The Best Performing Arts

Symphony Hall (Boston, MA; tel. 617/266-1492): Home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and other local and visiting groups and performers, this is a perfect (acoustically and otherwise) destination for classical music.

Hatch Shell (Boston, MA; tel. 617/626-1250): This amphitheater on the Charles River Esplanade plays host to free music, dance performances, and films almost every night in summer. Around the Fourth of July, the Boston Pops provide the entertainment. Bring a blanket to sit on.

Boston's Theater District: The area's performance spaces -- which include the recently reopened Opera House -- are in the midst of a nearly unprecedented boom, and this is the epicenter. Previews and touring companies of Broadway hits, local music and dance troupes, and other productions of every description make this part of town hop every night.

The Nutcracker (Boston, MA; tel. 800/447-7400 for tickets): New England's premier family-oriented holiday event is Boston Ballet's extravaganza. When the Christmas tree grows through the floor, even fidgety preadolescents forget that they think they're too cool to be here.

The Comedy Connection at Faneuil Hall (Boston, MA; tel. 617/248-9700): Even in the Athens of America, it's not all high culture. The biggest national names and the funniest local comics take the stage at this hot spot.

The Berkshire Theatre Festival (Stockbridge, MA; tel. 413/298-5576): An 1887 "casino" and converted barn mount both new and classic plays from June to late August in one of the prettiest towns in the Berkshires. Name artists on the order of Joanne Woodward and Dianne Wiest are often listed as actors and directors in the annual playbill.

The Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival (Becket, MA; tel. 413/243-0745): Celebrated dancer/choreographer Martha Graham made this her summertime performance space for decades. Guest troupes are among the world's best, often including Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and the Paul Taylor Company, supplemented by repertory companies working with jazz, flamenco, or world music.

Tanglewood Music Festival (Lenox, MA; tel. 617/266-1492 in Boston, 413/637-5165 in Lenox): By far the most dominating presence on New England's summer cultural front, the music festival that takes place on this magnificent Berkshires estate is itself in thrall to the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). While the BSO reigns, room is made for such guest soloists as Jessye Norman and Itzhak Perlman as well as practitioners of other forms, from jazz (Dave Brubeck) to folk (James Taylor) and the Boston Pops.

Williamstown Theatre Festival (Williamstown, MA; tel. 413/597-3400): Classic, new, and avant-garde plays are all presented during the June-through-August season at this venerable festival. There are two stages, one for works by established playwrights, the smaller second venue for less mainstream or experimental plays. There is usually a Broadway headliner on hand; Frank Langella has been a frequent presence.

Norfolk Chamber Music Festival (Norfolk, CT; tel. 860/542-3000): A century-old "Music Shed" on the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Estate in this Litchfield Hills town shelters such important chamber performance groups as the Tokyo String Quartet and the Vermeer Quartet. Young professional musicians perform morning recitals.

Summer in Newport (RI): From Memorial Day to Labor Day, only a scheduling misfortune will deny visitors the experience of an outdoor musical event. In calendar order, the highlights (well short of all-inclusive) are the July Newport Music Festival, the August Ben & Jerry's Folk Festival and JVC Jazz Festival, and the Waterfront Irish Festival in September.