Latrobe PA Drive In Movie Theatre to be Demolished so Visit Your Local Drive-in This Summer!

Just got the sad news from Brian Butko’s Lincoln Highway News blog that the Hi Way Drive In Theatre in Latrobe PA is going to be demolished and replaced by a CVS. So sad!

Read Full Post »

Atlanta GA Retro Roadmap Worthy Places – Drive In Movies, Classic Theaters and Colorful Neon!

Here are some quick tips for vintage and retro roadmap worthy places in Atlanta GA – we wish we could’ve spent more time with ’em – but check them out for us next time you’re in the area!

The Majestic Diner
The interior of the Majestic has been recently re-done and the food was standard, but no one can deny the allure of their wonderful vintage neon signage and chasing lightbulbs.

The Majestic “diner” has been serving “Food That Pleases” since 1929, and is open 24 hours a day, every day, ‘cept for closing on Christmas eve. They reopen the day after Xmas at 6am.

Majestic Diner
1031 Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 875-0276

Starlight Six Drive-In Movie Theatre
The Starlight Six is Atlanta’s only remaining drive in movie theatre and I’m grateful to the folks at Drive-Ins.com for providing the background on The Starlight.

If it weren’t for them we would not know that the Starlight opened in 1949 as a single screen DI and stayed that way ’til the 80’s when it went  to a 4, then a 6 screen outdoor cinema. As you can read on the marquee they have flea markets during the weekend days.

Starlight Six Drive In Movie Theatre
2000 Moreland Avenue Southeast
Atlanta, GA 30316-3250
(404) 635-1087

The Fabulous Fox Theatre
The Fox Theatre is in the heart of Atlanta and on the Register of Historic Places.

Built in the pre-crash 1920’s the 4000+ seat Fox has managed to survive in part because of the citizens of Atlanta who rallied to save it from demolition in the 1970’s.

I encourage you to read the interesting history of this classic venue here on their website or on the Fox Theatre’s Wikipedia page. Even if you don’t read a word of it, do yourself a favor and check out the Fox’s schedule if you’re ever in the area and see a show at this grand old theatre.

The Fox Theatre
660 Peachtree Street Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 881-2100

Just because we didn’t get to spend enough time in Vintage Atlanta doesn’t mean you can’t – now that we’ve given you a head start you can plan your fun around these great old time places! And of course we’ve added them to the RetroRoadmap to make it easy peasy to find ’em next time you’re in ‘lanta.

Read Full Post »

Bill’s Belmont Drive In Movie Theater – Belmont NC

Closed for the season when we drove by on a Saturday morning, Bill’s Belmont Drive In in Belmont  NC has been providing the greater Charlotte area with that classic summer drive in movie experience for over 50 years.
With room for almost 300 cars, they offer two first run shows, full service snack bar and Dolby surround sound at the bargain price of $4 per person.

The Belmont is one of only 6 drive in movie theaters in North Carolina, so if you’re in the area and have a hankerin to see a film under the stars, visit the Belmont!

Belmont Drive In
314 McAdenville Road
Belmont, NC 28012-2424
(704) 825-6044

Read Full Post »

Chief Thief! Someone Broke into the Chief Drive In, Please Help

Thanks to a post on American Road Magazine’s facebook page I found out that some meanies broke into the Chief Drive-in movie theatre in Chickasha, OK trashed the place and stole a buncha stuff. The Chief Drive In was built in 1949 and is one of the last standing Drive-Ins in the state of Oklahoma. There’s info below on what happened and how you can help.

From The Chief’s website:

*Announcement*  Someone broke in and destroyed the concession stand and vandalized the box office.

They stole almost all of our supplies, candy, pop, golf balls, and ruined all of our food in the freezers. They also stole our sound system including all of the speakers. They stole almost everything including our jump box and all trash cans. We will try to have it back up and running by next weekend. We will keep you informed.

You can now donate on our site. Also you can mail any donations to Arvest Bank in care of The Chief Drive In 1927 S. 4th Chickasha, OK 73018.

Here’s a link to their Facebook page if you want to add them to your faves as well.

The Chief Drive-In Theatre
3854 N Highway 81
Chickasha, OK, 73018
405-224-1515

Read Full Post »

Circle Drive-In Theatre Dickson City, PA – Get Around To Going Here!

By popular request here is the Circle Drive-In Movie Theatre, located in Dickson City PA (just north of Scranton). Thanks to all of the Retro Roadmap Readers who wanted to hear about this place, it’s a good excuse to bump this seasonal business to the top of the writing list, since drive in days are quickly drawing to a chilly close here up north.

This year marks the 61st consecutive season of operation for this majestic drive in carved into the hillside on the Carbondale Highway (also known as Route 6 / Business). From April – October you can see two movies for the price of one on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. While I was there on a Saturday it was still too light to go to a movie (and I wasn’t going to go to the movies on my lonesome) so I took a quick peek around.

As you climb the hill to get to the theatre, you pass through the ticket booth which is almost like a colonial style “porte-cochere” where you can admire the view of the city below as you buy your tickets. This single screen drive in has room for 800 cars and operates with a radio signal to get the sound to you in your vehicle.

This room for cars is also put to good use every Sunday morning from March to November, where the Circle Drive-In is home to Northeastern Pennsylvania’s largest flea market “flea fair”, swap meet and farmer’s market! Open from 7am-4pm admission to the fleafair is a bargain at 50 cents A CAR! The snack bar is open to serve snacks and also provide bathroom accommodations. Sounds like a great way to spend a Sunday morning, if you ask me!

I’m hoping the Circle Flea Fair is open when Retro Roadhusband and I head up to Scranton for the Roadbloggers Meetup in November. More about that coming soon, stay tuned!

The Circle Drive-In Theatre & Flea Fair
1911 Scranton Carbondale Highway / Bus.Rte.6
Dickson City PA 18519
570-489-5731

Word to the wise! There are a number of wrong location markers if you look for the Circle Drive In using regular Google Maps. I have verified that my map below is accurate, so trust this one! I’ve tried to edit the ones on Google but they still seem to be wrong. (handy tip, you can always tell a drive in movie theatre by the fan shaped area for parking that you can see in the satellite view!)

Read Full Post »

Shankweiler’s Drive In Orefield PA – America’s Oldest Drive In Movie Theater

Shankweiler’s Drive In of Orefield PA had already made it onto the Retro Roadmap as America’s Oldest Drive In Movie Theatre (since 1934), but I couldn’t resist sharing a few photos from the visit Retro Roadhusband and I made this past weekend. Now that we’ve been there  personally I totally recommend the drive-in, as a fun place to bring the family and enjoy a movie under the stars.

OK so I didn’t ask about the cement lion sculptures that flank the entrance to Shankweilers- Penn State’s Nittany Lions, maybe? There’s also one of these on the other side of the big brick building on the other side of the entrance.If you’ve got the scoop then share it with us!

The theatre is a quick left off of the main drag of route 309 in Orefield, hard to miss!

We got there just as the sun was going down (8:45EST in July, love it!)

We pulled in and saw that this was a small single screen drive in movie theatre, allowing folks to set up blankets, chairs, play ball and whatnot before the movie. We loaded up on snacks in the snackbar – cheeseburger, hot dog ( Dietz & Watzon!), popcorn (real butter) pretzel and M&Ms (dinner!) and followed the orders:

While we were waiting for our feature (Toy Story 3, my pick, loved it, got all teary-eyed at the end, if you must know) one of the cool surprises for me was the fact that their introduction to the previews of coming attractions was the exact same one as they had in our local movie theater when I was growing up!

I totally remember that pinky purply color and know that back in the day that tidbit of music was pretty darned slick.

Clean, friendly, double feature – no reason not to go to Shankweiler’s Drive in, no sireee, except if you happen to be going to Becky’s Drive in, which is our next stop!

Shankweiler’s Drive-In Movie Theatre
4540 Shankweiler Road
Orefield, PA 18069
(610) 481-0800

Read Full Post »

Drive In Movie Season – Bengie’s in MD, Haar’s in PA and The Glen, Lake George NY!

I thought one post might be the easiest way to get the info out about 3 drive in movie theaters in MD, NY and PA since the drive in season is so short. And who can resist a some vintage intermission film enticing us to head to the snack bar? Not me!

Bengies Drive In Movies Baltimore MD

Open since 1956 Bengies has one of the more well kept marquees of the drive ins I’ve seen, and to see the amount of heavily worded signage lining the entrance to the theatre (and their website) you can see that the owners are all about the signs. I did not think that the drive in would be totally open for business when I visited it on a sunny Saturday but I had hoped someone might be in the snackbar and willing to sell me one of the tee shirts that I had seen on their website. Alas the signs indicated in no uncertain terms that I should not even think of trying this.

However I was TOTALLY unprepared for the lights and alarm sirens that went off as I turned the Retro Roadmap mobile around in the driveway on my way out. It scared the whoozits out of me for sure, and even now thinking about it I get jumpy. Hopefully when we return for a movie I’ll have better news to report and my blood pressure will return to normal :-).

Bengies Drive In Movie Theatre
3417 Eastern Blvd
Middle River, Maryland 21220
(410) 391-1956

Haar’s Drive In Movie Theatre Dillsburg PA

We could only drive past this drive in theatre on the way to someplace else, but its close proximity to Wolfe’s Diner makes it a perfect place for a Retro Roadmap type date. Since the diner was not open the day we were in Dillsburg, Retro Roadhusband and I will head out there for sure for a better report.

Open since 1953 Haars is a 1 screen theatre with the added interesting bonus of Friday night auctions as well. They have an on site snack bar with “fresh cut french fries, hot dogs, chicken tenders & nuggets, hamburgers, popcorn, soft serve ice cream” and more. And since we all know that sneaking in food is a no-no, do your part to support this drive in and buy your treats at the snack bar.

Haar’s Drive In
185 Logan Road
Dillsburg, PA 17019-9501
(717) 432-3011

The Glen Drive In Glens Falls NY

We had absolutely no idea that there was a drive in movie theatre just minutes away from our vacation destination of Lake George NY, but knew we had to pull into the Glen Drive In which has been serving the drive in community since 1958 with a double screen option.

Wish I was awake enough to see the double feature, but I will say that going to the drive in on our vacation was one of the great retro roadmap highlights!

And my fave reason for seeing movies at the drive in? The wonderfully outdated and kitschy intermission reels!

The Glen Drive In
Lake George Rd.
Glens Falls, NY 12804
(518) 792-0023

I hope to some day have every single Drive In in existence featured on the Retro Roadmap, until then Drive-Ins.com is a great resource to look up the drive in movie theatres near you. Now GO!

Read Full Post »