September 3, 2014

5 Reasons Why We Love The Drive In

I didn’t grow up going to the drive in.  We didn’t have one near us but I always wanted to go.  I had seen the drive in in movies (Grease anyone?) and it looked like so much fun!  We discovered there was one five minutes from our house not long after we bought it four years ago and we’ve been going ever since.  We usually only make it once or twice a season but we make it a point to get there.  It’s one of our favorite summertime activities.

Many Waters Five Reasons Why We Love The Drive In



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.

Many Waters Popcorn at the Drive In

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?

10 comments:

  1. There was a drive-in in my college town and about an hour or so away from where I lived in Texas. Alas in Florida I haven't heard of any and I kind of miss it. It was always fun to do and a pretty good deal. I bought a car with a hatchback last year and have thought man the drive-in would be super fun with this car! One day I'll find one and get to go back :)

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  2. I wish we had a drive in here in El Paso! It would be amazing.

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  3. We loved going to that drive-in when we were stationed at Bangor. We have a drive-in near us here in Ohio but it only has one screen and they usually only play kid movies. It's a bummer when we want to have a kid free date night.

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  4. We used to have one near us, but it closed. :-( It was wonderful while it was here though. We could load up the children, let them eat popcorn and fall asleep in the car. :-)

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  5. I'm not sure if we have one close by, but that looks really fun! What a great summertime activity! Visiting you from the Mommy Moments link up!

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  6. That's sad! I also love that they can fall asleep in the car...it's so nice!

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  7. That's too bad about the drive in near you! Hopefully it's fun to take the kids though.

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  8. It is amazing! Maybe you can find one nearby?

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  9. The drive in would be fun with a hatchback! I hope you find one:)

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