Culture worthy of your calendar

Free admission to Morse Museum on July 4

The Morse Museum in Winter Park will offer free admission on July 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., continuing its tradition of celebrating American art as part of Winter Park’s Olde Fashioned 4th of July Celebration. The festivities include a bicycle parade, horse-drawn wagon rides, and patriotic music by the Bach Festival Choir.

This year, visitors to the Morse will be able to tour the museum’s new Tiffany wing, which features art and architectural objects from Laurelton Hall, the celebrated Long Island home of the iconic American artist and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany. Exclusive to 2011, the museum will also exhibit a 1798 cream jug by American patriot and silversmith Paul Revere. Call 407-645-5311 or visit morsemuseum.org.

Free fireworks at Cranes Roost

This July 3 at Uptown Altamonte’s Cranes Roost Park, XL 106.7 FM will present big name acts that perform live on the unique stage that floats (literally) atop Cranes Roost Lake, entertaining the crowd from every angle. The musical lineup includes Hot Chelle Rae, Paper Tongues, Shontelle, and Cody Simpson, along with the XL 106.7 FM Next Big Thing Winner — all followed by a spectacular fireworks show! Visit UptownAltamonte.com or call 407-571-8863.

‘Games People Play’ at the History Center

The Orange County Regional History Center will add “play-time” to the celebration of its 10th anniversary season with its new exhibit “Games People Play: The Evolution of Video Games”. Beginning with the pinball machine, visitors are invited to journey through time — discovering (and re-discovering) how electronic games evolved, from the first computer games to the rise of the arcade, to the at-home game consoles of today. Games People Play offers a look “inside the box,” as it presents the dramatic changes in size and power in game technology.

The exhibit, running from July 2 to Sept. 10, promises to illustrate the “sociological influences” of these toys. Visitors will be invited to see — and play — examples of classic gaming systems including Atari, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and more. The History Center is at 65 E. Central Blvd. in downtown Orlando in the historic 1927 courthouse. Call 407-836-8500 or visit www.thehistorycenter.org

Medieval Times offers “Train to be a Knight” fun for kids

The Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament attraction takes its guests back to the 11th century to witness the thrill of live jousting, swordplay and horsemanship. This summer Medieval Times offers a new program called Train to be a Knight (for children ages 5 to 12), which promises the most exciting way yet for young ones to become lords and ladies. The new program begins before the nightly performance as kids enjoy an exclusive weapons demonstration — created just for them — and learn about the “hardships” involved in becoming a knight. Then, as autographs are collected, the “training” culminates as the children are “knighted” by his majesty King Philippe. This unique new program will be offered July 3, 17, 24, and 31, and Aug. 7, 14, 21, and 28. Tickets for the evening performance are required, but there is no charge for children to participate in the Train to be a Knight program. Medieval Times is located at 4510 W. Vine St. in Kissimmee. Visit medievaltimes.com or call 1-888-935-6878.