1679 Best Performing Arts Venues in USA

Timothy Touhey runs The Gallery in an old tin-ceilinged department store, where he showcases his sculptures and vibrant paintings. The congenial Touhey may let you peek into his studio, or he might play a tune for you on the upright piano. A second space, at the back of the building, displays regional artists' works.

National and international opera and dance performances, concerts, comedy, Broadway musicals, film festivals, and children's events are all on the bill at this arts center—a beautifully restored, 1,440-seat, art deco theater.

The world-renowned Garth Fagan Dance, a modern-dance troupe, is based here but spends most of the time touring.

Open year-round, this chamber music venue in the heart of Virginia's Allegheny mountains also offers lodging in the Manor House and gourmet meals paired with live music.

A 708-seat theater, a 13,000-seat arena, and a 50,000-square-foot expo center are all here, 30 miles north of Downtown Atlanta. The venue hosts national touring acts and the Atlanta Gladiators hockey team, as well as conventions, sporting events, outlet sales, and jewelry shows.

Children of all ages love the clever, original melodramas at the Gaslight Theatre, where hissing at the villain and cheering the hero are part of the audience's duty.

The cozy Gem Theatre hosts a variety of events and houses the upscale Century Grille restaurant.

New releases from around the globe and revivals of cinematic classics are shown at the Gene Siskel Film Center; the best part is that filmmakers often make appearances at screenings.

The General Jackson is a Victorian-style riverboat that cruises down the Cumberland River up to twice a day. On board, there’s a two-story theater that showcases a couple of flashy, choreographed, cheesy but fun contemporary country productions—the Tennessee Legends show, which plays during the midday cruise, and the Rollin' on the River show, which takes place as the sun is setting. Special holiday-themed shows are also quite popular. Each show comes with the option to purchase a meal; after the show, you can roam the different decks outside, including a rooftop bar from which you can enjoy views of the sparkling Downtown skyline.

This state-of-the-art performance complex on the suburban Virginia campus of George Mason University satisfies music, ballet, jazz, dance, and drama patrons with regular performances in its 2,000-seat concert hall, the 460-seat proscenium Harris Theatre, and an intimate 140-seat black-box theater. 

The Georgetown University Art Galleries are composed of two distinct exhibition venues: the Maria & Alberto de la Cruz Art Gallery and the Lucille M. & Richard F.X. Spagnuolo Art Gallery. During the academic year, the galleries present exhibitions featuring works by highly acclaimed professional artists, studio art faculty, and graduating art majors and host various innovative, interdisciplinary public programs.

The city's German heritage is celebrated with music, dancing, and food, plus fireworks and a parade draw. It's held on the last full weekend of July.

The three-day, late-September extravaganza boasts three stages of music with everything from polka to hard rock, plus German food, arts and crafts, and a kinderplatz (child's place) area with kids' entertainment. While past Oktoberfests were held in the Brewery District, the current site lies in the northeast corner of the German Village.

Both the Casper Symphony Orchestra and the Casper College Theater Department perform at the 465-seat Gertrude Krampert Theater.

Geva Theatre Center, the city's leading professional theater for resident shows and the largest regional theater in the state, presents about seven shows a year on its 552-seat Mainstage space. Its 180-seat Nextstage theater mounts edgier, more experimental productions.

Voices of the mountains blend at concerts in the new, state-of-the-art McClaren Hall. Conductor John Zoltek and his talented musicians hold a Mozart festival in late June and an outdoor weekend concert in early July, just a short drive from the splendor of Glacier National Park.

Area opera devotees staged a performance of La Bohème at the local high school in 1975. Twelve summers later the company they went on to form was successful enough to merit its own space. In 1987 the Glimmerglass Opera held its first production in the 900-seat Alice Busch Opera Theater. The company presents four operas during its July–August season. Picnics on the grounds are a good way to spend time before a performance.

A contemporary dance company helmed by visionary choreographer Lauri Stallings and founded in 2009, gloATL has entranced Atlantans with its site-specific dance performances and collaborations with local artists, which have included Outkast's Big Boi and the Atlanta Ballet.

As the metro area's premier presenter of worldwide music and dance, Global Arts Live has a truly global roster featuring exciting contemporary artists in their Boston debuts (like the Bad Plus and Freshlyground), as well as world-music icons, such as South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Ireland's Mary Black. Performances unfold at many venues, such as the Institute of Contemporary Art, Royale, Paradise Rock Club, and Somerville Theatre.

A street fair and parade through the city cap several days of events at this mid-July celebration of Fairbanks's gold rush past. Festivities include what is billed as the biggest parade in Alaska, a street fair, and a rubber duckie race along the Chena River.

Stylishly refurbished, this movie theater is now primarily a musical house. Touring productions of Broadway shows and revivals are its mainstays.

Founded in 1925, the city's oldest and largest nonprofit theater presents an exceptional repertoire of plays each year featuring local and national performers. Works by August Wilson and David Mamet have premiered here, and the Goodman's annual holiday staging of A Christmas Carol is a Chicago tradition.

The Canadian impressionist has been a durable Las Vegas presence for almost two decades, give or take, and is now a rare show bargain in the Golden Nugget theater, which has been a good fit for him over the years. His throwback showmanship specializes in song-parody celebrity impressions delivered with a manic silliness. Women will warm up to a guy good-looking enough to be a retro crooner, and men will recognize the kid from their middle school who memorized MAD magazine. (Brown performs two nights per week, sharing the theater with oldies and casino-circuit musical acts such as Ambrosia and Grand Funk Railroad.)

A restored, modernized landmark that dates from 1924, the Granada hosts Broadway touring shows and dance, music, and other cultural events.

A local art deco landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, the Grand opened as a movie theater in 1938, then fell into disrepair, sitting vacant for much of the ’50s to the ’70s. The theater reopened in 1975 and since then has staged plays, hosted concerts, and shown films.

The Grand 1894 Opera House stages musicals and hosts concerts year-round. It's worth visiting for the ornate architecture alone. Sarah Bernhardt and Anna Pavlova both performed on this storied stage.

Excellent unlimited buffet food, an open bar, and exciting music and Polynesian dance performances characterize this traditional luau, held twice weekly (Wednesday and Saturday) in a garden setting near majestic Keoneloa Bay.

Seattle's longest-running independent movie house is an outstanding and unique home for independent and art film that feels as comfortable as a home theater. The non-profit, volunteer-run theater shows independent, classic, and other types of films that otherwise tend to fly under the radar of pop culture.

In summer the symphony orchestra performances of the Grand Teton Music Festival are held five nights per week at Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village. A winter series holds less frequent concerts. Tickets are $35–$65 for adults, with many free events throughout the year.