1. It’s “Cheap”
Going to the movies in not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. At the drive in near us, it’s $9 per adult BUT you get two movies for the price of one at a traditional theater. They always have a double feature. Sure it can be late to stay for both movies (in the middle of the summer it doesn’t get dark enough to start the movie till close to 10pm). Kids under 4 are free. Seniors and kids 5-12 get in for $6.
2. It’s Comfy
We love hanging out in the back of our van or our truck. There’s plenty of room for us to move around and even more importantly, to cuddle! We love to cuddle and the drive in provides the perfect opportunity. In the back of the pick up truck we toss down an air mattress with lots of blankets and some pillows. In the back of the van we do the same minus the air mattress. Our van has the option to turn the back seats into stadium seating. We will often do this for the first movie and then put them down and lie in the back for the second.
3. Great for Kids
The drive in is GREAT for kids! The one we go to has a playground that they can run around at before the movie. It’s super common to see kids in pj’s there with their families. Then if they cry you’re in the car (all sound comes through a radio station, so you can close the windows if you want.) and it won’t bother many other people. There was a baby crying in the car next to us once and it wasn’t bad. I felt bad for the parents but it wasn’t as distracting to us like at normal theater. We could close our windows and/or turn up to volume. And if you or the kids like to talk during movies, people aren’t going to hear you (unless you’re really loud!) Kids often fall asleep at the drive in too (Munchkin included!) The back of the van is perfect for it! She stays all cuddled up with us and we still get snuggle time. It’s perfect!
4. The Food
The nice thing about the drive in is that you can drink your own food to save a little money if you want/need too. They don’t ask or check the car at all. We like to get food there. Our drive in has a decent menu if you’re ok with fried food, burgers and pizza. They were able to accommodate my GD with a Philly cheese steak on no bread. I did get garlic fries to go with it (a no no but they were worth it!) Munchkin likes their food long hot dogs and The Man usually gets the chicken finger basket. During the summer they open almost two hours before show time and it can be fun to go hang out and eat dinner before the show. It’s a great way to get some quality family time in before we all stare at a screen.
5. Good Movies
The drive in shows the movies that are currently out. It’s fun to see the pairings that they come up with. We’ve seen some great movies there, like How to Train Your Dragon (1 and 2), Despicable Me (1 and 2) and The Hunger Games. My favorite that we’ve seen so far was the Harry Potter Deathly Hallows double header they did when part two came out. They showed Deathly Hallows part one before midnight and then showed part two after midnight. It was awesome watching it one the big screen. My other favorite was the retro feature they showed this past weekend. Since this summer has been light on the family movies, they decided to show E.T and Back To The Future. It’s been two days and Munchkin is still walking around saying “E.T. gone!” in a very sad voice. She LOVED E.T, so much so that I think we’re going to have to get it. I love that she really like a movie from my childhood, one that I watched often with my cousin.
Do you have a drive in near you? Do you go?
