Nightlife Venues

Alexandria, Virginia

The Birchmere is one of the most beloved Americana and folk music venues in America — an Alexandria Virginia institution presenting outstanding singer-songwriter, country, folk, and Americana acts since 1966. The Birchmere's extraordinary 58+ year history and its remarkable roster of performers (Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and virtually every important Americana artist has played here) create a music hall of genuine American roots music cultural significance.

3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305

Arlington, Virginia

Clarendon Ballroom is a 1,200-capacity nightclub and event venue in Arlington's Clarendon neighborhood, featuring a large outdoor rooftop deck and a dance floor for DJ nights, birthday events, and special productions. Clarendon Ballroom anchors the Clarendon entertainment district which is Northern Virginia's densest concentration of bars and restaurants.

3185 Wilson Blvd 22201

Charlottesville, Virginia

Charlottesville is one of the most musically significant small cities in America — birthplace of Dave Matthews Band, home of the University of Virginia (Thomas Jefferson's architectural masterpiece), and site of Jefferson's Monticello and Ash Lawn-Highland. The Dave Matthews Band connection (they formed at Miller's Downtown Bar and have maintained extraordinary loyalty to their hometown) and the UVA campus's remarkable Jefferson architecture create a nightclub culture of genuine American music and academic heritage significance.

The Corner, Charlottesville, VA 22902

Richmond, Virginia

Cary Street Café is Richmond's most beloved neighborhood music bar — a Fan District institution presenting local and touring acts in the most authentically Richmond bar atmosphere in Virginia's capital. The Fan District's extraordinary Victorian architecture (one of the finest surviving Victorian residential districts in America) and its community of artists, academics, and creative professionals create an entertainment environment of genuine historical character and contemporary energy.

2631 W Cary St, Richmond, VA 23220

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond's Scott's Addition has emerged as one of the South's most celebrated craft brewery and entertainment districts — a former industrial neighborhood where 15+ craft breweries, outstanding restaurants, and music venues have created one of Virginia's most complete entertainment environments. Scott's Addition's extraordinary density of outstanding craft establishments and its community of creative entrepreneurs create an entertainment district that reflects Richmond's broader creative renaissance.

Scott's Addition, Richmond, VA 23220

Richmond, Virginia

The Broadberry is Richmond's most beloved independent music venue — a Scott's Addition neighborhood institution presenting outstanding indie, Americana, and alternative acts. Richmond's Scott's Addition neighborhood has become the most vibrant craft brewing and arts district in the Mid-Atlantic, and The Broadberry's remarkable programming in this extraordinary neighborhood creates a nightclub of genuine Virginia independent culture significance.

2729 W Broad St, Richmond, VA 23220

Richmond, Virginia

The Camel is Richmond's most community-centered music venue — a Museum District bar presenting outstanding live music alongside outstanding food in an atmosphere of genuine Richmond community character. Richmond's remarkable arts community (it has been called one of the most vibrant mid-size arts cities in America, with VCU's extraordinary arts program and an outstanding independent gallery and music scene) and The Camel's consistent programming create a nightclub of authentic Virginia community arts significance.

1621 W Broad St, Richmond, VA 23220

Richmond, Virginia

The National is Richmond's most important music venue — a beautifully restored 1923 movie palace presenting outstanding rock, indie, and alternative acts for one of the South's most historically significant cities. Richmond's extraordinary complexity as a city (former capital of the Confederacy, now one of America's most progressive cities with outstanding food culture and a remarkable independent arts scene) and The National's beautiful restoration create a nightclub of genuine Virginia historical and cultural significance.

708 E Broad St, Richmond, VA 23219

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach's oceanfront resort strip supports a variety of nightclubs and beach bars including Peabody's Nightclub on Pacific Avenue, one of the longest-running dance clubs on the Virginia Beach resort strip, serving the beach's summer tourist community and year-round local nightlife market.

Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston's East End entertainment district serves West Virginia's capital city with bars, restaurants, and music venues shaped by the state's extraordinary cultural heritage. West Virginia's remarkable blend of Appalachian traditions, coalfield history, and contemporary cultural ambitions creates an entertainment culture of unusual historical depth and genuine community identity.

Charleston, WV 25301

Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston's Capitol Street entertainment scene serves West Virginia's state capital with the most culturally diverse entertainment in Appalachia. Charleston's remarkable combination of the beautiful gold-domed West Virginia State Capitol (designed by Cass Gilbert, whose New York Supreme Court Building's dome it surpasses in height), outstanding cultural institutions, and genuine West Virginia community spirit create a nightclub culture of genuine West Virginia political and cultural capital significance.

Capitol St, Charleston, WV 25301

Charleston, West Virginia

Empty Glass is West Virginia's most beloved live music bar — a Charleston institution presenting outstanding independent music for the state capital's arts community. Charleston's extraordinary position as the cultural center of West Virginia and the Empty Glass's remarkable 30+ year commitment to live music creates a nightclub of genuine West Virginia community arts cultural significance.

410 Elizabeth St, Charleston, WV 25311

Charleston, West Virginia

Mountain Stage is one of America's most beloved public radio music programs — a West Virginia Public Broadcasting radio show presenting folk, bluegrass, world music, and Americana artists in live performance for a national NPR audience. Mountain Stage's extraordinary contribution to Appalachian music culture and its role in bringing world-class artists to West Virginia create one of the most culturally significant music programs in American public radio history.

1 Horsman Dr, Charleston, WV 25301

Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington is home to Marshall University — the site of the most tragic accident in American sports history (the Marshall football team plane crash of November 14, 1970, which killed 75 people including the entire football team). The extraordinary community resilience that rebuilt the Marshall football program (memorialized in the film "We Are Marshall") and Huntington's genuine Appalachian community character create a nightclub culture of profound American sporting community significance.

4th Ave, Huntington, WV 25701

Morgantown, West Virginia

123 Pleasant Street is West Virginia's most beloved independent music venue — a Morgantown institution presenting outstanding indie rock, folk, and alternative acts for the University community. Morgantown's remarkable university culture (WVU is the state's largest university, with one of the most passionate college football fan bases in the United States) and 123 Pleasant Street's consistent programming create a nightclub of genuine West Virginia independent culture significance.

123 Pleasant St, Morgantown, WV 26505

Morgantown, West Virginia

Morgantown's nightclub scene is the most passionate in West Virginia — a High Street and Sunnyside corridor serving one of America's most famous party schools (WVU has been named by Playboy magazine as a top party school multiple times) where the extraordinary Mountaineer football culture, outstanding bars, and the remarkable PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) system (the only elevated automated transit system connecting a downtown to a university in America) create a nightclub culture of genuine West Virginia university community significance.

High St, Morgantown, WV 26505

Point Pleasant, West Virginia

Point Pleasant's entertainment scene is shaped by one of America's most extraordinary paranormal legends — the Mothman sightings of 1966-67 that preceded the Silver Bridge collapse and inspired Richard Gere's 2002 film. The Mothman Museum and the town's extraordinary embrace of its paranormal heritage create an entertainment culture unique in American tourism, drawing visitors from across the world to this small West Virginia town on the Ohio River.

Point Pleasant, WV 25550

Thomas, West Virginia

Purple Fiddle is West Virginia's most atmospheric and beloved music venue — a Thomas West Virginia institution in the most unexpected location (a small Appalachian town of 500 people near Canaan Valley) presenting outstanding Americana, bluegrass, folk, and alternative acts. Purple Fiddle's extraordinary commitment to outstanding music in an improbably charming mountain setting has created a pilgrim music venue of genuine Appalachian music cultural significance.

21 E Ave, Thomas, WV 26292

Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling is West Virginia's most historically significant city — a former National Road gateway where the first steamboat trips to Pittsburgh demonstrated the Ohio River's commercial significance, where the Wheeling Suspension Bridge (the longest suspension bridge in the world at its completion in 1849) stands, and where the formation of West Virginia as a separate state during the Civil War created the only state carved out of an existing Confederate state. Wheeling's remarkable historical significance and its genuine Ohio River community character create a nightclub culture of authentic Appalachian American heritage significance.

Main St, Wheeling, WV 26003