Photo Historic Travels

Category: Film/Theater

Historic theaters that show films or plays/acts.

  • Beautiful Byrd Theatre in Carytown Richmond

    Beautiful Byrd Theatre in Carytown Richmond

    Following my visiting The Commodore Theatre, I wanted to go watch a movie at another historic movie theater. Few theaters in Virginia could match the Byrd Theatre in terms of grandeur-a real movie palace. I ended up going twice within the span of several weeks to watch two different movies. The Byrd Theatre is situated in Carytown, a vibrant shopping district in Richmond, and this blog post illustrates why Carytown and The Byrd Theatre are must see destinations. Keep reading to learn of my restaurant and shopping recommendations.

    3–4 minutes

    Carytown

    Sign saying Carytown in Carytown District of Richmond VA.

    The Byrd Theatre is located in Carytown, a dining and shopping district in Richmond Virginia. Carytown gave hipsterish vibes, as the parking garage behind the Theatre was covered in Street Art. I highly recommend walking down Cary Street to see a colorful, trendy area of Richmond.

    Colorful buildings in Carytown Richmond with giant Skeleton in Background.
    Buildings in Carytown Richmond.
    Buildings in Carytown District Richmond Virginia.
    Buildings in Carytown District with Mural of Flowers and Butterfly in Background.

    Cary Street Park and Shop Center

    Sign saying Cary Court Park & Shop December 1947 Photograph Courtesy of the Valentine Richmond History Center, with picture of Cary Court in middle.

    One particularly notable thing to see in Carytown is the Cary Street Park and Shop Center (AKA Cary Court), an Art Deco shopping center. Cary Court is one of the oldest shopping centers in America, built in 1938, as proven by the image above. Definitely a unique place to go window shopping.

    Parking Lot of Cary Court Parks and Shop.
    Parking Lot of Cary Court Parks and Shop with Tree.
    Parking Lot of Cary Court Parks and Shop with Tree.

    The Byrd Theatre

    The Byrd Theatre in Carytown District Richmond Virginia.

    The Byrd Theatre imposes over the rest of Carytown through its size (it’s the largest building on Cary Street) but also through its magnificence. This opulence continues inside with its luxurious interiors, transporting one to a different era of 1928, when the Theatre first opened. Unquestionably a unique movie watching experience.

    Sign saying Byrd Theatre has been registers as a Virginia Historic Landmark pursuant to the authority vested in the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Act of 1966.

    First the Lobby…

    Lobby of Byrd Theatre with Murals, Crystal Chandelier and Golden Ceiling.
    Lobby of Byrd Theatre with Murals and Golden Ceiling.
    Lobby of Byrd Theatre with Crystal Chandelier and Golden Ceiling.
    Decorative Column with Coat of Arms with Mirrors in Background.
    Crystal Wall Scones with Upstairs Lobby of Byrd Theatre in background.
    Men's Room Sign with Drawing of Man Reclining in Chair and Reading Newspaper with Gold and White Marble in Background.

    Now the Auditorium…

    Ornate Auditorium of Byrd Theatre with Crystal Chandelier.
    Ornate Auditorium of Byrd Theatre with Crystal Chandelier.
    Ornate Auditorium of Byrd Theatre with Crystal Chandelier.
    Ornate Auditorium of Byrd Theatre decorative niches depicting nature scenes.
    Ornate Auditorium of Byrd Theatre decorative niches depicting nature scenes.
    Slightly worn down balcony of Byrd Theatre.

    Before every movie, a Wurlitzer organ rises to the stage and plays a medley of 1920s tunes; it’s incredible how one man could play such a giant instrument. The Wurlitzer fit perfectly with the first film I watched (Metropolis) but it was a little jarring to go from 1920s tunes to a late 1990s anime (Perfect Blue). Still, the organist gives each film watching experience a unique touch and added to the historic ambience of the Byrd Theatre.

    As for my opinion of the two films, Metropolis was not as good as I remembered it (I first saw it around 15 years ago), but I still thought it was entertaining. I thought Perfect Blue was entertaining, good story but I didn’t really care for the ending. Overall, I enjoyed my two times at The Byrd Theatre and highly recommend going here to catch a film.

    More Information About The Byrd Theatre

    The Byrd Theatre is a repertory theater that plays a variety of different movies. Besides silent films and anime, the Byrd Theatre also plays more commercial fare such as popular action flicks and children’s animated movies; they even have sensory friendly screenings. They also have several film festivals; Perfect Blue was shown as part of the Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair festival. More information about The Byrd Theatre here.

    As for parking, there is a small parking garage right behind the Theatre and maybe another one elsewhere. Otherwise, you will have to deal with street parking, and from what I remember from the second trip, curb parking can fill up pretty fast.

    Restaurants in Carytown

    There are many restaurants in Carytown, serving all manner of different cuisines. I went to the following two places because (among other reasons) they were close to The Byrd Theatre.

    Carytown Indian Cuisine Restaurant.

    Carytown Indian Cuisine: On the first trip, my Dad and I went to this restaurant, where I tried Kali Mirch. The restaurant is literally right across the street from The Byrd Theatre. It serves very good Indian food.

    Nobu Ramen Restaurant.

    Nomu Ramen: On the second trip, I went to this restaurant, where I tried curry ramen. It didn’t occur to me that eating at a Japanese restaurant would fit with watching a Japanese film until I was driving home. It’s across the street from The Byrd Theatre and less than 200 feet away.

    For the Love of Chocolate store.

    For the Love of Chocolate: Located within the Cary Court Shopping Center is this candy store, which sells a variety of chocolate products. I highly recommend stopping; I would have bought so much but it was a hot day and I still had a movie to go watch.

  • Best Sunday in Portsmouth Virginia at The Commodore Theatre

    Best Sunday in Portsmouth Virginia at The Commodore Theatre

    When I first heard about The Commodore Theatre in Portsmouth Virginia back in December 2025, it immediately caught my interest. This historic Art Deco theater had been transformed into a dining establishment so one could dine while watching first run movies. But I quickly forgot about it until early April when the idea of starting a travel blog sparked inside me. After some deliberation, I decided that The Commodore Theatre would be the subject of my first post. Keep reading for Portsmouth VA museum recommendations at the end.

    Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

    Table of contents

    Lunch

    Hawaii BBQ Restaurant in Portsmouth VA.
    Hawaii BBQ Serves Good Food If You Are Willing to Drive Out of the Way

    My Dad and I set out on April 12th, where we first had lunch at Hawaii BBQ, which serves both Hawaiian and Chinese cuisine. Hawaii BBQ is actually a 17 minute drive from The Commodore Theatre, but I have been wanting to go to a Hawaiian restaurant for a long time and the opportunity finally presented itself. There is another restaurant on my bucket list named The Bier Garden that’s right across the street from The Theatre, but the timing would not have worked out either before or after a matinee show.

    The Bier Garden Restaurant in Portsmouth VA.
    Maybe One Day I Will Go to the Bier Garden to Experience This

    Downtown Portsmouth

    After lunch, we drove to The Commodore Theatre. Parking is a little complicated, as there are several parking lots nearby that turned out to be private lots. We did eventually find street parking conveniently located to the the Theatre. Afterwards, I explored a little bit of High Street; the downtown area of Portsmouth with its charming tree-lined streets.

    Downtown High Street Portsmouth Virginia.
    Downtown Portsmouth Virginia.
    The Bier Garden Restaurant in Portsmouth VA.
    Trinity Episcopal Church Cemetery Portsmouth VA.
    This Church Cemetery is Actually Right Next Door to The Theatre

    The Commodore Theatre

    Finally, we arrived at The Commodore Theatre. After briefly waiting in line for the ticket counter to open, we bought our seating arrangement. I refer to the seating chart and not tickets because (as mentioned above) you are seated at tables rather than seats. We had the odd situation of having to go inside the lobby to wait for the man to assign our tables rather than waiting outside at the ticket counter.

    The Commodore Theatre Marquee showing Project Hail Mary.
    The Commodore Theatre Shows Contemporary Movies
    The Commodore Theatre History Sign.
    A Sign Recalling the History of The Commodore Theatre

    The Commodore Theatre still retains much of its old Art Deco charms. The lobby showcases photographs of The Theatre before its restoration. The Commodore Theatre now plays first run films with Dolby Digital and THX sound. One can appreciate the dedication it took to not only bring new life to the building, but make it relevant for modern audiences.

    The Commodore Theatre Lobby.
    The Lobby with Photographs of The Commodore Theatre Before Restoration
    The Commodore Theatre Lobby.
    More of the Art Deco Lobby
    The Commodore Theatre Lobby Alcove with Painting depicting Theater playing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
    An Alcove Showing What The Theater Would Have Looked Like Back In the Day

    The actual auditorium portion of The Commodore Theatre is very unique. It resembles a 50s nightclub more than a movie theater, up to and including the crystal chandeliers and curtains covering the screen. Each section had tables seating about three or four plush chairs that can move. Each table had elegant lamps and 90s business phones where one can call to order everything from popcorn to a meal.

    The Commodore Theatre Auditorium.
    A Very Unique Movie Watching Experience

    What most impressed me about the theater are the two murals on each side of the walls. One mural unfortunately had a large portion cut out, but the other one remains intact and still looks very impressive. It’s amazing how much effort theaters made to decorate back in the day, particularly when it would mostly go unseen while the audience watched the movie.

    The Commodore Theatre Mural titled The Vision of a New World depicting Native Americans, Victorian People, and Skyscrapers with Trees All Around.
    A Mural Entitled The Vision of a New World
    The Commodore Theatre Mural depicting a World War II Naval Scene and Trees.
    A WWII Naval Mural Unfortunately Missing A Segment

    As for my opinion on Project Hail Mary, I thought it was Entertaining. I thought it had a good story but large parts just dragged and other parts I felt were overly comedic. On the other hand, my Dad loved the movie. In all, I enjoyed my experience at The Commodore Theatre and highly recommend this unique movie watching experience.

    If you want to see another historic movie theater, please read here.

    The Commodore Theatre on High Street Portsmouth VA.
    Another View of The Commodore Theatre

    What To Know Before You Go

    The Commodore Theatre is located at 421 High Street Portsmouth, VA 23704. The Commodore is open daily with shows at 7:00 PM, and a matinee on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Seating assignments go on sale starting 75 minutes before the movie showtime (no phone or internet reservations in advance). Parking is not the easiest, but there is some parallel parking in the general area. If you own a Tesla, they even have an electric vehicle charging station at The Theatre.

    Other Things to Do

    If you want to make a full day in Portsmouth, here are some things I have done or wish to do in the City. Be aware that some places may not be open on Sunday, and none on Monday or Tuesday. I will place them in order of closest to The Commodore Theatre to furthest.

    Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center-This arts and culture center offers rotating visual art exhibitions, lectures, classes and performances and is steps away from The Commodore Theatre. It is open Wednesdays-Sundays from 10:00-4:00. Two minute walk.

    Children’s Museum of Virginia-This would be a fun place to go if you have little children; I certainly had fun when I went there as a kid. It is open Wednesday-Sunday from 9:00-4:00. Three minute walk.

    Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum-This Museum promotes the history of the City of Portsmouth, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and the armed forces in Hampton Roads. It is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10:00-4:00. Seven minute walk.

    Hill House Museum-This historic house tells the story of the Hill family who lived there for 150 years. I have not been here yet, but it is on my bucket list. It is only open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12:00-3:00. Nine minute walk.

    Lightship Portsmouth Museum-This restored historic ship is next door to the Naval Shipyard Museum and depicts the daily life of a 1955 lightship. It appears to only be opened seasonally, so check back often. Ten minute walk.

    If one had a lot of time, downtown Portsmouth is about a 10 minute drive to downtown Norfolk, which has many attractions and restaurants.