This is how we came to find the beautiful Ruth Eckerd Theatre which is located along with the Baungardner School of Performing Arts in beautuiful parkland at Clearwater in the Tampa Bay area of Florida.

The stunning concert hall which features a continental style seating plan with no centre aisle will comfortably seat 2.180 people and guarantees an excellent view of the stage for all,  together with an excellent sound system. The theatre was opened in 1983 and is named after the wife of one of the founder members. The theatre is run as a charitable trust and is staffed mainly by volunteers.

 Many world famous stars have visited and played to packed houses over the years and on the paved area around the theatre performers have left their signatures. These are really fascinating with many really big stars proud to leave their names such as Johnny Mathis ,Barry Manilow,Dolly Parton, Tony Bennett to name but a few plus comedians such as “The Cable Guy”.

Our first visit was in February 2008 when we took a nostalgic trip back to the 1950’s to see Steve Lawrence and Edyie Gorme…married in 1957 they have performed world wide ever since.We saw a great show with a full 25 piece orchestra and the couple performed all their greatest hits and were just as good as ever.

Our second trip in November 2008 was to see the great country and western singer Vince Gill. It was an absolutely stunning show and once more played to a  packed audience of all ages.

Each year audiences of up to 350.000 both young and old see great performances by world renowned classical artists, dance companies. Broadway Musicals. Popstars, Country stars , Comedians and many more. The theatre is nominated as one of the top five concert halls in the USA

We can certainly recommend a visit to this lovely theatre.You can find out who is performing there and elsewhere in the Orlando area by purchasing the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper on Friday when it carries a separate entertainment guide.