Drive-In Theaters

While these are still an endangered breed, seems I am hearing more about them these days.
 
In fact my own county near Richmond boasts a new drive in theater.  It is doing pretty well lately, running double features Friday-Sunday nights, with one night a week for a single movie,  and last night they did Harry Potter.
 
They are very reasonable, and they don't jack the prices on the food too badly - the most expensive thing on their menu is 3.50.  They arent gourmet but they have cheeseburgs, hot dogs, along with all the regular stuff, and have partnered with an ice cream truck to sell ice cream.
 
Wondering how many of you have been to a drive-in recently; or have heard news of any in trouble, etc.  I guess maybe fond (G Rated) memories would be good too.
 
We recently went to see Cars with my boys, it was funny because they had a retro coming attraction for Herbie goes to Monte Carlo, along with retro announcements about going to the snack bar, etc.  I swear I saw exactly the same announcements when I was a little kid back in the early 70s.
 
[ BTW for anyone who wants to go to the one in my county see the page Goochland Drive In Theater ]


 

I would like to see drive-ins come back but I doubt that'll happen.  Young people really don't know what they're missing by not having them.

We had two when I was younger, one is now a car dealership, the other one is still going strong.
http://fingerlakesdrivein.com/
 

Here is a website where you can do a search by state of drive-in movie theaters, either open ones, closed ones, or all:
http://www.drive-ins.com/database.htm

Every drive-in I ever went to in both Indiana and Minnesota have long since closed. The golden era of drive-ins had to be the 50s and 60s which means those older than a baby boomer got in at the perfect time to enjoy them in all phases as kids, teenagers and later as a family with kids. There were so many choices when I was a teenager, the difficulty was deciding how to coordinate and meet up with friends.

A drive in opened just south of Dallas in 2007 as two screens, they now have 5 and are so busy they turn people away on weekends. http://www.galaxydriveintheatre.com/ admission is $6.50 for adults and $2.00 for 5-12. there is a $2 charge per set of glasses for 3D movies. the concessions are very reasonably priced such as $2 for a hamburg. they are open 7 days a week. Usually show double features, occassionally triple features. I've been to a lot of drive ins, the largest is the swapshop in ft lauderdale 14 screens. My favorite though is the Midway in Fulton NY

ynotryme
 

My favorite though is the Midway in Fulton NY

 
Actually,  The Midway  drive-in is a few miles north of Fulton, in Minetto, NY.  That is the drive-in that I took my kids for years when they were young..............lots of fun!

6star


Here is a website where you can do a search by state of drive-in movie theaters, either open ones, closed ones, or all:
http://www.drive-ins.com/database.htm

Interesting.  the one near me hasn't made the list yet.

ynotryme


I've been to a lot of drive ins, the largest is the swapshop in ft lauderdale 14 screens. My favorite though is the Midway in Fulton NY

Wow I think I have been to the Swap Shop one in Ft Lauderdale before , a loooong time ago. I was about 4.

carlton pierre

I would like to see drive-ins come back but I doubt that'll happen.  Young people really don't know what they're missing by not having them.

As a Teenager, I don't remember seeing any movies. The windows were always too steamed up!

As a young parent with small children, I made a platform out of plywood that custom fit the back seat. We put blankets back there and the kids played until they fell asleep. We watched the movie and occasionally steamed up the windows!

I would enjoy going as a novelty. Here in southeastern Florida I think the night time humidity and bugs would take a lot of the enjoyment out of it during the summer. Maybe like a lot of other things here we could operate all winter and shut down for the summer.

There is one in south Columbus that my wife and I go to a couple of times a year.  We've only been once this summer so far (to see the new Pirates movie) as it has either been miserably hot or raining on a lot of weekends.  They seem to be doing well as it is usually pretty crowded when we go.  We usually take a pizza from Johnny's on Parsons or Planks in instead of getting anything at the snack bar but I know they sell hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, popcorn, etc. 
 
I like going but occasionally we will run into some incredibly rude people who bring about 47 kids who have no interest in watching the movie and just run around a make a lot of noise.  Last year I had to move the car once as the adults wouldn't even shut up.

IN my area of the PNW they offer a Movie in the park summer session. They invite a few food trucks, families get the kids together get a blanket and enjoy the movie. I can't count the times I saw some guy drive off with the speaker in the window at a drive in theater..............

PNWCHEF


I can't count the times I saw some guy drive off with the speaker in the window at a drive in theater..............

 
I can see it happening as people are in a big hurry to leave as soon as the credits hit the screen.  Those speakers are still there and can be used but it is also broadcast over the radio which makes the sound quality a million times better.

Foodbme

carlton pierre

I would like to see drive-ins come back but I doubt that'll happen.  Young people really don't know what they're missing by not having them.

As a Teenager, I don't remember seeing any movies. The windows were always too steamed up!

Yeah, any teenager that said he went to the drive-in for the movies probably also said he read Playboy magazine for the articles.

hatteras04


I like going but occasionally we will run into some incredibly rude people who bring about 47 kids who have no interest in watching the movie and just run around a make a lot of noise.  Last year I had to move the car once as the adults wouldn't even shut up.

The new one near me has a 2 playgrounds for the kids (one for older one for younger) and they encourage folks to come early and have the kids play themselves tired. Once the movie starts the playground closes and security is pretty good about making the environment fun for everyone.

Foodbme

carlton pierre

I would like to see drive-ins come back but I doubt that'll happen.  Young people really don't know what they're missing by not having them.

As a Teenager, I don't remember seeing any movies. The windows were always too steamed up!

Ah yes, I remember the days of the steamed windows!  One of the drive-ins we went to when we were dating wason the river.   Sometimes late in the evening the fog would roll in & you could not even see the screen.  But, there were always several cars parked in the back that stayed until the show was over.  I have to admit that I was in one of those cars.

Ahhhh, what great memories this brought out.  As a kid in the fifties I remember going to see "The long long trailer" and we were living in a 35 foot trailer at that time.  I remember my wife and I stopping at Carl's Jr to feed the kids before we went to the movies in Orange County, CA, and the last time I went to a drive in was in Las Vegas in the early 90's.  I saw "The Fugitive" and "Free Willie" on the same bill. I was working in Las Vegas at that time and I went by myself.
 
Photto

Davydd


Yeah, any teenager that said he went to the drive-in for the movies probably also said he read Playboy magazine for the articles.

Depends on whether or not you were at the drive-in on a date or as part of a group.  If it was the latter you were there for the movie (especially if it was a chop-socky flick) and whatever was lifted from the parental firewater supply...
 
My friend Rick had a 1965 Pontiac LeMans convertible and he would sneak anybody who wanted to ride in the trunk into the Belford Drive-In, where you'd climb into the car via the top boot so that the old man who went around looking for open trunk lids wouldn't bust you.  Plenty of people did it once but no one ever did it twice because the trunk floor had holes and the exhaust fumes would come in!
 
Brad

Greymo

ynotryme
 

My favorite though is the Midway in Fulton NY

Actually,  The Midway  drive-in is a few miles north of Fulton, in Minetto, NY.  That is the drive-in that I took my kids for years when they were young..............lots of fun!

I had forgotten about that place... I've driven by a hundred times, but never saw a movie there.

we go to the drive- in every Sunday morning.
The Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church.
it used to be a drive-in theater until 1953. the alter build is where the screen used to be and where the pastor preaches from and the snack bar is Friendship Hall where you can go inside & listen to the service if you don't want to sit in your car.
they broadcast the service on 88.5 FM so you can hear it on your car radio.
we have one on the original drive-in speakers they used to use with Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church embossed on it.