Orlando's Best Deals

Looking for something to do this weekend? How about staying in your own backyard and trying something from our list of free and cheap activities!  These things are sure to please, and won’t break the bank. Let us know what you did, and how they were!

Friday Nights at the Morse

In addition to complimentary admission to the galleries every Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Morse Museum features a schedule of live music, art demonstrations, and special tours on selected evenings. The Museum invites the public to take advantage of these free opportunities to see permanent exhibitions as well as gallery updates.

Choreographed Fountain Show

• Friday, January 25
• 7 pm – 9 pm
• Cranes Roost Plaza

Lights, sound, water, action! Come to Cranes Roost Park to see the beautifully choreographed fountain program with classical and current tunes for your enjoyment. The free program runs nightly except when events are held in the Plaza.

Retro Game Night

• Friday, January 25
• 7 pm – midnight
• Orange County Regional History Center
• 65 E. Central Blvd., Orlando, FL, 32801
• Members free, non-members $5 cash at door
• More Info: 407-836-7010

Play games including Battleship, Candy Land, Chinese Checkers, Clue, Mystery Date, Scrabble, Twister, video games, and many more at Retro Game Night. Enjoy tunes from 105.9 Sunny FM, $1-$2 pizza, free nostalgic treats, and the cash bar. Retro attire encouraged. Call for more information.

Gorilla Theater

• Thursdays and Fridays
• 9:30 p.m.
• SAK Comedy Lab
• CityArts Factory
• 29 S. Orange Ave, Orlando, FL, 32801
• More Info: 407-648-0001

Just when you thought it was safe to go to the Comedy Lab, things are about to get hairy! Four improv directors battle it out on the SAK stage for the highly coveted Gorilla trophy. The stakes are high and there’s no monkeying around as each director competes to have his/her vision reign supreme in a series of spontaneous scenes, songs and games. This is no-holds-barred improv at its finest!! Will you, our audience and judge go “bananas” for the successful scene, or demand a “forfeit” for our slips? Our fate is in your hands, as only one director can claim the gorilla as his/her own at the end of the night.

Sanford Art Walk

• Friday, January 25th
• 6 pm – 9 pm
• Downtown Sanford
• First Street, Sanford, FL, 32771
• More Info: 407-302-2586

Discover the most diverse Art Walk in Cental Florida. Sanford Art Walk is dedicated to promoting the arts and culture of Sanford and invites you to visit all galleries within walking distance who participate in the event. Take a stroll in downtown historic Sanford and discover all that Sanford has to offer including retail shops, restaurants, pubs, and bars.

Cardboard Art Fest

• Friday, January 25
• 6 pm – midnight
• $5 admission (pay at the door only, cash only)
• Say It Loud Studios
• 1121 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, FL, 32801
• More Info: 407-898-7299

Seven artists have filled a large modern warehouse space with cardboard art hanging from the ceiling, stuck to the walls and free-standing on the ground. Opening reception with music and dancing with DJ Nigel and tons of cardboard sculptures filling up the space created by Evan Miga, Jessica Earley, Brendan O’Connor, Christie Miga, Adriaan Mol, Doug Rhodehamel, Nathan Selikoff. Wine and beer by donation.

Cops n’ Cars for Kids

• Saturday, January 26
• 10 am-4 pm
• The Oviedo Mall
• 1700 Oviedo Marketplace Blvd Oviedo, FL 32765
• More Info: 407 977-2400

Join the Oviedo-Winter Springs Optimist Club, the Oviedo Police Department, and the Winter Springs police Department for a full day of family fun! Car show with over 250 cars, kids activities, demonstrations, raffles, games, and so much more!

Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities

• Daily (January 26th through February 3rd)
• Downtown Eatonville
• Kennedy Blvd., Eatonville, FL, 32751
• More Info: 407-647-3307

ZORA! Festival 2013 will mark the conclusion of a two-year celebration of Historic Eatonville’s 125th anniversary as our nation’s oldest incorporated African American municipality. Focusing on concepts of “culture,” “community,” and “heritage.” The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community will present a broad-ranging program, including as key components the visual arts, oral history, traditional crafts, dance, film, and, of course literature.

Blue Spring Manatee Festival

• Saturday, January 26th 10 am – 5 pm
• Sunday, January 27th 10 am – 5 pm
• Valentine Park
• 1511 W. French Ave., Orange City, FL, 32763
• $8 adults, $2 (ages 4 – 10)
• More Info: 386-775-9224

Head out to the Manatee Festival for continuous entertainment for the whole family! There will be an arts and crafts show with over 100 booths, kids games and face painting, music, dancing, and animal presenters! Click here for a free child’s admission coupon with every paying adult.

Cardboard Art Fest

• Sunday, January 27
• 10am-11:30am for kids 7 and under
• 12pm-1:00pm for kids 8 and above
• 7:30pm – 12am adults
• Say It Loud Studios
• 1121 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, FL, 32801
• More Info: 407-898-7299

Kids Matinee Sponsored and hosted by Kids Fringe and Mennello Museum of American Art $1 admission. Kids only! Attendees will get to (1) use cardboard to build and decorate their very own mask, hat, or wings, (2) meet the famed Dog Powered Robot and (3) get a chance to tour the entire exhibit with cardboard sculptures made by master artists.
7:30pm – 12am
Dog Powered Robot + Andy Matchett & the Minks, $5 admission (pay at the door, cash only), wine and beer by donation. Dog Powered Robot is a fantastic group of cardboard robots defending the world against evil via a robot powered by a pomeranian. Andy Matchett & the Minks is a very popular and fun musical group.