George Mason University Center for the Arts

It’s a shame that one of the area’s best concert facilities is located so far from the District. But this venue on the George Mason campus offers some of the best in music, experimental drama and modern dance. The main hall seats nearly 2,000 and has hosted artists from the Canadian Brass to Dr John to the Dresden Philharmonic. The university’s 10,000-seat stadium, the Patriot Center, hosts basketball games but also big-name musical acts like REM, Green Day and Neil Young.