by Tom Bastek
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Sun January 11, 2015
Photo courtesy of brandatl.com.
Ah, the drive-in theater. What a fantastic slice of good, old Americana. How many people can you pile into the trunk of your dad's Ford LTD? Unfortunately, none of the theaters on this list charge by the carful anymore. But they still show double features, first-run films, and most allow you to bring in your own food and drink. Here are a few of the best drive-ins across the country.
Starlight Drive-In Theater - Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta's only drive in theater has been around since 1949. What started as one massive screen has turned into six screens showing double features year round. Tickets are nine dollars per person for two movies and a full snack bar is available or you can bring in whatever you want. On Saturdays and Sundays they run a swap meet from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. and entrance is just 25 cents.
Wellfleet Drive-In - Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
Open during the summer season, the Wellfleet Drive-In Theater was built in 1957, they have a huge 100 ft. by 44 ft. screen and for the majorty of their parking spots, they still have the original speakers in top notch working order. For someone wanting the full stereo experience, they do broadcast though FM transmitters as well. They have a playground and full stocked snack bar. They open in May and shut down in mid September.
Bengies Drive-In - Baltimore, Maryland
Photo courtesy of driveinadventures.wordpress.com.
Bengies opened in 1956 and has the largest drive-in movie screen in the country at 52 ft. by 120 ft. they have a huge snack bar list with everything from hot dogs to eggrolls and every single usual movie theater concession as well. They are open seasonally from the spring through the fall but they do have special, invitation only events that go out through their online mailing list. An incredible experience for anyone in the Baltimore area, but be forewarned, they have two full pages of rules on the website. Some might say that this place could come right out of a Seinfeld episode.
Ford Drive-In - Dearborn, Michigan
Photo courtesy of yelp.com.
The Ford Drive-in stared around 1950 and has been going strong ever since. Open every night in the spring, summer and fall, the Ford is only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the winter. They show movies as late at 2:15 a.m. to accommodate the auto workers getting off of second shift. They have a concession stand and even have in car heaters for rental as well. The ticket price when they opened was ten cents and may have gone up a little but it is still the best bargain in town.
West Wind Solano Twin Drive-In - San Francisco, California
Photo courtesy of yelp.com.
The theater was closed for a couple of years around 2007 and was reopened by West Wind who also owns six other drive-in theaters. They have a pair of 96 ft. wide screens and also have a concession stand with some interesting fare in addition to the movie main stays. The East Bay movies have never looked so good!
Did we miss your favorite Drive-in theater? Do you love or hate the movies al fresco? Drop a comment below.
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