McIntire Amphitheatre

McIntire Amphitheatre is an outdoor theater at the University of Virginia with tiered concrete seating arranged in a semicircle around a grass stage area. The sloped seating accommodates roughly 1,500 spectators and faces a raised performance platform.

The site was founded in 1921 when a local philanthropist funded the construction of this outdoor theater. A prominent university architect designed the structure with its distinctive semicircular layout.

The venue serves as a gathering space where students and alumni come together for performances, ceremonies, and community events throughout the year. Its open design makes it a focal point for university traditions and celebrations.

The venue sits within the university campus and is surrounded by buildings that help with orientation. Visit during an event to experience the space as intended and hear how sound carries across the open seating.

In its early decades, the space included a large outdoor organ whose sound carried far across the landscape. The instrument was removed in the 1980s, yet the memory of its powerful tone lingers in the site's history.

Location: Charlottesville

GPS coordinates: 38.03363,-78.50576

Latest update: December 21, 2025 11:55