Looking at art and improving one's cardiovascular function are no longer opposing activities, now that the city of Orlando has the Corridor Project's Art Trail. Covering just over eight miles along the Downtown Connector between the Orlando Urban Trail and the Cady Way Trail are displayed eight works by local artists. It's a healthy twist on the Corridor Project's Billboard Exhibition, which showed local art on billboards throughout the city — rather than driving, one can walk or bike. The art changes quarterly, so if eight miles feels like a lot, you've got time to work up to it.
Downtown Connector Trail along Anderson Street and Crystal Lake Drive, corridortrail.art
If you climb in the saddle, be ready for the ride. Boots, the summer sensation schemed up by the Renaissance Theatre Co. quickly became Orlando's best hoedown. Ren director Donald Rupe and his compatriots dreamed up something spectacular: a 360-degree country show in an authentic saloon built from the ground up, featuring a live band and singers, drag queens and kings, and country hits from Reba to Dolly to Beyoncé. On weekend nights from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., the line was out the door, with cowboy hats, spurs and (assless) chaps as far as the eye could see. Giddy up, Orlando.
15 E. Princeton St., rentheatre.com
Orlando's reigning Big Time Celebrity Author does it again with her third novel, another sexy, funny, queer classic. You don't need to be Orlandoan to love Arnett's books — as her dozens of critics' picks and weeks on various bestseller lists over the years prove — but if you are a local, the level of astute detail will enrich the wisdom and whimsy of Stop Me. Scenes set in 7-Eleven parking lots, Publix aisles, plastic McMansions and DIY punk houses, soundtracked by I-4 traffic and alt-right comedians, capture the anxiety felt by each of us, every day, "in this economy," haha. But felt just a little bit more in the South. And just another little bit more if you're gay in the South. And, well, still more if you're underemployed and gay in the South. And Arnett makes the heartbreak hilarious.
Forced relocation has been the death of many a beloved business here in Orlando, where ever-more voracious landlords emphasize profit over community worth. When the Space Station left their longtime Coolidge location, the outlook seemed grim. But they found a great new spot in SoDo that suits their hybrid screen-printing/arts gallery/venue operations very well. They've hosted crucial group art shows spotlighting locals and even a fashion show. Follow the stars and make your way there.
315 W. Grant St., instagram.com/spacestationstudio