Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, Miami

Despite the large contemporary buildings that surround it today, the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts retains as much charm as the day it opened in 1926, christened then as the Olympia Theater, a silent movie palace. Its completely restored Mediterranean courtyard, gilded balconies, Wurlitzer organ and decorative plasterwork serve as a reminder to the days when going to the theater was a major event. In its heyday the likes of Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Luciano Pavarotti and Etta James crossed the Gusman Center stage. Today the entertainment hall is home to jazz concerts, film festivals, the city’s emerging ballet company Ballet Palm Beach and the Miami Lyric Opera. And because it offers an intimate setting, it is possible to attend the opera without needing opera glasses.