Let's Go To A Drive-In Movie!

avintagenerd

Have you ever been to a drive-in? I remember going to one when I was a pre-teen and seeing Top Gun. All I  can recall is that I couldn't hear properly and I was confused on why we were there. I mean I was a pre-teen after all and it was the 80's and well, drive-ins were NOT cool. I know better now of course!

The first drive-in restaurant was Kirby's Pig Stand, which opened in Texas, in 1921. Here in the states drive-in  movie theaters have become less popular since their heyday in the 1950's and 1960's, but there are some that do still exist. Yes, you heard it here on A Vintage Nerd. And I will share with you how you can find your nearest drive-in movie theater!

But before I do, take a gander at these neat drive-in movie theater photos I found. Just makes you want to grab your car and see a movie in a drive-in theater!


Drive In Theater
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Drive In Movie
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Drive-In Movie Theater
Drive-In Movie

If you are intrigued by the dying art of drive-in movie theaters take a peak into this website called Drive-in Movie which will help you find a drive-in nearest to you. Sadly the only ones that are left in New York are either far off upstate or far in to the deepest parts of Long Island. That doesn't mean that one day I won't check one out. I just have to.

Just picture yourself and your honey cozying up in your car, the larger-than-life film screen in your view, the music to the film starts to play, and you both grab your beverage and popcorn and munch away while watching your movie in the comfort of your own car. How neat is that?

Things aren't like what they used to be but we can still hold on to bits of the past. I highly recommend supporting your local drive-in movie theater because like I said it is a dying art and maybe just maybe if we don't try to preserve these wonderful bits of vintage Americana then our children will never be able to experience them.

Do you have any local drive-in movie theaters in your area? What are your personal pros and cons to drive-in theaters?

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8 comments :

  1. Hm. Yes, we do and I never go because I'm severely hard of hearing and need captioning. CC technology hasn't been installed in drive-in theaters. I see a con too in the vehicles people drive nowadays. Too many very large trucks, at least here in Utah. Every third person drives a huge Suburban or Dodge Ram 3500. Can you imagine being in a Mini Cooper or something and having to park behind one of them? You'd never see a thing. LOL. I think they could bring the drive-in back if they had some rules about where certain cars park and also some captioning.

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  2. I wish cars still had bench seats too! That would make the snuggling up to your honey part a lot easier, ha!

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  3. I was just checking out "local" drive-in's near where I live a couple weeks ago. There is one about 45 min away. Very much considering going! I used to go to them when I was a child. It was so much fun we had one of those vans that had the "carpeting" in them and I think the last movie I saw at a drive-in was ET. Down memory lane:)

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  4. I am ashamed to say that I have never been to a drive-in... and there is one twenty minutes from my house! I need to get my butt up there some time. They only show new movies, though, and I think it'd be so much more fun to see Forbidden Planet or Frankie and Annette on the big screen!

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  5. I have such nostalgic feelings for drive ins, even though I only went a few times as a child Id love to go again, particularly as some are dog friendly. I have the same problem as you, living in the New York area, and my husband is not a fan of driving. I do want to go to one some day though, they are such gorgeous examples of Americana

    retro rover

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  6. I have read that there are two reasons why drive ins are closing down. One is that most movie theaters make their money off concessions. But, since food is easy to bring in to a drive in, they don't make much money. Also, with the new hi def films, the theaters have to change their systems with costs much more money than many of them have. It is quite sad. I bed they could bring people in by showing older films. The Standford Theater in California shows just old films (and their concessions are pretty cheap). They've got to be making money somehow. I think the drive ins could do the same.

    I didn't go to my first drive in until I was an adult, even though I grew less than a mile from the closest one. When I finally did go, it wasn't a great experience. The sound was so awful, I couldn't tell what was going on. I went again several years later, but this time the picture quality was awful. We ended up leaving within the first ten minutes of the film. I should try to go again. I think there is still one in my hometown of Sacramento, CA and two In San Mateo, CA which is pretty close to me as well.

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  7. There was one in my town growing up in central Kansas that we were lucky enough to get to go to! It eventually shut down but was brought back to life by someone thankfully! We now live in San Diego and there are some around but we haven't visited one yet! Love them!!!

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  8. AnonymousJune 18, 2014

    My teenage daughter volunteered me to drive her and her girlfriend to the drive-in a couple of weekends ago, so I enlisted my husband and son to join us. I hadn't been in around 35 years maybe! The sound is much better because it's through the radio, and the one near us has a good digital projector. We could see the adjacent screen and had to try not to look to spoil that movie. Everyone else sat in one of the two cars we brought. (You have to get there really early to get good spots.) I sat outside in a camp chair, which was pretty lovely with the stars out, but overall, I'll take an inside theater every time.

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