Best outdoor winter events to check out

Though indoor gatherings can be frightful, outdoor events sound delightful

With COVID-19 still in the air, who doesn’t feel a little better being outside these days? Lucky for us this is South Florida, where the dead of winter is a subtropical paradise.

There aren’t many other places in the country where this time of year you can catch an al fresco ballet performance of “The Nutcracker” in a park, a Shakespearean comedy on a patio plaza or play gumshoe detective in an immersive theatrical event on downtown streets — at least without a serious case of frostbite.

These shows, experiences and things to do are taking advantage of the wonderful weather and moving the action outside.

Art Heist Experience

Based on a true story about an art caper, the “Art Heist Experience” is a walking show where you move through five outside locations to pick up clues to whodunit, interacting with everyone from criminals and con men to art experts and detectives.

The interactive performance borrows a lot from the headline-grabbing plot in 1990 when two thieves dressed up as police and conned their way into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. They walked out with $500 million worth of works by the likes of Rembrandt, Manet and Vermeer.

From March 16-April 4, 2021, the “Art Heist Experience” comes to the campus of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts at 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Showtimes vary. Tickets are $39.50-$44.50. To order, call 954-462-0222 or go to BrowardCenter.org.

From Jan. 14-31, the “Art Heist Experience” will be at the campus of Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts at 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami. Showtimes vary. Tickets are $43 and $48. To order, call 305-949-6722 or go to ArshtCenter.org.

Levis JCC West Boca Theatre Company courtyard series

The Adolph and Rose Levis Jewish Community Center is starting an outdoor performance series at the Sandler Center Courtyard, starting with the

“Shakespeare Under the Stars — Comedy: Twelfth Night Abridged” on Jan. 27. The rest of the theater productions and music concerts include:

„ “The God of Isaac” by James Sherman” Feb. 4-21.

“Kultur Festival” (Aaron Kula and the Klezmer Company Jazz Orchestra) Feb. 17

“Love Letters by A.R. Gurney” March 4-14 “Jewish Broadway Cabaret” (Ari Axelrod) March 24-25

“Words … Alive!” Dates to be announced

The Sandler Center Courtyard at the Levis JCC Phyllis and Harvey Sandler Center is at 21050 95th Ave. S. in Boca Raton. Showtimes vary. Prices per show are $20 for general admission with non-members, $15 for Gold and Gold Plus members, $10 for Gould and Weinberg House Residents and free for Platinum members. To order, call 561-558-2520 or go to LevisJCC.org/culture/theater.

Piquet Entertainment and Race Park

This new entertainment park opened earlier in December with go-carts, mini golf, paintball, axe throwing on more on 20 acres that used to be Hot Shots Paintball. Granted, some of the experiences are inside, such as the Speed Museum with race

PIQUET ENTERTAINMENT RACE PARK Piquet Entertainment and Race Park recently opened in Palm Beach County’s Loxahatchee Groves with go-carts, mini golf, paintball, axe throwing and a race car museum. The 20-acre experience is named after Brazilian father and son Formula 1 racer divers Nelson Piquet and Nelson Piquet Jr., who are investors.

LOEWS MIAMI BEACH HOTEL Loews Miami Beach Hotel and Veuve Clicquot will host the pop-up experience“Champagne on the Lawn” Dec. 22-Jan. 1.