Travel Itinerary
Historic theaters aren’t just buildings; they’re living chapters of America’s cultural story. Within their walls, generations laughed at vaudeville acts, gasped at silent films, and marveled at Broadway productions long before the age of streaming screens. Each curtain rise brought communities together, turning local playhouses into cornerstones of civic pride. From Illinois opera houses wrapped in gilded ornament to Texas movie palaces glowing with Spanish Revival flair, these venues capture the artistry of an era when architecture was as much a spectacle as the show itself. Preserved and cherished today, they remind us how entertainment shaped identity, gave small towns a sense of grandeur, and wove music, drama, and film into everyday American life.
The Chicago Theatre
Opened in 1921 as a lavish movie palace, this iconic venue sports that famous six-story marquee you’ve seen in countless movies. The interior will knock your socks off with French Baroque styling.
Stars from Frank Sinatra to Robin Williams have graced its stage. Guided tours reveal secret backstage areas where performers have signed walls for decades!
Fabulous Fox Theatre
Step inside a Siamese-Byzantine fantasy where golden griffins guard the stage with watchful eyes. Built in 1929, this St. Louis treasure dodged demolition to shine as the city’s crown jewel. A 4,500-seat auditorium glimmers under a ceiling of twinkling stars, recreating an Arabian night in vivid detail.
Restored in the 1980s, the former movie house now fills with applause as Broadway tours sell out months in advance.
Orpheum Theatre
Ghosts and glamour share the spotlight at Memphis’ 1928 vaudeville palace. Mary, the theater’s famous friendly phantom, reportedly haunts the mezzanine in a blue dress.
Saved from the wrecking ball in 1977, today’s Orpheum dazzles with crystal chandeliers and gold-leaf details. Broadway shows feel extra magical beneath the midnight-blue ceiling dotted with twinkling lights!
Paramount Theatre
Survived fires, floods, and bankruptcy since 1915! Austin’s oldest theater still stands proud on Congress Avenue with its classic blade sign cutting through the night sky.
Silent films once played here while a house orchestra provided soundtracks. Today film festivals and comedy shows fill its calendar. The interior’s swirling Art Deco motifs transport visitors straight back to Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Majestic Theatre
Picture a show unfolding beneath twinkling stars and drifting clouds, all crafted by clever illusion. Built in 1929, this Spanish Mediterranean fantasy brought magic to San Antonio as the first fully air-conditioned theater, a lifesaver in the Texas heat.
Lobby niches once held stuffed birds, while mechanical songbirds filled the air with chirps and trills. Commitment to atmosphere never felt so enchanting.
Peabody Opera House
Though now called Stifel Theatre, locals still fondly remember this 1934 Art Deco masterpiece as the Peabody. Presidents and rock stars alike have appeared on its stage.
The lobby’s 50-foot ceiling and grand staircase scream old-school elegance. Shuttered for 20 years before a $79 million renovation in 2011 brought back its gleaming brass fixtures and intricate plasterwork.
Coronado Theatre
Where else could a show unfold among Spanish castles, Italian gardens, and dragons glowing with color? Built in 1927, this atmospheric wonder transforms the stage into a Mediterranean courtyard beneath a starry sky.
Hidden gems still surprise guests, like a mighty Wurlitzer organ that rises from below with a dramatic hum. An $18 million restoration polished every detail, from gilded ceilings gleaming overhead to vintage fountains whispering with cool water.
Granada Theater
Rock ’n’ roll carved out a Texas stage inside a 1946 Art Deco jewel. Built for movies yet reborn for indie bands, Granada glows beneath a neon-lit ceiling that hums with color.
The marquee still blazes across Lower Greenville Avenue, as bright as its debut night. Curved walls and zigzag patterns stand strong, unchanged since Truman’s presidency, giving every show a mix of nostalgia and electric thrill.
Saenger Theatre
Hurricane Katrina couldn’t kill this 1927 atmospheric masterpiece! Though submerged under 8 feet of floodwater, the Saenger rose again after a $52 million restoration.
The ceiling’s twinkling stars and projected clouds create a magical Italian courtyard feeling. Carved stone arches, stuffed parrots, and glowing lanterns complete the Mediterranean fantasy that has wowed Crescent City audiences for generations.
Rialto Square Theatre
Ever stepped inside a theater called The Jewel of Joliet? Built in 1926 for vaudeville, this palace overwhelms with grandeur from its marble-columned rotunda onward.
The esplanade mirrors Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors, glowing with crystal chandeliers, gold leaf, and mythological figures carved into nearly every inch. Ghost hunters wander its ornate halls, convinced whispers and shadows make it one of America’s most haunted theaters.