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9801 INTERNATIONAL DRIVE
ORLANDO, FLORIDA 32819
TEL: 407.352.4000
FAX: 407.351.0073
RESERVATIONS: 800.PEABODY
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ORLANDO'S ARTS AND CULTURE...VACATION LAND'S "OTHER ATTRACTION"
When Mickey Mouse came to town over 25 years ago, Orlando was just a wide spot on a
sleepy Central Florida country road. Today, that sleepy little spot is known as the
vacation capital of the world, Orlando! Without a doubt, Orlando is a theme park town.
But, is that all there is to Orlando? Of surprise to most is the fact that Orlando has
performing and visual arts, history and heritage that are dynamic and exploding in
popularity.
Long overshadowed by the glitz, glamour and glory of the city's theme parks and
attractions, Orlando's major arts and culture entities have banded together to form
the nation's first-ever "cultural chamber," a combination of private enterprise and
public institutions, known as OPAAC (Orlando Peabody Alliance for the Arts and Culture).
"The hottest trend in global tourism growth today is in cultural tourism," said Alan C.
Villaverde, President and Managing Director of The Peabody Orlando, a luxurious
business hotel located on International Drive. “All over the world, tourists are
balancing their activities to include their destination's arts and culture. Guests of
The Peabody Orlando, both corporate and individual travelers, love the theme parks, but
lately, more and more of them are asking for new and innovative recreational
opportunities. Our guests' changing needs are our command. That is why The Peabody
Orlando instigated in April, 1996, the formation of OPAAC,” he explained.
“The primary goal of OPAAC is to bring news to the traveling publics at home and
overseas, of Orlando's amazing arts and culture, and to motivate visitors to include
at least one cultural activity in their visit to Orlando. Each OPAAC entity brings to the
table, its own particular art and resources. Pooling our resources
and expertise, we aim to inform the traveling publics of the fine cultural base of our
city and its environs. Our mission is to help elevate Orlando's cultural tourism to its
rightful place in our city's tourism product mix.”
Members of OPAAC include: Orlando Ballet, Orlando Opera Company, Orlando Philharmonic
Orchestra, Enzian Theater, Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival, Cornell Fine Arts Museum,
Orlando Museum of Art, Maitland Art Center, Crealde School of Art, Negro Spiritual
Scholarship Foundation, Central Florida Ballet, Maitland Holocaust Museum & Center,
Festival of Orchestras (bringing the world's greatest symphony orchestras to Orlando),
Albin Polasek Gallery and Sculpture Gardens, Scenic Boat Tour of historic Winter Park,
Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (largest collection in the world of Louis
Comfort Tiffany glass), the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art.
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