The Denver Performing Arts Complex is the heart of downtown Denver’s theatre district, a 12-acre, four-block campus where Broadway tours, opera, ballet and the symphony all share one roof. Its soaring 80-foot glass canopy covers the Galleria and links more than a dozen venues, making it one of the largest performing arts centers in the country.

Owned and operated by the City and County of Denver through Denver Arts & Venues, the complex is home to the Colorado Ballet, the Colorado Symphony, Opera Colorado and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Its big stages include the 2,884-seat Buell Theatre for Broadway tours, the 2,679-seat Boettcher Concert Hall, which was the nation’s first symphony hall in the round, and the 2,225-seat Ellie Caulkins Opera House, built inside the shell of the historic Quigg Newton Denver Municipal Auditorium. The Galleria can host 2,000 guests, and the Sculpture Park, home to the 60-foot Dancers sculpture, can welcome 7,000.

Plan to arrive early: lobbies open an hour before showtime and house doors 30 minutes before, there is no dress code, and the venues are cashless. Dine at Prelude + Post, Under the Glass Top or Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House, or catch jazz at nearby Dazzle. Main entrances are at Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street and at 14th and Curtis streets, and the eight-story garage holds about 1,700 cars. RTD light rail stops at the Theatre District/Convention Center station. Before or after the show, explore nearby Larimer Square or Union Station.

The holiday season is the complex’s busiest time, with Broadway tours, the Colorado Ballet’s The Nutcracker and Colorado Symphony holiday concerts. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts also offers behind-the-scenes tours. See artscomplex.com for the full calendar and parking tips.