theater.
But there’s more to it than that. Several internationally acclaimed artists, dancers, sculptors and musicians chose this part of the country in which to settle. They come from places like New York City, California, Japan and Canada. These artists and performers say they enjoy the pace of life, the outdoor recreation and the enthusiasm for the arts.
Stop into a local coffee house on open mic night, where you might hear a poetry reading or a budding songwriter. Any weeknight you might hear live piano, a jazz combo at a downtown club, or a historian giving a talk on shipwrecks at a monthly club meeting. Theater groups appear in surroundings as grand as the restored Martin Theater or as primitive as the yet-to-be-restored spaces of an old hospital.
Nearly every area newspaper provides information on dates, times and locations for most cultural venues; most have weekly entertainment sections as well as online counterparts. If your cultural tastes run to black tie sophisticated, hard-core grunge, or somewhere in between, THE Beach serves up a smorgasbord of appetizing possibilities.
Phone: 850-434-0257
Pensacola Little Theatre (Pensacola, FL)
Phone: 850-432-6247
Pensacola Museum of Art (Pensacola, FL)
Phone: 850-433-6737
Pensacola Opera (Pensacola, FL)
Phone: 850-595-3880
Seanger Theatre (Pensacola, FL)
