John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The Kennedy Center, as it’s known, opened on the Potomac River in 1971 and houses three main theaters: the Opera House, Concert Hall and the Eisenhower Theater. Besides the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Opera and the Washington Ballet, the Kennedy Center also hosts numerous concerts, both jazz and classical, as well as musicals. Ballet lovers in particular have a lot to explore at the Kennedy Center, which is home to the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, the wonderful small company run by the former Balanchine muse, and has drawn such renowned companies as London’s Royal Ballet and Moscow’s Bolshoi.