Club Reports: AC Skybar, The Other Bar, The Patio, Aero Bar, Barbarella 3.0

Located at the corner of Orange Avenue & Pine Street, you can find the old Merita Bread bakery sign lighted in the City park at that downtown intersection. If you lived in Orlando for any number of years, you can't help but remember the smell of fresh baking bread as you passed by the bakery along I-4.

We began our Saturday night at AC Sky Bar located in the AC by Marriott Hotel.

Up on the 18th floor is the hotel Reception desk and this inside bar. There's lots of seating. We've occasionally seen a DJ or other musician playing up here but usually not.

Step outdoors and you'll find this spectacular outside bar.

And it's out here you'll find this beautiful view of Kia Center, home of the Orlando Magic NBA team.

And what could be more romantic for a first date than the I-4/SR408 interchange. Admission to AC Skybar is free but there could be a queue to enter later on weekend nights.

Our next stop was The Other Bar aka The Other Irish Bar located within Wall Street Plaza.

This large bar used to wrap around the back to the next room but they now have that other room closed off. As the ownership team of the former Gilt Nightclub purchased both sides of Wall Street Plaza, this is apparently the only venue that remains separately owned.

 

Here we found DJ Fern (USA) playing mostly Top 40 hits. Just when you think you've met every DJ in Orlando, you meet another one.

This selfie photo sign is located aft in the club but you won't see it unless you come all the way back.

We've always felt that a nightclub has to have a lot of audacity to advertise there's "Always A Party" at their venue. Because "Always" means "Always".

But while we've tried numerous times unsuccessfully over the years to disprove their slogan, last night was not going to be the night to disprove it either. We could see through their open rooftop that there was already a crowd.

Friday/Saturday night resident DJ Parry (USA) was in the booth.

The music mostly Top 40 and Hip Hop hits.

Dance floor kept getting more-and-more crowded.

Bubble music!

DJ Parry has been bringing in the crowds dating back from when The Patio was called Eye Spy.

Admission is free. For now, all we can say is, there really is always a party at The Patio.

Up on top of The Patio and The Corner is Aero Bar.

The bar was crowded but not the dance floor when we first arrived.

In the booth delivering the good stuff, Saturday night resident DJ "The Dom" aka DJ Dominick Morrison (USA).

And then this happened!

And then all of  a sudden the dance floor got populated.

The music a mix of House and EDM.

We know The Dom from his years as a resident DJ at Mannequins on Pleasure Island and as the NYE DJ at EPCOT: China.

We don't usually make requests but when we asked The Dom if he could play "Messy" by Lola Young (GB), he pressed a couple buttons and said, "Sure, which version?" Awesome!

Admission is free. It gets like this every Friday and Saturday night at Aero.

The Axe Trap is located on Lee Road in Winter Park, just east of I-4. And on Saturday nights, it becomes home to Barbarella 3.0.

Barbarella is home to 80's New Wave and Alternative but this summer on the 3rd Saturday of every month, look for Barbarella's darker cousin "Memento Mori". We walked into this!

With "Memento Mori" resident DJ Lavidicus (USA).

The music a mix of Industrial, EBM, Darkwave, Alternative and Goth.

Since our last visit this shiny disco ball has been added above. It will soon be lighted and spinning!

Spotted in the booth: Sound & Lighting Tech Ernie joining DJ Lavidicus.

Everywhere we went last night, a good time was had by all.