Vermont Cultural Life

Winooski is at the center of one of Vermont’s most active cultural communities. The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, housed in a beautifully-restored art-deco theater in downtown Burlington, offers an eclectic program with genres as diverse as opera, bluegrass, traditional African music, ballet, traditional Cape Breton fiddling, and Broadway musicals. Over the years, the Flynn has featured world-renowned performers such as Kathleen Battle, Phillip Glass, and Mikhail Barishnikov. It is also the home of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, and the Vermont Stage Company, a locally-run professional theater ensemble.

If a relaxed venue is more your style, you can check out Nectar’s, also in downtown Burlington and the birthplace of Vermont jam band Phish (you can sample Nectar’s’ famous gravy fries while you’re at it). In nearby South Burlington, Higher Ground has become known as the place to hear up-and-coming musicians or to enjoy intimate shows by established bands.

The Roxy Cinema, one of a small chain of locally-owned movie theaters, is located on College Street in downtown Burlington and features a mix of independent, foreign, and Hollywood films. The greater Burlington, Vermont area also has several multiplex cinemas with stadium seating.