The historic Bohemian Caverns has gone by several names and seen its fair share of jazz legends pass over its underground stage. The club began in the basement of a drugstore in 1926 under the moniker “Club Caverns.” It became an after-hours destination for Washington’s elite who came in droves to hear the likes of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway. The club would eventually become Crystal Caverns and a hot spot for jazz’s greatest players in the 1950s and 1960s, when it again changed names and became today’s Bohemian Caverns.

Today, Bohemian Caverns presents live jazz Monday-Saturday, with two shows on Friday and Saturday (and sometimes on Thursday for big shows). Tickets are generally rather inexpensive, but for big shows, we recommend purchasing in advance for significant discounts.