My friends, Desiree and Mitch, just talked me into going to a drive-in movie theater for the first time. It was great!
In case you haven’t been to a drive-in movie, it’s a different experience than in a regular theater. At our drive-in, you pay $5 and pick a screen – front or back. Each screen plays a different combo of movies.
We payed $5 per person to see “Despicable Me” and “The Sorceror’s Apprentice” on the front screen. Then we found a great spot to park and decided to either watch from the car or from outside. Our windows were foggy with the A/C on, so we set up lawn chairs in front of the car and put a little radio on the hood.
To listen to the movies, we simply tuned to the station they used for the front screen. Since everybody parked is tuned in to the same station, it does come off a little like surround sound. One of the biggest benefits was that you can’t really hear anybody else unless they decide to get really rowdy. You can also talk to your friends without disturbing anyone, so Desiree and I kept muttering little inside jokes about some unbelievable reactions of some of the actors. Honestly, if a vase you had at home starting wiggling around and shot out black ash, would you just stand there and wait to see what happens? I think not… 
For snacks, there was a concession stand. The prices were much cheaper than a regular theater and about the same as a bowling alley or burger joint. I ordered a cheeseburger with fries for $7.50 and it was really good. I also came back during intermission (the 15 minutes between the first and second movie) and grabbed a small Dipping Dots icecream pouch for $3.00 and an Icee for $2.50 since I was a little warm (it’s still in the 80′s at night around here).
When I go back, I’ll probably only buy a $2.00 large soda or something, but I wanted the full experience my first time. My whole evening cost less than $20 for two movies and a full meal with dessert. 
I was impressed with the screen quality and the whole experience. I’ll definitely be going back in cooler weather with less bugs, but this was fun too. A little bug spray and an Icee can go a long way!
Have you ever been to a drive-in movie? If so, how did it go?
*Note, Mr. BFS and I saw “Despicable Me” in 3D a few days after I saw it at the drive-in and it was just as funny and pretty cool in 3D…the roller coaster scene kicked butt. It’s a very cute and funny movie, so I think this will become one of the 3 DVDs I seem to buy every year…
There is only 1 Drive in theater in our area, and it isn’t in the best area. So, I have not been to one since I was a teen. Back then, the Drive-ins had playgrounds and were quite nice, I hate that they have all but disappeared.
If there was a nice one around, I would definitely go. Glad you had fun!
I have not. We’ve mostly been doing just Netflix since having a kid but he’s getting old enough now for real movie theaters. I hear drive-ins are fun for kids.
@Everyday Tips, yeah, our $1.50 theater is in a ghetto part of town, but we go anyway…$1.50 is too good to pass up sometimes.
Sorry your drive-in in inaccessible. Have a great weekend!
@Nicole, all the kids I saw were having a great time. During intermission they ran around a lot on sugar highs…it was fun to watch!
@Nicole, your Comment Luv is showing that you probably posted cute pictures of your cats. We’ll see if they can stand up to Mr. Pug and Mrs. Weeny-Dog when I get home!
Comment Luv speaks sooth.
And they’re only the pics I have on my laptop. If necessary I can find more hard-core cuteness.
I miss our drive-ins around here. They dismantled the last one a few years ago, but when they were still up and running it was one of my favorite summer activities. Of course, I don’t remembers “seeing” a lot of them when I was in my teens. However, when I’d go with a group of friends, we had a blast. Thanks for bringing back those memories!
P.S. In the movie Grease they used a drive-in located in Van Nuys (not far from where I live) for the drive-in shot. There’s now a high school built in place of the drive-in.
@Nicole, I’ll still blow them out of the water this evening…
@Little House, hahaha…teen-Little House sounds a lot like teen-Crystal…
I’m sorry your drive-ins have been taken apart…it’s sad what time marching on does to childhood memories…
I’ve never been but it sounds like it would be a good date night!
Sounded like fun, shame I don’t remember going to one…
@Rob, it would be an awesome date night on either a cool evening or in a very comfortable car.
@Airmid, if you’re ever in Houston, we’ll totally pick one out!
Being an old baby boomer sort, I’ve been to many in my day-although my daddy called them passion pits, LOl. Unfortunatley in my neck of the woods they seem to have gone the way of the dino-if there are any in Dallas, I dont know where.
@Frugal Texas Gal, there is a huge one on I-45 South outside of the Dallas area, but that’s a bit far if you actually live in Dallas…but it’s pretty amazing to see from the highway – the screens look bigger than houses…
Passion pits…hahaha…the car in front of us was getting a little foggy (maybe it wasn’t A/C fogging up the windows after all…).
Drive-in movies are a lot of fun! There may be one left that I am aware of here in the Los Angeles area, but when I was growing up they were everywhere.
They had their pros and cons. If you were in high school and had a date, they were a decent place to have a little, um, alone time. They were also great if you were a kid because if the movie sucked you could go hang with your friends at the playground next to the snack bar.
If there was a full moon out (and I’m not talking about the kids in the car having some, um, alone time), it did make the screen a bit harder to see.
Best,
Len
Len Penzo dot Com
We love going to our drive-in theater (and plus, it’s only 2 miles away). It reminds me of a yester-year, and community kind of feeling.
We usually pop popcorn at home, and bring our own drinks. But since it’s not a popular activity for most people, I try to help by buying from the concession stand too. At a minimum, we at least order french fries almost every time.
We are pretty lucky in that we pay a flat $16 per car to get in. So sometimes my wife and her friend will pack our kids in our minivan and go (at a headcount of 8), but mostly just the 4 of us go.
@Money Reasons, I think I’d rather pay $5 a person in my case since it was only the 3 of us and from here on out it will just be me and hubby…$16 per car maximum would be nice though.
I brought some Skittles, but the prices at the concession stand were reasonable enough that I may always eat dinner when we’re there…supporting the local economy and all that, hahaha. Really, I just love awesome cheeseburgers…
@Len Penzo, hahaha. You were right, when the moon came out it did become a little harder to see. The kids hung out around their parents’ cars and seemed to be having fun. I’m glad you remember having an awesome time…the one in our area is going to be getting a little of our fun money from here in out.
My family occasionally went when I was a kid. When my own daughter was about 7 or 8, I heard that drive-in theater would be closed. During a visit to my mom (we lived in Alaska, she lived in New Jersey) I took my daughter to see one of the “Superman” movies there. Just wanted her to have the experience.
Incidentally: I want minions. Lots and lots of minions. I rarely go to the movies these days but have seen “Despicable Me” twice. I may see it again.
@Donna, I think going to one with your daughter was a great idea! I too want minions…lots and lots of cute, cuddly monions.
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