You spot the glow first, a tall neon sign humming over a busy Oklahoma street like it has been waiting for you since your grandparents were kids. Step closer and the old tile, the tiny ticket booth, and the smell of fresh popcorn pull you right in.
What looks like a pretty relic from the outside turns out to be one of the liveliest nights out you can find in the state. Nearly ninety years after it first opened, this place is still packing the house with music, movies, and laughter.
A 1937 Movie Palace on Route 66
Picture a summer evening in 1937, when a brand-new movie house flicked on its lights for the very first time. That opening night happened on July 15, and the building has been part of local memory ever since.
The Tower Theatre sits at 425 NW 23rd St in Oklahoma City, right in the Uptown 23rd District. Better still for road-trip fans, that stretch of 23rd Street is an original piece of Route 66…