Straz Center for the Performing Arts

The Straz is a beast - one of the largest performing arts centers in the country, sitting right on the Tampa Riverwalk downtown with five separate performance spaces. The big one is Morsani Hall at 2,600 seats, where the Broadway tours land; the others run smaller and weirder, from Ferguson Hall down to the intimate Jaeb Theater for the experimental stuff.

What that means for you: there's range. One night it's a touring musical, the next it's opera or the ballet or a symphony program. The scale is the point - on most nights, more than one stage is lit, so check what's playing across the whole complex, not just the marquee.

Getting here is easy. The TECO Line streetcar runs in from Ybor City, and the Channelside entertainment district is a short walk for a drink before or after. Do the Riverwalk on your way in - it's one of the nicer pre-show strolls Tampa's got. Find Straz Center shows on Evil Tickets and plan your Tampa Bay performing arts night.