Where are the drive-ins?
 

Anybody know where there are still old-fashioned drive-in movie theaters? The kind with the drive-up speakers you hook on your window and walk out to the food concession. My kids don't know what they are so we thought it would be fun to take them to one. Only problem is, most of them have turned into flea markets. We came across one outside of Charlotte, NC a couple of years ago but the movie playing that night wasn't family oriented. Are there any others still in existence?

There are still about half a dozen around the Twin Cities area and they are thriving--long lines of cars piled up on weekends. Mostly show action/thrillers and you see 3 movies for about $7 a car. It is kind of cool to go, though. Only, the speakers in the window are a memory, as now the sound is piped through your car radio.

The Bright Leaf off US 52 in Mt. Airy, NC shows family oriented films. It is where the smokers who can't last two hours in a theatre go. We like it because the dogs can come with us and we can park well away from the smokers.

Garrett, TX has one called Galaxy Drive-In.

Cuba, Missouri - a VERY small town, on I-44, about halfway between St. Louis and Springfield Missouri

There is still one in Wellfleet, Mass (end of Cape Cod). I think they got rid of the speakers and now you listen on FM radio in car. Most summers mosquitoes will kill you before the second movie starts.

offlady, there is still a drive-in in Maryville, Tennessee. We go to the Smokies often and I always think it would be cool to stop and see a drive in movie!

A related story... I grew up in the drive in era.
A few weeks ago my daughter's car was broke into and her stereo/CD's stolen.
Since the people who stole it probably live in apts behind the Starbucks she works at, we did not want to invest in another attractive stereo just to have them steal it again.
So, we put her old OE FM receiver back in the car. She has an iPod and found a gizmo that would transmit the music on an FM frequency.
The kids were just going on and on about how cool this is and how awesome technology was... then it occurred to me that this new technology was just about the same that they used in the 70's at the drive ins!
It was just sort of funny as I stood there trying to figure this thing out...

There is a drive-in in Milford, NH. It shows first rate movies on two screens. I have so many drive-in memories that time doesn't even allow me to recount them here. Suffice it to say that I never had a bad time at a drive-in.

Lots of drive-ins in Florida. At least two in Tampa/St. Pete. All use radio tune-in.

I know of one in Kenosha, Wisconsin and one in Door County, Wisconsin.

We have at least four operating in the NE Tenn / SwVA area that I know of: Bristol, Tenn., Elizabethton, Tenn., Norton, Va., and Abingdon, Va. Last time I was at the Elizabethton theater they had great prices at the snack bar. I haven't been there in a couple years. www.gotricities.com/movies for address info on those drive-ins.

There is one in Everett, WA (north of Seattle about 20 minutes), and we have one SW of Portland, OR in Newberg(about 20 minutes from Portland).

We went to the Newberg one a few times this summer and it was fun. The speakers are long gone, but you use your car radio. The speaker posts are still in place though.

Gibson City, IL (neary Bloomington). It's very old-fashioned - I can imagine it looks about the same as it did in 1960. Very popular in the summer. People even go early with their little BBQs and cook out while waiting for the movie to start.

Well, if you found one in Charlotte, NC you must be close or at least visit close to Columbia, SC. There's a drive-in at Monetta, SC called Big Mo. It's way down close to the Georgia state line - about an hour from Columbia. They show 1st run movies and except for hearing through the radio, which I like better anyway, it's the same as when I was a kid. On a hot summer evening there's nothing better, imo, than sitting in a lawn chair at the drive-in sipping on a snow cone. Oh, I can hardly wait for summer!

iceeu2 & xrae: My in-laws are in NE Tenn--Rogersville, to be exact, just outside of Morristown. Looks like Bristol would be the closest from there. Do you know how long the drive is between there and Bristol?
Tandoori_Girl: Do you know any in the Orlando area? We'll be there for a convention this summer.

There is on in Santa Cruz, CA and one in San Jose as well. On the weekends thaty have flea markets during the day and then play movies at night.

Sky-Vue in Lamesa, Texas -- if you go, be sure and eat one of their signature "chihuahua" sandwiches -- hard to describe, but fantastic. (Not made of dog, as far as I know... ;) They actually have a separate line for people who are just driving in to get take out food.

No, I don't. But a check in the phone book would probably bring one up if there was. More than likely you'd find one where there was less re-development (tearing down old structures to put in marketable real estate). In outlying cities, not in Orlando where the land is not so valuable.

The Cascade Drive-in in West Chicago -- a suburb about an hour directly west of downtown. I haven't been, but my 11 year-old daughter went with a friend last summer and proclaimed it to be great fun.

TxTravelPro -- my husband got one of those gizmos for the iPod (his is called iTrip) and he can't stop raving about it.

The things you learn. I knew of a couple close to my home in Northeast AL, but after visiting the web site mentioned by mclaurie, discovered that I live within 45 minutes of 7 operational drive-in theaters. 3 are within 20 minutes and show first run movies. Not that I will take advantage. I'm used to the stadium seating with dolby surround sound and rocking chairs with cup holders :)

There are two quite near one another near Poughkeepsie, New York. One is called Hyde Park, the other is called Overlook.

Hey offlady
There are three that I have seen recently

1. Warwick, NY Ahh brings back some wonderful memories!!!!

2, Hawley, PA

3. East Jewet, NY

John

bmw, what movie(s) did you see in Warwick that made it so memorable? Or were the memories of other things?

My only vivid memory was going to see Lawrence of Arabia and falling asleep within the first half hour.

We just saw one on Hwy 321 outside of Elizabethton, TN - called STATE LINE Drive-In - looked like it was still operational. Brought back a lot of fun memories for us and we think we may try and take the kids there this summer.

The Fiesta Drive-in in Carlsbad, NM is still alive and kicking. I can't recall if it still has the fabulous 50s neon sign in front or not. When I was last there, I didn't venture inside to check out whether it is using the speakers or the radio tune-in. I remember seeing The Last Days of Pompeii there as a very young girl. I then had vivid nightmares with lava slowly rising up the steps of stairs, coming after me as I ascended. That was odd because I was not living in a house with stairs.

And of course I remember seeing lots of cartoons there. The drive-in is in the desert and seems to be the only thing there for miles.

Another thing I remembered about the drive-in in Tampa (the Hillsborough, maybe?). I took my son and his friend there when they were about 6 years old to see some awful kid-type movie. Somehow (and I can't recall exactly how) I set them outside and let them watch that movie, while I watched another one that I could see on another screen (this is a multi-screen cineplex place). Maybe I brought a radio with me so they could tune in their movie while I tuned in the other.

There is one in Waverly, TN (about 45 minutes outside of Nashville). They show new release movies in the summer - a double feature for around $5.00.

There is a drive-in movie theater here in Las Vegas - out in the northwest part of town. It's right across for a casino, but it's still open.