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Drive-in Theater – What to prepare for to make your Drive-in experience the best it can be!
Our family has been introduced to the Drive-In Theater world and we are over the moon to tell you about it! We have now watched two movies at our local drive-in theater and we intend to go see A LOT more!
There are several different reasons why we’ve fallen in love with the drive-in theater vs the modern movie theaters.
- It’s cheaper. Our local drive-in is $10 for adults and $5 for children. This is cheaper than our local traditional movie theater!
- You can bring your own concessions!! You can bring any outside food and drink; you can even bring a small grill and grill out!
- It’s an experience like no other. Like taking a walk in time back to the 50’s and 60’s when drive-ins were more common. The memories and time with family is more than worth it.
Don’t take my word for it, experience it for yourself! To find a Drive-in Movie Theater near you Google “drive-in movie theater near me” or you can go here. This is not a complete list, because the drive-in we go to is not listed on the website, but I checked and it’s on Google. If you live an hour away, don’t let that discourage you! It’s so worth the drive!
I wish I would have read an article before I went to our first drive-in, it would have helped us so much! So I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences with you to make sure your drive-in theater experience is the best it can be!
TIPS
- GO EARLY!!! I cannot stress this enough. The first time we went to the drive-in, we had to park outside and sit on the ground to watch the movie. This wasn’t awful, but it would have been better to be on the back of the truck. The last time we went about 2 hours before time and we got the best spot!
- Use the bathroom beforehand. I despise public restrooms. HATE them. You also don’t want to be getting up during the movie to go use the restroom.
- Keep the kids entertained! Bring games & activities to keep those kiddos out of your hair while you’re waiting. Our local drive-in had a playground which kept our 7-year-old entertained.
- If possible, eat supper first (or cookout there). Most drive-in’s will let you cook out while you wait. So if you’re interested, this might be an option for you. We had a quick supper before we headed off to the movies.
WHAT TO BRING
- Truck or SUV if you can! You’ll enjoy sitting in the back watching the movie. You can also do this in a car or on the ground, but the back of a truck or SUV is great!
- Blow up mattress. My husband and I bought a mattress and we bought a twin because a full wouldn’t fit quite too good in the back of his truck. This was enough room for my husband and I. Our 7-year-old just sat at the bottom in the middle. You can buy a reasonable one on Amazon here. We just bought a pump with a car charger adapter on it and we were good to go!
- Blankets and pillows. Make it comfy! We used blankets and pillows to kick back and relax. Some people even camp out at the drive-in!
- Chairs. Don’t forget the chairs! During the wait you don’t want to be laying down the entire time, at least I didn’t! So we brought chairs to sit in before the movie.
- Portable radio. This is not a “must”. Most drive-in’s have loud speakers or you can tune in, in your vehicle, but if you want to sit outside, you might want to consider getting a portable radio.
- Snacks & drinks. Be prepared. Just like at the local movie theater, you’ll want something to snack on and drink while watching the movie. We pre-popped our popcorn and brought movie theater style candy with us.
- Flash Light. Just in case the kiddos need to take a quick potty break or you drop something small on the ground. You don’t want to be finding your way around during the movie at night!
- Change of clothes for the kiddos. Just in case. Accidents can happen and you want to be ready!
- Sunscreen & bug spray. Sunscreen for the wait before the movie starts. Bug spray for the night! Down here in Georgia we have bugs like crazy at night time.
- Games & activities to keep the kids entertained during the wait.
- An umbrella. Be prepared for bad weather. The last time we went, a thunderstorm popped out of nowhere during the movie. We just hopped in the cab of the truck and watched the movie – no biggie. But I wish we would have had an umbrella in case we needed to get out.
I really hope that your drive-in theater experience is one you won’t forget. I know ours have been amazing! If you have other tips or tricks you would like to share, please post them below! I’d love to hear them.
*picture from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/DriveIn-ScreenDuskMichele.jpg
