New York City
This compact bar and performance space, named after a neighborhood in Paris with a strong North African flavor, is owned by French musicians (and longtime…
Must-see entertainment in Eastern USA
Little Havana
Jewel of the Little Havana Art District, Cubaocho is renowned for its concerts, with excellent bands from across the Spanish-speaking world. It's also a…
Chicago
The Neo-Futurists are best known for their show The Infinite Wrench, in which the hyper troupe makes a manic attempt to perform 30 original plays in 60…
Brooklyn: Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn & Dumbo
This handsome red-brick building, a Civil War–era tobacco warehouse, is the first permanent home of avant-garde performance company St Ann's. The …
Chicago
You can hear the call of the banjos from the street outside this venerable institution, where major national and international acts such as Richard…
Walt Disney World
Disney's best live show features mind-boggling acrobatic feats expertly fused to light, stage and costume design to create a cohesive artistic vision. And…
Blue Ridge Highlands & Southwest Virginia
An arts and music hub for the region that offers programming that focuses on local musicians carrying on the traditions of Appalachian music. Headline…
Naples
Naples' 85-piece Philharmonic Orchestra is increasingly recognized as one of the country's best young orchestras. Andrey Boreyko was named as music…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Hidden behind a factory past the edge of Bucktown, this two-room lodge of indie rock and alt-country is well worth seeking out. The owners have nursed an…
Pioneer Valley
Offering 'booze, blues and BBQ,' this joint is a gem. Truly great blues and jazz acts get booked in the lively bar, and the barbecue is finger-lickin'…
Cambridge
The legendary Club Passim is a holdout from the days when folk music was a staple in Cambridge (and around the country). The club continues to book top…
Financial District & Lower Manhattan
One of NYC's top off-off-Broadway venues, Flea is famous for staging innovative and timely new works. It houses three performance spaces, including the …
Chicago
Hometown indie bands, jazz combos and DJs rock this wee, arty bar most nights. There’s never a cover charge, but you’d be a schmuck if you didn’t order at…
Back Bay
Run by Berklee students, the Red Room @ Cafe 939 has emerged as one of Boston's least predictable and most enjoyable music venues. It has an excellent…
Louisiana
This haunted house is a labor of love of many Baton Rouge residents, and is regularly voted one of the best in the country. You'll walk through a…
Connecticut
Housed in a converted red barn on the shores of Lake Bantam, the oldest continuously operating movie theater in Connecticut is a real Litchfield…
South End & Chinatown
When Wally's opened in 1947, Barbadian immigrant Joseph Walcott became the first African American to own a nightclub in New England. Old-school, gritty…
Chicago
The producer of Pitchfork Music Festival opened this intimate club, which actually breaks down into two small venues inside. The city's hepcats come out…
Memphis
Don't even think of showing up at this gritty, hole-in-the-wall juke joint before midnight. Order a 40oz beer and a basket of wings, then sit back to…
Milwaukee
The former Eagles Club was built in 1926 and has hosted a 'who's who' of legendary music acts, including Guy Lombardo, Glenn Miller, Buddy Holly, Bob…
Connecticut
Since its founding in 1931 this well-respected playhouse has staged hundreds of productions attracting big-name Broadway talent. It's hardly surprising…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
The Black Cat is the go-to venue for music that's loud and grungy with a punk edge. The White Stripes, Arcade Fire and Foo Fighters have all thrashed here…
Chicago
For more than three decades, the Metro has been synonymous with loud rock. Sonic Youth and the Ramones in the '80s. Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction in the …
Nashville
A true Nashville gem, this nonprofit cinema showcases the best of independent, documentary, world, repertory and classic cinema 365 days a year. It's also…
Arkansas
The White Water manages to line up some excellent acts for its small stage, with bands ranging from straight-up rockers to alt-country heroes to indie…
Queens
Come to Queens for multicultural eats, then stay for equally diverse sounds at this cool bi-level performance space. It makes creative use of the tiny…
The Berkshires
The old church made famous in Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant hosts a beloved Troubadour series, featuring folk concerts by the likes of Tom Chapin,…
Shenandoah Valley
Don't leave Staunton without catching a show at the Blackfriars Playhouse, where actors from the American Shakespeare Center perform in a re-creation of…
Lexington
Second only to Churchill Downs in terms of quality of competition, Keeneland's races run in April and October, when you can also glimpse champions train…
Chicago
Commanding local acts wither the mikes nightly at this mainstream blues club. It's a pretty spartan setup, with a small, narrow room that gets packed…
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Washington, DC
Woolly Mammoth is the edgiest of DC’s experimental groups. For most shows, $20 ‘stampede’ seats are available at the box office two hours before…
Cleveland
Listen to scrappy bands, DJs, storytellers or science lectures while munching on a weenie, for which you can choose from among 50 toppings, from gourmet …
South Carolina
Folks groove to doo-wop, old-time R&B and beach music at this North Myrtle institution, which calls itself 'Home of the Shag.' The dance, that is. Free…
Fort Lauderdale
This funky church-turned-cinema offers plush velvet seats, film festival entries, independent and European films, and plenty of kid-friendly programs. It…
Portsmouth
For a small-town theater, this venue hosts a surprising array of performances, including dance, theater, film, opera and other music. Musicians, comedians…
Chicago
Rosa’s is an unadorned, real-deal blues club that brings in top local talent and dedicated fans to a somewhat derelict Logan Square block. Get ready to…
Fort Myers
The 1908 Arcade Theatre is home to the Florida Repertory Theatre, one of the best regional theaters in the state. It produces popular comedies, musicals…
White Mountains
This classic theater in downtown Bethlehem is a historic place to hear the jazz, blues and folk musicians that pass through this little town. The venue…
Northeast Florida
Home to Elvis' first indoor concert in 1956, which a local judge endured to ensure Presley was not overly suggestive, this opulent 1927 venue is an…
Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
Burlington
Broadway hits, international acts, music, dance and theater grace the stage at this art-deco masterpiece. Expect anything from King Lear to Ladysmith…
