Byrd Theatre, Richmond

Built in 1928, the Byrd Theater is Richmond's original movie palace. It's been in constant use since its opening. You can catch classic and family movies, as well as attend local film festivals held annually here. Each month the theater chooses five big-screen classics to show. The movies are picked based on a central theme, sometimes because they're good, sometimes because they're cult favorites, and sometimes just because they're best seen on the big screen in a 1920's movie palace like the Byrd. Family movies are played on Saturday mornings for fans young and old.

Saturday showings begin with a playing of their Mighty Wurlitzer organ. The organ is original to the building, one of the few left in existence. The organ console is raised out of the orchestra pit, and it's connected by a massive cabling system to the organ pipes in a room above the screen. Everything about the organ is custom-built for this location, with the spacing and sizing of all elements key to its acoustic mastery.