Arts & Culture

from 2023 Greater Fort Lauderdale LGBTQ+ Travel Guide

Events

We’re a culturally rich community and we invite you to experience it like a local. Here, we feature ten recommended museums, theatres, galleries and more.

ArtServe Art is a powerful tool. It can uplift lives. Upend unjust systems. Transform perspectives and amplify voices that far too often go unheard. When properly leveraged, art is a catalyst for change on personal, communal and economic levels. At ArtServe, they bring together enterprise, academia, government and philanthropy to engage and inspire people of all backgrounds and abilities through innovative programming, artist support and education. ArtServe’s Residency Program supports a community of artists who have a demonstrable history of arts outreach. With a focus on community building and process development, the Program strives to make a positive impact beyond that of art-making. 1350 East Sunrise Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954-763-8565 Broward Center for the Performing Arts The Broward Center for the Performing Arts invites you to discover something new to love about the arts. Try theater, from tragedy to farce. Dance, from ballet to modern. Music, from classical to opera to pop. With performances yearround, there’s something for everyone to enjoy! No matter what your age, you can learn something new about the arts—and yourself—with their innovative educational programming.Two theaters with over 3,000 seats, offering year-round, world-renowned performances. Come see what you’ve been missing. See their ad in this guide. 201 SW 5th Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 954-462-0222

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Charles F. Dodge City Center, Pembroke Pines The Charles F. Dodge City Center, (CDCC) is in the heart of Pembroke Pines, Florida, the second-largest city in Broward County, and is nestled between Mediterranean style residences, casual-chic and family-style restaurants featuring international cuisine and numerous name-brand stores and shopping malls. The city center is a multi-use facility that is managed by SMG Worldwide and offers more than 35,000 square feet of event space for Banquets, Concerts, Festivals, Meetings and Trade Shows, and much more. 601 SW City Center Way Pembroke Pines, FL 33025 954-392-9480

Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida GMCSF brings live music and entertainment to the community through large-scale, main-stage concerts in high-profile venues, community-based engagements, and volunteer projects. More than 20,000 people are inspired and moved each year by the Chorus’s music, community outreach, and mission, making GMCSF a significant LGBTQ+ nonprofit service organization and cultural asset in the heart of South Florida. With more than 150 singing members, the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida is the southeastern United States’ largest gay men’s chorus and one of the country’s ten largest nonprofit LGBTQ+ choruses. See their ad in this guide. 2038 N. Dixie Highway, # 201 Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-763-2266

Island City Stage Founded in 2012, Island City Stage produces award-wining professional theatrical experiences rich with

LGBTQ+ history, stories and characters, but have a heart and soul that is truly universal. It specializes in developing new work in addition to featuring the efforts of playwrights

who expose audiences to different voices and diverse experiences. These shows are brought to life on stage through the talents of professional artists whose credits include Broadway, Off Broadway, national tours, major regional theaters, film, and television. Island City Stage offers an intimate setting with six rows of stadium seating to foster a feeling of inclusion and participation in each theatrical event. Island City Stage is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization See their ad in this guide and check out a show. 2304 N. Dixie Highway Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-928-9800

Museum of Discovery & Science (MODS) Located in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Arts and Science District, the facility offers 120,000 square feet, packed with dynamic science exhibits, learning labs, café, store and grand atrium 300-seat AutoNation IMAX® 3D Theater featuring both 2D and 3D films. Accredited by the American Association of Museums and the Association of Science-Technology Centers. See their ad in this guide. 401 SW 2nd Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 954-467-6637

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale The Museum is the hub of the South Florida Art Coast, in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale. Its distinctive modernist building, which opened in 1986 was designed by the renowned architect Edward Larrabee Barnes.

Located in Fort Lauderdale’s active Arts and Entertainment District, the Museum is a short walk to the shops, restaurants and galleries of vibrant Las Olas Boulevard as well as to the picturesque Riverwalk waterfront promenade. NSU Art Museum’s 83,000 square-foot building contains 25,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 256-seat auditorium, Museum Store & Cafe. 1 East Las Olas Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 954-525-5500

Stonewall National Museum & Archives It’s always important for LGBT+ travelers to pay homage to a city and region’s queer history. And Fort Lauderdale’s Stonewall National Museum & Archives is a must-visit for that exact reason. Home to one of the nation’s largest gay archives, visitors can spend hours sifting through old photos, documents and books that chronicle the progression of LGBT+ rights in the U.S. Visit stonewallmuseum.org. Find SNMA on Facebook: stonewall-museum and on Instagram: @stonewallarchive. See their ad in this guide. 1300 East Sunrise Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954-763-8565

The Parker The Parker curtain rose for the first time on February 6, 1967. One of

Fort Lauderdale’s first venues, the neo-classical Playhouse, was built by Dr. Louis Parker and is managed now by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. This 1,147-seat fully equipped theater plays an important role in the community by fueling economic development, while also bringing the community

together with performances, activities and educational programming. The historic performing-arts venue (formerly Parker Playhouse) in downtown Fort Lauderdale has completed a $30 million renovation and reopened with its first public event in September 2022. 707 NE 8th Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954-462-0222

World AIDS Museum & Educational Center Florida was one of the worst affected parts of the U.S. during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic (alongside New York and San Francisco). The World AIDS Museum was set up to shed light on the history and impact of a disease that took the lives of over 700,000 people in the U.S.It’s difficult for younger generations to imagine how bad the stigma around HIV/AIDS was back when it first appeared. In a world with PrEP and an increase in representation of HIV positive individuals living long and healthy lives, it’s unfathomable to imagine a time when the general public didn’t know or care about the condition. Heck, the U.S. President at the time, Ronald Regan, famously took YEARS before even acknowledging the epidemic. See their ad in this guide. 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954-390-0550