2 Best Performing Arts in Montgomery County, Maryland

Each season on its 400-seat Main Stage in Bethesda, Round House presents an eclectic body of work ranging from world premieres to great 20th-century plays to contemporary adaptations of the classics. Round House's 150-seat black-box stage, home to more-experimental works, is in Silver Spring, adjacent to the American Film Institute Silver Theater.

Local and national artists exhibit in the galleries and jazz, chamber, folk, and popular musicians perform year-round at this mansion built around 1900. Whimsical pieces, part of the permanent collection, are on display in the sculpture garden. A Wednesday evening concert series features local musicians for $12. The 1,976-seat Music Centre, home to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Montgomery County, opened in 2005. Strathmore's Tea is served in a well-lighted wood-panel salon Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 (reservations essential). On Wednesday evenings in summer, concertgoers spread out on the expansive lawn to listen to free concerts—everything from Ukelele to Afrofunk.