Yes, you can still go to a drive-in movie in Florida. Here's where.
Drive-in movie theaters have a long history in Florida. The first opened in 1938 in Miami and, by the mid-'50s, there were more than 150 in the state. As late as 1979, there were still more than 100 open around Florida, but their numbers declined as developers snapped up the often prime real estate the theaters sat on and moviegoers turned to more comfortable indoor theaters and watching movies at home.
But drive-ins aren't dead yet. New screens opened in Jacksonville, Miami and Fort Pierce during the pandemic years, even as others turned off their projectors for good. There are still at least seven drive-ins operating in the Sunshine State, plus two in South Florida that are "temporarily closed."
And plans were announced in 2020 for the largest drive-in in the world to be built in Florida, with five screens on 72 acres in Eustis.
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Here are the places where you can still catch a movie under the stars in Florida:
Ocala Drive-in
4850 S. Pine St., Ocala
(352) 629-1325
In the early days of the pandemic, the Ocala Drive-in remained open and at one point was the only theater showing first-run movies in the United States, until the studios stopped releasing films.
• How many screens do they have? Two screens, each showing two movies nightly
• How many nights per week are they open? Seven, including holidays
• Is outside food and drink permitted? No, but they sell a $10 “offsite food permit” for people on special diets, which includes a $10 credit at the concession stand
• Do they serve food? Yes, and they will deliver to your car. Menu includes popcorn, boiled peanuts, pizza, chicken wings and fried green tomatoes
• How much is admission? $6 for adults, $3 for children
Silver Moon Drive-in Theater
4100 New Tampa Highway, Lakeland
(863) 682-0849
The Silver Moon opened in 1948 and has operated since, except for a few months in 1950 when a tornado destroyed the cinder-block screen. A second screen was added in 1985.
• How many screens do they have? Two screens, each showing two movies nightly
• How many nights per week are they open? Seven, including holidays
• Is outside food and drink permitted? Yes, but “we encourage you to visit our snack bar”
• Do they serve food? Yes. Menu includes pizza, popcorn, hot dogs, chili, cotton candy and corn dogs
• How much is admission? $7 for adults, $3 for kids
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Ruskin Family Drive-in Theater
5011 U.S. Highway 41 North, Ruskin
(813) 645-1455
The theater opened in 1952 with “Singing in the Rain.” It’s billed as the last family drive-in in America because “We had family values when family values were the rule. We still have family values although by some we’re not considered cool.” Oh, and leave your credit cards at home; they only accept cash.
• How many screens do they have? One, showing two movies per night
• How many nights per week are they open? Seven, including holidays
• Is outside food and drink permitted? Yes, for an additional $5 per car
• Do they serve food? Yes. Menu includes pizza, burger, popcorn, hot dogs, chili, ice cream and dill pickles. You can also get things to go from the snack bar without buying a movie ticket.
• How much is admission? $7 for adults, $2 for kids
Joy-Lan Drive-in
16414 U.S. 301, Dade City
The Joy-Lan, built for about $55,000, opened in 1950 with a showing of “Challenge to Lassie.” It is operated by the same company that runs the Silver Moon in Lakeland.
• How many screens do they have? One, showing two films nightly
• How many nights per week are they open? Five (closed Mondays and Tuesdays)
• Is outside food and drink permitted? Yes, but “purchasing food from our concession stand is appreciated”
• Do they serve food? Yes. Menu includes pizza, popcorn, hot dogs, chili, cotton candy and Yoo-hoo
• How much is admission? $7 for adults, $3 for kids
Treasure Coast Park and Watch
Causeway Cove Marina, 601 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce
(772) 222-7570
Organizers were surprised when they announced plans to hold a pop-up drive-in movie event during the early days of the pandemic and received 2,500 responses from people saying they'd love to get out of the house and do something. The theater is set up in a marina parking lot and uses a two-sided screen to fit as many cars as possible. Treasure Coast Park and Watch shows mostly second-run family films.
• How many screens do they have? One double-sided screen, each showing the same film
• How many nights per week are they open? Fridays and Saturdays
• Is outside food and drink permitted? No
• Do they serve food? Yes, concession stand serves popcorn, soda, candy, pizza, hot dogs and ice cream
• How much is admission? $15 per vehicle
Sun-Ray Cinema Drive-In
7059 Ramona Blvd., Jacksonville
(904) 359-0049
The operators of Jacksonville’s Sun-Ray Cinema hired some out-of-work Disney Imagineers to build a projection trailer in the early days of the pandemic. After bouncing around to several sites, they settled on a field behind a flea market that is actually zoned for drive-in movie theaters.
• How many screens do they have? One, showing one or two films nightly
• How many nights per week are they open? Fridays and Saturdays
• Is outside food and drink permitted? Yes
• Do they serve food? Yes, a concession trailer sells popcorn, hot dogs, veggie dogs and bottled soft drinks
• How much is admission? $25 per vehicle
Nite Owl Drive In
niteowldriveinandtropicalmarket.com
1400 NE 1st St., Miami
1-833-NITE-OWL
Tucked into a tree-lined lot in the heart of downtown Miami, the Nite Owl opened in 2021. The theater shows mostly first-run films and has an early and a late screening every night.
• How many screens do they have? One, with two screenings per night
• How many nights per week are they open? Seven
• Do they serve food? Yes. Menu includes popcorn, candy, ice cream, soft drinks and Slushees
• How much is admission? $39.98 for two, includes $19.99 concession credit. Tickets must be purchased online in advance of showing.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Drive-ins: Florida theaters where you can watch movies under the stars
