Buffalo Grove Theater

As recently as 2009, Buffalo Grove Theater was still a sub-run theater, drawing in audiences with lower-priced films whose opening weekends were a few months past. These days, however, the theater is the best of both worlds, sticking to its lower prices while hosting screenings of just-released Hollywood films. The move cemented its place as a favorite community hangout—CBS Chicago called it "one of the northwest suburbs’ best-kept secrets" in a roundup of the Best Indie Movie Theaters in Chicago.

The on-screen entertainment isn't limited to movies: at private parties, gamers can play their favorite Xbox titles on one of the Buffalo Grove's big screens. Fun inside the five-auditorium theater continues off-screen with free kids' egg hunts every Easter, which complement the free dropped-piece-of-popcorn hunts that take place year-round.