Tel Aviv Cinemas, Music Scene, Theaters and Museums

Tel Aviv is much more than a beach town with a great nightlife and coffee scene. It’s the entertainment capital of Israel and its cultural center, way ahead of the competition.

Cinemas

Tel Aviv’s cinemas show not only the most popular Hollywood and Israeli movies, but also European and Asian flicks, as well as American Indies and documentaries. If it’s any good and it’s on the silver screen, odds are you can see it in some TA movie theater. And let’s not forget the cinematheque, for the most artsy films out there. When all else fails,  head on to The Third Ear (King George-Ben Zion), a DVD rental store that owns the largest collection and variety of movies from around the world and from decades past.

Live Music

Every few months a major foreign musician or band comes out here for a big gig, but most of the time, Israelis make do with the local music scene. The Ozen Bar (King George-Ben Zion) hosts a local band every night, while the Goldstar Zappa Club (Raul Valenbert in Ramat Ha’Hayal) and Hangar 11 (Old Port) are the places popular Israeli artists go to when they want to throw a concert for thousands of people. Shablul Jazz Club in the Old Port (Hangar 13) also has regular live music.

The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra (Mann Auditorium) and the Israeli Opera (Shaul Ha’melech Boulevard) are your top choices for classical music.

Theater and Dance

Tel Aviv is nothing if not highbrow. And as such, it offers a variety of entertainment options in theater and dance. And when people talk about Tel Aviv and dance they must be referring to Suzanne Dalal Center (Neve Tsedek), home to the country’s top two dance companies.

The theater options are varied: Ha’Bima National Theater, Cameri and Beit Lessin are mainstream theaters with the best of Israel’s actors and directors. Gesher and Na’Laga’at are more on the outside looking in. For fringe theater there’s always Ha’Simta (Pisces Alley, Old Jaffa). Tszavta is a good place to attend standup comedy routines.

Museums

Tel Aviv has in it museums for people of all walks of life. The biggest and most famous museum is the Tel Aviv Museum of Art (27 Shaul Ha’Melech), a prominent museum of modern art that hosts half a million visitors every year. In it are departments for photography, drawing, design and sculpture. Next to the museum are the Israeli Opera House and the Cameri Theatre. There are several smaller museums of arts, architecture and history spread around the city.

Zionist Jews will certainly be interested in places like the Jabutinsky House, the David Ben Gurion Home, Independence Hall, the Jewish resistance (Palmach, Etsel and Lehi) museums and the IDF Museum.