July / Aug Best Bets

Taste the Gables returns with a month-long celebration of Coral Gables dining, featuring prix-fixe menus, restaurant specials, and limited- time offers at local eateries across the city. The annual program gives diners a reason to try new spots, revisit favorites, and support the Gables’ restaurant scene during the summer season.

Prices vary by restaurant. 
Various locations. 
tastethegables.com

Books & Books presents an evening with Maggie O’Farrell, author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, discussing her new novel, Land. Set in Ireland in 1865, it follows a father and son working to map a country after the Great Hunger. O’Farrell will converse with Sarah Kavanagh, Miami’s Consul General of Ireland for Miami.

Tickets ($37) include a copy of the book.  Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, 3010 De Soto Blvd.  booksandbooks.Com

Coral Gables celebrates Independence Day at the historic Biltmore Hotel with an evening of music, fireworks, and a new patriotic drone show. Presented by the City of Coral Gables and The Biltmore, the celebration honoring America’s 250th anniversary will feature the Greater Miami Symphonic Band.

Free.
The Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave.  coralgables.com

Actors’ Playhouse presents a family-friendly musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, following Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and Cowardly Lion on their journey through Oz.

Tickets $30-$35. 
Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile.
 actorsplayhouse.org

The Community Arts Program Summer Concert Series continues with four summer concerts featuring jazz vibraphonist Warren Wolf, classical guitarist Leonela Alejandro, pianist Clayton Stephenson, and jazz vocalist Kate Kortum.

Tickets $35 in advance, $40 at the door. 
Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, 3010 De Soto Blvd. communityartsprogram.org

The Shark Is Broken goes behind the scenes of Jaws, turning feuding actors, bad weather, and a broken mechanical shark into a comedy about the making of a blockbuster. 

Tickets $40 to $95. 
Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile. 
purchase.actorsplayhouse.org

Christopher Nolan’s mythic action epic brings Homer’s saga to the big screen. Starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o, with Zendaya and Charlize Theron. Coral Gables Art Cinema will show the movie on 70mm film, with extraordinary image quality, stunning scale, and immersive sound

Tickets $11.75 ($8 members). 
Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave. 
gablescinema.com

Explore The City Beautiful on two wheels with Gables Bike Tours, a monthly series presented by Bike Walk Coral Gables and the Coral Gables Museum. July’s tour celebrates the 250th anniversary of Independence Day; August’s heads to Montgomery Botanical Center.

Tickets $10; $5 for museum members and kids under 12. 
Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Ave. 
coralgablesmuseum.org

The South Florida Symphony Orchestra brings its Summer with the Symphony Chamber Music Series to the Coral Gables Museum. The program features violin, cello, and piano, followed by a meet-and-greet reception with the musicians, complete with a prosecco spritzer and treats.

Tickets start at $17.50, with 50 percent resident discounts (code GABLES). 
Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Ave. 
southfloridasymphony.org

Fine Arts of Miami presents Carousel of Hearts, mixing opera and zarzuela with a story about love, jealousy, heartbreak, and second chances. Set around couples spending a romantic night at the fair, the show pairs dramatic vocals with familiar pieces like “La donna è mobile” and “No puede ser.”

Tickets $36 to $61. 
Sanctuary of the Arts, 410 Andalusia Ave. 
ci.ovationtix.com