One of my early memories of a family night out was at the drive-in theater (now, like so many, defunct) in Erie, Pennsylvania. That’s where I saw E.T. for the first time, I was in Kindergarten, and was scared by The Black Crystal to the point that we had to leave early. What an amazing experience! My mom made popcorn at home and some snacks for us during the movie, we had a station wagon so she and my dad made a kind of bed area for me in the back, and we joined hundreds of other cars under the night sky for a movie.
There’s something that, to me, is so much more memorable about the drive-in movie experience. You can tailgate beforehand and play games, move around, play on playgrounds (if you’re a child) and meet all kinds of new people when you park next to them. In the regular theater you wait in lines and try not to make eye contact. When you sit, you always keep a space between you and the person next to you, if possible. If you get to a movie extra-early, you just sit there…maybe talking to the friends you’ve come with and maybe playing on your phone while counting down the minutes until the movie starts.
The outdoor theater experience is so much more inviting and it’s a living experience. I can remember almost every drive-in theater experience I’ve had. Early on we still had to clip on the radio to our window…which in some ways I miss because it was kind of fun and definitely part of the overall adventure. I remember drive-in theaters where there were multiple screens, where the ground had been graded like theater seating, where the main area in front of the screen was dedicated to picnickers and playgrounds, and where people were all friendly even though they were strangers.
I was especially grateful for the drive-in after our first son was born. We could still have a date night and go to see not one but two movies for the price of one in the theater. When our son got fussy, we sat in the car and closed the windows and watched the movie from there. When he fell asleep, we opened the windows and sat back outside. As he got older, we could do what my parents did for me and make a bed in the back of the minivan for him to lie on when he was tired. I love that when children’s movies come out there is something for everyone…usually the children’s movie is first and the PG-13 or R movies are second. I love that I can set up a play pen for our younger son so that he can be outside with us but still move around. It can really be a family night and still have interaction.
We’ve seen people get engaged at the drive-in. And, you know what? Everyone there cheered for them. It really is a community when you go.
Some theaters are open year-round and while we haven’t braved the cold with our young boys, I’ll take them when they’re a bit older…would love to do a New Year’s Eve movie. What a great memory that would be!
Granted there are so many things that are the same as drive-ins years ago but there are differences. Some will charge you for outside food (usually about $5) but since they don’t make the bulk of their money off the tickets but rather the food I think that is a small price to pay. Plus, realistically, we spend way more than $5 on food at a theater so it is nice that we can bring dinner and snacks and drinks for much cheaper than at a theater. The movie theater popcorn is still something we purchase there because it is part of movie tradition. Instead of the clip-on radios you now just tune your car radio or external radio to a station. Of course, that eliminates the metal poles a lot of times so you have more space to sit. Another difference is the differentiated parking places…with all the behemoth vehicles you do need to get there kind of early if you have a mini-van or smaller SUV so you don’t get a Hummer in front of you with people sitting on the roof. But that’s all part of the experience.
If you have never been to a drive-in theater, I suggest you look for one near you. They are a dying breed and it’s really unfortunate that this part of American history is declining. Maybe in the future there will be a rise in numbers of these theaters because they are more than just a place to go and sit and be entertained. They are, in fact, a place for families and friends to go and share in an experience…the way movies are meant to be.
(If you live in the Cincinnati area, we are fortunate that we live near not one, but two functioning drive-in theaters. Shameless plug but here it goes: in Amelia, Ohio, there is the Starlite Drive-In Theater and in Hamilton, Ohio, we go to the Holiday Auto Theater. There may be others but those are the ones I know of.)
A Mom in White Pants 