3 Best Performing Arts Venues in Downtown with Sixth Street and Rainey Street, Austin

The iconic PBS music show Austin City Limits is one of the city's treasures, and anyone can see it live. In true ACL fashion, live tapings for each season are still announced to the public at a moment's notice, and general admission is still free for those who wait in line for tickets. The theater also hosts an additional lineup of amazing musical acts throughout the year, independent of the television show's taping schedule. The 2,750-seat auditorium manages to maintain an intimate feel where every seat is a good seat.

In a restored downtown vaudeville house and movie palace, this gorgeous 1915 theater presents musicals and plays by touring theater companies and hosts concerts by well-known jazz, folk, and rock artists, along with the occasional stand-up comedian and speaker series. In April, it hosts the annual four-day Moontower Comedy Festival, and during the summer, movie lovers escape the heat for the Summer Classic Film Series, featuring time-honored films from Gone with the Wind to The Wizard of Oz.

Now in a state-of-the-art downtown center, Ballet Austin has risen in prominence over the years as the city's preeminent dance company. Part performance company and part dance academy (with classes available to the general public), Ballet Austin puts on a regular lineup of ballet productions, performed at the Long Center, throughout the year, including an annual rendition of the classic The Nutcracker each holiday season. The season runs from September through May, with season tickets options that offer better seating for frequent attendees.