The Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is a fine arts venue located in Vienna, Virginia, and about 20 minutes away from Washington D.C. It is located on 130 acres of land and features many facilities dedicated to the arts, which offer many high-quality performances and shows throughout the year.
The Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts was a gift from researcher and philanthropist, the late Catherine Filene Shouse who sought to make a park out of a piece of farmland. In 1966, the donation of the 6,800-seat indoor and outdoor theater was accepted by Congress, and the Park was recognized as the first national park for the performing arts. It was called at the time the Wolf Trap Farm Par and took up its current name in 2002.
The Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts significantly contributes to the national and local cultural landscape and offers over a hundred performances and events a year. Its main mission is to make sure that the various art forms are accessible to a broad audience and always remain affordable. The Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts has many attractions. Its largest venue is the Filene Center which opened in 1971. It offers many outdoor events between the end of May and the beginning of September. It has an outdoor lawn area and a covered seating space. The Filene Center hosts almost 100 events a season featuring musicals, concerts, performances, plays, and much more.
The Filene Center may only open during the summer, but there is another venue at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts where you can enjoy the arts year-round. The Barns at Wolf Trap has a seating capacity of 382 and offers a casual but sophisticated setting where you can enjoy musical events from all genres and artists traveling from across the globe.
The Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts also features shows specifically designed for children. Between May and September, bring your children to watch one of the 70 performances featuring puppetry, dance, music, and storytelling at the Children’s Theatre in the Woods. Children under three get free admission to the theatre, but older children have to pay.
You can purchase tickets to performances on the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts website, at the park’s box office. Senior citizens over 65 can get a 50 percent discount when buying their tickets in person at the box office beginning half an hour before the performance. To get to Wolf Trap by public transportation, take the metro to the West Falls Church stop on the orange line, and hop on the shuttle service which begins two hours before show time and will take you straight to the park.
The Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is arguably the best outdoor performance venue in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and features a wide range of superior performances. There are many dining options in the park which only adds to the fun. You can dine at Ovations Restaurant Barns at Wolf Trap. You can also purchase a picnic basket from Capital Restaurants Concepts and eat out on the lawn. You can also bring your picnic basket with your drinks to a performance at the Filene Center, and your very own lawn chair.