Movies

We rarely went to the movies in Maryland.  The local theater was old and not well kept.  The floors were always sticky.  Other more modern theaters were at least an hour away.  Having gotten out of the habit, we didn't try the theaters here until yesterday.

There are now three theaters in the Villages, one at each town square.  Each theater has 8 screens for a total of 24 screens within 20 minutes of our house.  The Rialto theater in Spanish Springs is the oldest and the one closest to us, only 5 minutes away, so we decided to try that one first. 

Our first pleasant surprise was the price.  Admission for Villages residents was $6.75 each. A large bucket of popcorn and 2 large soda combo was $11.75.  Even senior tickets at the theaters in MD are at least $8.50 each and I know the popcorn combo is at least $15. Upon entering, we found a nice, spacious lobby with a Christmas tree to one side and a small but fully adequate snack counter.  After getting our popcorn, we handed our tickets to a gentleman dressed in a regular usher uniform and he directed us to the correct theater.  There appeared to be about 150 seats in the theater.  They were comfortable, reclining seats.  The screen was up high so there is no concern about seeing through the person in front of you.   They use a digital projection system, so the movie was crisp and clear.  The digital sound system was also excellent.  All together, this was a very pleasant experience and I am sure we will go to the movies here more often than we did in Maryland.

The movie we saw was "Lincoln" with Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Fields, and I highly recommend it.  The acting was excellent, the story line moved well so that the 2.5 hours went by quickly, and the direction lived up to Steven Speilbergs' usual excellence.  In my opinion, this film deserves several academy awards.

After the movie, we walked on the square to see the Spanish Springs Christmas tree.  The square looks very festive and inviting.   All in all, this was a great afternoon in the Villages.