Summer theater

England’s original Globe Theatre was an open-air venue -- in fact, you might call it the first summer Shakespeare festival. Plenty have followed. California’s alfresco theater companies are warming up now to provide midsummer night dreams and sun-dappled matinees. Here are a few tips for enjoying some out-of-town shows.

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Festival

Old Globe Theatre’s Summer Shakespeare Festival

Balboa Park, San Diego, June 18-Oct. 1, www.oldglobe.org

Seeing - Three shows in repertory in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre (plus two non-Shakespeare shows inside next door). The Old Globe complex is in Balboa Park, near the center of San Diego. The disadvantage: noise from the airport and, sometimes, the zoo.

Eating - The atmospheric and stage-close El Prado has a creative menu. I also liked Region, near the park’s northwestern corner. Ticasso, a a few blocks west of the park, is good for a pre-show Mexican dinner. Afterward, try Extraordinary Desserts.

Sleeping - In the Bankers Hill district, walkably west of Balboa Park, the Keating House is a better deal than the closer Britt Scripps Inn. A bit north, the Park Manor Suites offers huge rooms on the edge of the park and continental breakfast.

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Festival

PCPA Theaterfest

420 2nd St., Solvang, June 6-Oct 8, www.pcpa.org

Seeing - Alfresco branch of Santa Maria’s Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts does mostly non-Bard shows. Professional enough despite the number of students in the cast. The big question: Do you like Solvang’s Danish kitsch?

Eating - Cafe Angelica, a five-minute walk from the theater, has passable fare. Nearby, Paula’s Pancake House sells hearty breakfasts. Of course, the attractions of the Santa Ynez wine country are only a few miles away.

Sleeping - I was less than charmed by a bland road-facing room at the Royal Copenhagen Inn. Consider too the lodgings away from the main drag, such as the Solvang Gardens Lodge or the Storybook Inn B&B.;

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Festival

Shakespeare Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz campus, July 19-Sept. 3, shakespearesantacruz.org

Seeing - Redwoods encircle the enchanting Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen. Another distinction are the matinees, thanks to the ocean-moderated climate and the redwoods providing intermittent shade.

Eating - O’mei looks like zilch from the street but offers astonishing variations on Chinese cuisine. Downtown is the pricier but impeccable Oswald. Up Route 9, among the redwoods, is the airy Sicilian restaurant La Bruschetta.

Sleeping - Try to book one of the many B&Bs.; The handsome Darling House offers serene evening views of the wharf. Closer to the theater are the excellent Adobe on Green Street and the Babbling Brook Inn.

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Festival

California Shakespeare

Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda, May 31-Oct. 15, www.calshakes.org

Seeing - A few sculptures serve as the permanent welcoming committee at this pleasant natural bowl, and the sunset glows warmly on the distant hills. But, like any of these venues, it can get cool once the sun’s down; wear layers.

Eating - Berkeley, a few miles west, is the best bet for formal dining as well as lodging. But the Midsummer Night’s Cafe, at the amphitheater, offers soups, salads and sandwiches, wine and organic beer.

Sleeping - Nothing is within walking distance, so Berkeley or San Francisco might beckon. Or mention the theater to reservations clerks at the Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa, about five miles east, for a discount.