When you think of summertime activities, some people might think of spending time outside soaking up the sun - but for some of us, we think of sitting in the dark, munching on fake-buttered popcorn, and watching our favorite movies in our local movie theatre. 

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Traditionally, holiday weekends are huge weekends for going to the movies. Thanks to parents having a long weekend off from work and the kids being on summer vacation, the Fourth of July weekend is one of the first times families can spend some time together. And what was more fun than piling in the car and heading to the movies?

My Mom was a big fan of taking my brother and I and our friends to the movies. For one thing, you could count on the movie theatre to have free air-conditioning - a life saver in a hot summer. Second, it cost just a few bucks (back when I was a kid, obviously - don’t get me started on how expensive going to the movies is today). And third and most importantly - she didn’t have to talk to us, watch us, or entertain us. Mom could count on that big screen to shut our mouths and keep us well-behaved, while she got a couple of hours of much-needed peace and quiet. 

Everyone has a favorite movie theater where we spent a chunk of our childhood summer. When asked on Facebook what the best movie theatre to go to as a child was, Western New Yorkers responded with passion, naming theatres they adored from Niagara Falls to Rochester. 

Some of those theatres are long gone; some of them we’ll be bringing the kids to this weekend to see Top Gun or the new Minions movie. All of them bring back the excitement of going to the movies with our family and friends.

These are the Western New York movie theatres we loved going to when we were a kid. Is yours on the list?

Movie Theatres We Loved As Kids In Western New York

These are the Western New York movie theatres we loved going to when we were a kid. Is yours on the list?

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