One of the nation's largest metropolitan areas, Boston is the cultural and economic center of the New England region. The current Faneuil Hall Marketplace, incorporating the Quincy Market, opened in 1976 after a multi-year conversion from a grocery pavilion into a plaza of shops and fast-food restaurants. Today Boston is home to many nationally renowned civic venues, including the Boston Opera House, the Civic Performing Arts Center, as well as the Boston Athaeneum, the Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium.