4 Best Performing Arts in Central North Carolina, North Carolina

What opened in 1927 as a vaudeville theater has matured and diversified into a performing-arts center that showcases dance, music, films, and plays. The interior, with its gilded classical-style ornamentation and marble statues, is its own attraction.

Founded in 1949, this playhouse stages professional shows and a host of children's programs in the Old Greensborough historic district. Little-known comedy gems are its specialty.

The Eastern Music Festival, a classical music celebration whose guests have included Billy Joel, André Watts, and Wynton Marsalis, brings a month of more than four dozen concerts to Greensboro's Guilford College and music venues throughout the city. It starts in late June.

The vast Greensboro Coliseum Complex hosts sporting, music, and entertainment events throughout the year, including the Central Carolina Fair. Jimi Hendrix, Phish, and Garth Brooks have all performed here. It's also home to the Greensboro Swarm, of the NBA's G League, and next door to the ACC Hall of Champions.