2 Best Performing Arts in Richmond, Fredericksburg and the Northern Neck, Virginia

This elaborate theater with towering minarets and desert murals was built by the Shriners in 1926. Dubbed "the Mosque," a name still retained by locals, the theater sits just west of downtown, and is known for its excellent acoustics and for having the largest permanent proscenium stage on the East Coast. The Altria hosts the road versions of Broadway shows, symphony performances, ballet, children's theater, concerts, and fashion shows.

This restored 1928 motion-picture palace is now a performing-arts center that mounts opera, traveling shows, symphonic music, and ballet. It's the cornerstone of the Center Stage Performing Arts Complex, which also boasts the intimate Rhythm Hall for local performers, as well as the Gottwald Playhouse, and a visual arts space called the Showcase Gallery.