Ellie Caulkins Opera House

Known as "the Ellie," the Ellie Caulkins Opera House is one of only three opera houses in the entire United States and one of nine in the world. You're sitting in a room that's in genuinely rare company, designed in lyric style with four levels - balcony, loge, mezzanine, and orchestra - where every single seat gives you a clear, unobstructed view of the stage and the acoustics make you feel like the performers are singing directly to you personally.

At just 2,225 seats, the Ellie stays intimate in a way that bigger performing arts venues simply cannot match. The Colorado Ballet performs here, Opera Colorado calls it home, and touring productions and special concert events fill out a calendar that's consistently excellent. The design is elegant without being stuffy - modern enough to feel comfortable, classic enough to feel genuinely special and worthy of the occasion.

The Ellie is part of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts complex downtown, which means you've got the entire 16th Street Mall area for pre-show dining. Guard and Grace on 17th is excellent for a steak dinner before the curtain goes up. Osteria Marco in Larimer Square does Italian food that'll put you in exactly the right mood for an evening of culture. If you want to feel fancy for an evening (and you absolutely should, occasionally), the Ellie is the place to do it. Browse what's on the calendar at Evil Tickets. Get cultured.