Ruth Eckerd Hall

Without a doubt, my favorite local venue for a concert. There is not a bad seat in the house. Parking is easy to get in and out of here as well. Plenty of restrooms and they have concessions for snack foods and drinks, and adult beverages as well. If you ever have a chance to see a concert here, it's a must!

Ill ding them 1 star for not having a middle aisle to allow for easier entry and exit, but beside that, I really do like this venue.

If I had to guess I believe it holds about 2,000 people. I have seen some great smaller acts here (Ray LaMontagne) and some big names too.

There isn't a bad seat in the house and the acoustics are great.

Yes, parking can be a bear, but there usually is a police officer sitting out there by McMullen Booth who controls the signal, making exiting much easier.

They usually have tickets for a discounted price closer to show time if they aren't sold out. It's worth getting on their mailing list.

Holy smokies, I can't believe this is my first time writing a review of this place. We have seen so many shows here. Just a partial list of some of the highlights (in no particular order) Itzhak Perlman, Natalie Merchant, Natalie Cole, K.D. Lang, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Neil Young, Jeff Beck, Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and the list goes on. Most recently we saw Yes one night and Diana Krall the next. It was the second time seeing Diana Krall and she gave another great, but very different, performance with more excellent renditions of Jazz standards and an amazing rendition of a classic Fats Waller tune, jamming playing the piano stride style to great effect. Yes was fantastic as well but amped a bit tool loud for that venue. Still an amazing show by rock musicians that, despite their age, still jam with incredible skill and precision.

Drinks are just okay at this venue, although they have recently taken to having some additional premium cocktails, wines and beer available as well. People should know better than to go to a concert venue and expect any kind of decent food, this is no exception. In fact the aroma of popcorn popping is kind of annoying in this setting. I have mixed feeling about them allowing drinks in the auditorium. It is nice in one way since intermission is often short, but I have seen someone spill wine on a fellow patron and it wasn't pretty. Plus it is easy for this to happen navigating the tight spaces of the seating arrangement.

There are not many really "bad" seats in this venue. Even pretty far back the sound is good and small binoculars make it easy to see the performers. If you want good seats, pony up a few bucks and become a supporting member. You get first crack at very good seats this way. We do this every year and we typically sit anywhere from the second row to as far back as maybe twelve rows. I actually prefer the middle of rows eight through twelve for the best view and sound. The acoustics in this venue are amazing. The only exceptions being when some of the rock shows are amped a little too loud then it can be problematic but still good depending on where you are sitting.

The other trick for this venue is to use the valet parking. It is so worth the few bucks. You pull right up to the front, no long walk and you get your car very quickly after the show making it much easier to get out afterward. In spite of a few nit picky issues, this is easily the best place to see a concert in Central Florida and well worth the drive from Orlando.