Central Florida has plenty of doggone delicious dining establishments for Fido-friendly date nights (see our dog-friendly guide, part 1 & part 2), plus fun dog parks. Well, cat-lovin’ companions, there’s no need to hiss because we’ve found a litter of date spots that are the cat’s meow! Let's check out purrr-fect spots for Orlando cat lovers.
Cat Play Area Hours: Monday, noon–6pm; Tuesday-Sunday: 10am–6pm
Play Cost: $12 adult per hour & $10 per child
Reservations strongly recommended
Why opt for dinner and a show when you can have coffee and a cat?!? The Orlando Cat Café is a cozy coffeehouse with comfortable furniture offering coffee, tea, pastries and more. Sip hot yumminess as 12 to 15 cute kitties roam freely in the Cat Play Area. You can make reservations for the Cat Play Area to guarantee a purr-fect visit. If you meet a feline friend that you just can’t live without, you can adopt a cat on-site through SPCA.
FYI, patrons cannot bring their own cat to the café, and the café has a separate entrance to meet health and food safety compliance guidelines. Orlando Cat Cafe offers membership opportunities with great purrrks (perks).
Open Tuesday-Thursday & Sunday, noon-6pm; Saturday noon-7; closed Monday
Play Cost: $15 per person (60 mins) or $8 (30 mins); multi-visit passes discount option
Reservations strongly recommended
The Kitty Beautiful, within the City Beautiful, is a date night destination that is purrr-fectly cozy and quirky. Similar to Orlando Cat Café, this Orlando cat spot lets couples sip on coffee, tea or fun specialty drinks, while hanging out in a lounge full of adoptable rescue cats. Oh, and everything on the menu is vegetarian with vegan options, making it an easy, feel-good stop for diet-conscious couples.
There’s a small admission fee for lounge time, but it’s worth it for the serotonin boost alone. The Kitty Beautiful also hosts cat yoga (yup, that’s downward dog to the beat of cat purrs), Purrlates, local musician performances and other events.
Open 10am-6pm most days; 10am-8pm on Saturdays; closed Mondays
This Kissimmee spot lets cat lovers spend time with majestic Maine Coon cats, known for their larger-than-life paws and even bigger personalities. Whether you’re looking to unwind, snap some Insta-worthy moments or just ‘paws' and relax, you’ll be surrounded by whiskered wonders who love attention at this Orlando cat location.
And because you're smitten with kittens, check out the cat yoga sessions held at Maine Coon Manor.
Orlando cat lovers: You can spend time with the person you love (or are getting to know) with some do-good and feel-good date activities. This could include volunteering at the animal shelter. Do good couples can help by playing with sheltered cats, photographing cats for adoption promotion, assisting potential adoptees and so on.
If you're ready to commit further, consider pet sleepovers, fostering or adoption. Orlando cat and/or pet sleepovers is kind of like dating… You get a low-pressure opportunity to see if you're a good fit.
Yoga with Cats at Orlando Cat Cafe | Image credit: Stephanie Patterson
The owner of this Tampa Bay cat café admits that the name, Kitty Cat Lounge, kind of sounds like a strip club. LOL! But that’s a much different kind of date night blog than we’re penning now. At this much more laidback locale, “cats and humans merge for happy feelings and purrfect vibes.”
Be sure to peek at the online calendar because this lounge has lots of fun events, such as sip and paint, open mic night, LGBTQIA+ meet-ups and more. Plus, Kitty Cat partners with area food and beverage establishments to stock their café. You’ll find beer options from 3 Daughters Brewing, for example, and gluten-free yummies from Patty’s Crumbs, among others.
After some fun in the sun in New Smyrna, one of Central Florida’s best beach towns, stroll the shops on Flagler Avenue. Pop into this whimsical gallery where artist Samuel Ruder says his works are “bringing art to life and life to art.” The space is filled with colorful cat (and other animal) paintings.
First off, the beverage selection at Purrology is a-meow-zing. Try the lavender matcha or sparkling lemonade. FYI, you can also book private parties (maximum of 20 people) if you ever envisioned your wedding shower, birthday party or other celebration to include both friends and felines.
As if you need another excuse to venture to amazing Key West… between sunset cruises and umbrella drinks, squeeze in a visit to this museum. Cat fanatics who also admire Hemingway will find the writer’s former home to be the cat’s meow!
The limestone house, filled with original furnishings, is home to approximately 50 polydactyl (six-toed) cats (cats normally have five front toes and four back toes). Hemingway was given a white six-toed cat by a ship captain, and some of the cats living on the museum grounds are descendants of that original cat, named Snow White.
After visiting the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, head to Mallory Square for the Sunset Celebration, a nightly art festival to meet Dominique LeFort and his troupe of trained house cats. Watch this local cat fanatic direct his furry performers across tightropes and through flaming hoops.
Day trip to the west coast with a stop at one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world dedicated to big cats. The Big Cat Rescue is home to 80+ lions, tigers, bobcats, cougars and other species, most of whom have been abandoned, abused, orphaned, saved from being turned into fur coats or retired from performing acts.
Sarasota is a great weekend getaway for couples to spend sun-kissed days on the beach and at area attractions, like Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium and the Ringling Museum. Also stop at the Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary, a non-profit safe haven for big cats, bears and native wildlife offering visitors demonstrations with these majestic animals.
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, 1590 N. Goodlette-Frank Rd., Naples, FL
Plan a beach getaway to Naples for cat naps on the sand and a visit to this annual big cat event. Along with regular zoo activities, this festival focuses on the endangered Florida panther. Today, there are fewer than 100 Florida panthers left in the wild! Enjoy outdoor exhibits, guided nature walks on the Gordon River Greenway and expert-led talks.
Nancy DeVault is a fitness enthusiast, news junkie, shoe lover, adult beverage fan and travel addict. She works as a Florida-based freelance writer and editor. Nancy is always down for date night, girls night out and family fun adventures.
