Guthrie Theater

The Guthrie was founded in 1963 by Tyrone Guthrie and moved in 2006 into a striking deep-blue building right on the banks of the Mississippi in downtown Minneapolis. It's one of the most important regional theaters in the country, with three performance spaces - the 1,100-seat Wurtele Thrust Stage and the 700-seat McGuire Proscenium Stage chief among them - programming classic and contemporary work that regularly draws national notice.

Do this even if you're not seeing a show: the cantilevered "Endless Bridge" juts out over the river with views that are honestly the best free thing in the neighborhood. And the Mill District around it has turned into one of the city's best dining stretches - the Guthrie's own restaurant space is now Indígena by Owamni, the James Beard-winning kitchen from chef Sean Sherman, so you can eat exceptionally well without leaving the building.

Get there early, walk the bridge, eat before curtain. Find upcoming Guthrie shows on Evil Tickets and book your seats for a night at one of the best theaters in the country.