1683 Best Performing Arts Venues in USA

In winter the Arizona Symphonic Winds performs a series of free indoor concerts and then goes outdoors with a spring–summer concert schedule at Udall Park in Northeast Tucson. Performances in the park are Saturday at 7 pm; arrive at least an hour early for a good spot on the grass.

From September through May, Arizona's state theater performs classical pieces, contemporary drama, and musical comedy at the historic Temple of Music and Art. Though it's worth coming just to see the beautifully restored historic Spanish Colonial–Moorish-style theater, the first-rate performances and reasonable ticket prices make it a standout.

Based in Tucson, the Arizona Theatre Company also performs at venues in the Valley. Productions, held from September through June, range from classic dramas to musicals and new works by emerging playwrights.

This Moorish-style auditorium presents touring performers and films throughout the year.

In a Washington tradition, bands from the four branches of the armed services perform from June through August on weekday evenings on the U.S. Capitol West Front steps. Concerts usually include marches, patriotic numbers, and some classical music. Setup begins at 4 pm, with the concerts starting at 8 pm, but look out for scheduling changes or notices on individual bands' social media accounts. Food is permitted, but glass bottles and alcohol are not allowed.

Erected in 1939, this unique outdoor music and performing arts venue in the heart of La Villita was designed by River Walk architect Robert H. H. Hugman and built by the WPA. Have a seat on the grass-covered steps on the river's edge and watch performers on the small stage across the water. In this open-air format, the river, not a curtain, separates performers from the audience. Some of San Antonio's top events take place here, including Fiesta Noche del Rio, a summer music and dance show presented since 1957, making it the oldest outdoor performance of its kind in the United States.

The largest fitness expo in the world routinely draws 17,000 athletes and more than 150,000 spectators. A training seminar, eight title contests, and 650 expo booths keep people coming back.

The most prestigious art show in the United States is held every December, with plenty of fabulous parties to go along with the pricey art. This is a who's who of the art world where collectors, emerging artists, renowned artists, curators, gallerists, and art aficionados convene alongside novices, trendsetters, and glitterati. Although the main exhibition is held at the Miami Beach Convention Center, dozens of smaller exhibitions are set up on the beach, Downtown, and in the Wynwood District at galleries and in event spaces and hotel lobbies. The exquisite art and sensational people-watching more than soften the blow of exorbitant hotel prices, heavy traffic, and long waits.

Plan ahead to make the most of Art Basel, which includes purchasing tickets or securing your name on guest lists in advance.

Located on the McLennan Community College campus, Art Center Waco hosts major exhibits in its main gallery and smaller showings in other rooms, as well as weekend classes and demonstrations. A 35-piece sculpture garden is open all hours.

This annual weekend of all things art deco was started by the Miami Design Preservation League in the 1970s to draw attention to and celebrate Miami Beach's Art Deco Historic District. Tours, lectures, film screenings, and dozens of other 1930s-theme events are on tap over this January weekend. Festivities—many of them free—begin on Friday, followed by a car show and street fair (with over 140 vendors) on Saturday and Sunday. More than a quarter of a million people join in the action, which centers on Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th Streets.

Each year in early October, art lovers and people-watchers alike pack galleries and shops along the Lower Garden District and Uptown stretches of Magazine Street for the annual Saturday-evening kickoff to the visual arts season. What's on the walls usually takes a back seat to the party scene, with many businesses offering snacks and pouring drinks.

Every season showcases live music, comedy, and cabaret shows with powerhouse performers, including Thorgy Thor from RuPaul's Drag Race, Lagoon Bloo singing Britney Live, and more. 

Make a detour to explore cutting-edge contemporary sculpture at Art Omi, an international center for artists where giant heads spring fully formed from the ground in Fields Sculpture Park; about 80 artworks are scattered around 90 acres of the park. You can bring a picnic and spend a full afternoon roaming the park. The sculpture park is free and open daily from dawn to dusk.

With a reputation for commissioning and staging new work by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwrights, this celebrated theater company performs seven to nine productions a year including regional premieres and classics. The company currently stages its productions at Portland Center Stage's Ellyn Bye Studio, while it awaits construction of a new state-of-the-art theater at 1515 S.W. Morrison Street, which is slated to open in late 2023.

Artpark State Park, Niagara's premier performing-arts center, hosts reasonably priced, world-class musical theater, dance performances, and classical, big-band, pop, and jazz concerts. Performances are held in the 2,400-seat Mainstage Theater or the outdoor amphitheater, which will be completely renovated for the 2010 season. Free Tuesday- and Wednesday-evening concerts, from June through August, draw big crowds, and this is the summer home of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Locals love the theater productions at this arts hub that strives to enrich the community through performing and visual arts. The nonprofit supports youth education programs and showcases the works of more than 150 local artists in its Walter Greer Gallery.

One of the oldest community theater groups in the country stages musicals and theatrical productions year-round in its own building.

The sights, sounds, and tastes of Asia are captured at this event, held in late May. Sample Asian cuisine from a gamut of countries, shop the Asian market, keep the kids active with hands-on activities, and be entertained by the stage performances and cultural booths.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed the ASU Gammage Auditorium, which presents more Broadway shows outside the Big Apple than any other venue in the nation.

Theater, dance, music, and jazz performances are showcased at this center.

The 1,200-seat Athenaeum Center, which sits adjacent to St. Alphonsus Church and dates back to 1911, stages classical music performances, live podcast tapings, panel discussions and artist conversations, dance festivals, comedians, and more. 

The Athenaeum is a membership-supported, nonprofit library with an exceptional collection of books, periodicals, CDs, and other media related to arts and music. It also hosts classes, exhibits, lectures, and intimate jazz, chamber music, and the occasional folk concert throughout the year.

Built in 1922, this historic downtown theater fell into disrepair and was closed for decades before being brought back to life with a $12-million restoration project. Today, it's a busy hub with a packed schedule of musicals and concerts produced in-house.

The Atlanta Jazz Festival, held throughout the month of May and culminating Memorial Day weekend, gathers the best local, national, and international musicians for free concerts at Atlanta's Piedmont Park and various venues.

Major roles at the Atlanta Opera are performed by national and international guest artists; many of the chorus and orchestra members come from the local community.

Since 1971, Atlanta has put on one of the most vibrant and popular gay festivals in the country. Thousands of people gather in Piedmont Park every October for Atlanta Pride, which includes a long lineup of entertainers and a market with vendors and organizations from around the area. The main event is the parade, with festive floats and dancers and folks of all stripes marching through the streets of the city.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company stages plays by the Bard and his peers, as well as by contemporary dramatists. Performances vary in quality but are always fun. The Elizabethan-style playhouse is a real tavern, so alcohol and pub-style food are available.

Under the musical direction of its first woman leader, Nathalie Stutzmann, appointed in 2022, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) has 27 Grammy awards to its credit. It performs the fall–spring subscription series in the nearly 1,800-seat Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center.

Known as the "People's Kennedy Center," this performance venue occupies a restored art deco movie theater in one of Washington's up-and-coming neighborhoods. The Atlas's four theaters and three dance studios house a diverse group of resident arts organizations, including the Mosaic Theater Company of D.C., the Joy of Motion Dance Center, Step Afrika!, and the Capital City Symphony. Street parking can be difficult, but you can take the DC Streetcar here from the Metro stop at Union Station.

A naughty revue building on the momentum of Spiegelworld's flagship show Absinthe took its theme from the Western saloon vibe of an inherited venue in The Venetian's retail mall, creating the raucous atmosphere of a theme park revue gone off the rails. Absinthe remains a better overall introduction to Spiegelworld's approach. But those who can't get enough of the formula will enjoy this Wild West variation on the campy hijinks, including barely clad acrobats, sexy cowboys and cowgirls, and . . . a nun?