100-Year Old Upstate Movie Theatres That Are Still Going Strong!

There is something about going to see a movie at an old, nostalgic movie theater. Oh, sure, the 10-15 screen multiplexes are convenient and have all the bells and whistles (and a big hit on the wallet), but go to an old theater, sit back, relax, and watch a film spin out and you will really get a sense of the nostalgia of your youth.

This gallery shines the spotlight on 11 great movie theatres that have really stood the test of time. Almost all of them are 100 years old. Some are older. Most are in small towns and villages. A few have been in the same family for generations, back to the founding family members over a century ago. Almost all of them started as silent picture movie palaces!

We have kept this gallery a little on the smaller side, to old theatres that almost exclusively show films. We know that there are giant old entertainment houses that show movies infrequently, such as the Palace in Albany, of the Clemens in Elmira, but these are independent, mom-and-pop theatres still cranking out celluloid movie memories for today's patrons. And, for some reason, the popcorn always tastes a little better in a 125 year old theatre than in a mega multiplex!

And, remember. This is just a starter list! If your town has a small, independent movie house that is 75-150 years old and is still in operation we sure hope you will visit our Facebook page and give it a shout out. We really do want to hear from you!

A Selection of 100-125 Year Old Upstate New York Movie Theatres. Gorgeous!

Everyone loves an old movie theatre. And Upstate New York has a bunch of them

This gallery looks at 11 historic movie houses still showing films some 100 or 125 years after they first opened their doors. They cover the area from the Hudson Valley to the Catskills and Adirondacks, out through Central New York to the Finger Lakes and Western New York. When possible, we also included the movie that was shown on opening night. Yes, almost all of them were silent pictures.

The price to get in was about a dime (or less) and popcorn was still down the road a few years when these show palaces first opened. But they are still with us, showing first run films and it is a fun, nostalgic way to spend on a first date or to take the family to a movie and show them what the old days looked like!

There are many more old historic movie houses than just those on this list. If you know of one, that is around 125 years old or so, please let us know about it over on our Facebook page!

(Note: Much of the information here, and in general, comes from a wonderful website that keeps track of America's cinema history: https://cinematreasures.org/)

Gallery Credit: Chuck DImperio

Is This the Best Museum in Upstate New York? Here Are 25 Reasons Why We Say YES!!

The rarest military medal in the U.S. (given only once). The story of the "Newspaper Weight King" of Upstate New York. A vintage Lion costume from The Wizard of Oz. Who remembers "Grasshopper Shoes" from the 1950s? Or the most famous "Exploding Guitar" in music history.

In this writer's opinion The New York State Museum in Albany is without a doubt the best historic museum in the state. With an uncountable number of items in its collection, one could easily spend a couple of days visiting here (and it is free!). Topics range from the dinosaurs and wooly mammoths that crawled our state in the Ice Age, all the way up to the largest and most comprehensive exhibit about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. And there is a lot of fun stuff along the way. Check out this list for some great and weird surprises you can find at this treasure in our state's capital.

As you peruse this list of 25 of (maybe) the most interesting things in the museum, you might say to yourself "Wait, it is just an old cup," or "OK, so we all had little Kewpie Dolls," and what's the big deal? You will see that they (and all of the others) have fantastic back stories to them and all indeed really were big deals.

With tens of thousands of items to choose from, this writer really likes these 25. I mean, really likes them!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

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