The Mann Center

The Mann Center is a covered amphitheater dropped into Fairmount Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country, and the setting carries the whole experience. It holds around 14,000 between the covered pavilion seats and the open lawn, and on a good summer evening - wooded surroundings, a breeze coming through - an outdoor show here is genuinely lovely instead of just tolerable. It's the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, alongside a full run of pop, rock, jazz, and world music.

Here's the play: get a spot on the Great Lawn, bring a blanket and a basket, and set up a picnic with clear panoramic views of the Philadelphia skyline. Picnics are welcome on the lawn for the Orchestra dates and select summer nights, which makes the lawn the best-value seat in the house. Want a real seat under the roof? Grab the covered pavilion. Want the cheap, relaxed, spread-out night? The lawn is calling.

It's reachable by public transit from Center City, so you can leave the car behind. Find the Mann Center summer calendar on Evil Tickets and plan your warm-weather concert season.