Drive-In Movie Memories

Growing up on the outskirts of Orlando in the 1960s and 1970s, my memories are filled with the fragrance of orange blossoms in the air, waiting for passing trains while walking home from school, and movies under the stars at one of the local drive-in theaters. 

A Brief History

People started watching movies from their cars as early as 1915. The modern drive-in took shape when Richard Hollingshead, of New Jersey, obtained a patent for his drive-in theater concept on May 16,1933. Offering car ramps and a sound system, the first modern drive-in theater opened in Camden, NJ on June 6, 1933. The first Orlando area drive-in opened on February 7, 1940.

Americans’ love for their cars and the prosperity that occurred after World War II led to a boom in the drive-in movie business. In the early 1960s there were over 4,000 drive-in theaters in the U.S. Central Florida had 13 drive-in theaters that were easily accessible by car. The cost of building and maintaining a drive-in was lower than that of an indoor theater, making costs for the customers lower as well. However, in the late 1960s drive-in theater attendance began to decline.

Daylight hours and weather have always been a challenge for drive-ins. Many added flea markets, or swap shops, to their daytime schedules as a way of bringing in more revenue. Northern drive-ins offered in-car heaters as a way of battling cold weather, but many became seasonal operations. As urban areas began to expand, property values began to rise. Many drive-ins started closing. Their properties were redeveloped for more financially lucrative purposes.

Heyday of Central Florida Drive-Ins

Drive-in theaters, or “ozoners,” dotted the Central Florida landscape. In many areas they were the closest theaters where people could watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster. Back when dressing up to go out was the standard, drive-in theaters offered family friendly options such as come-as-you-are dress codes and cheap admission prices. They also offered double features for the price of a single admission. Kids routinely came in pajamas and oftentimes fell asleep in the back seat before the movie ended. There was always something new to see as movies changed several times throughout the week. 

Drive-in theaters had contests, giveaways, and a variety of unique outdoor entertainments to foster attendance. The Ri-Mar in Lockhart had stables and pony rides. Some had playgrounds in front of the screen tower. Teenagers welcomed the privacy of watching a movie from the car, causing drive-ins to often be referred to as “passion pits.” There was something for everyone. During my childhood the drive-in movie business was booming. 

My Drive-In Expeditions

As a child in the 1960s and 1970s, my parents drove my siblings and I to many of the local drive-ins to see the latest Disney movie. I remember frequenting the Pine Hills, Star Lite, Winter Park, and ClerVue theaters. As an adult I ventured out to the Ri-Mar and the Movieland, as well as the Ruskin (in Ruskin). There were also trips to the 28^th Street (St. Petersburg), the Silver Moon (Lakeland), the Ocala (Ocala) and the Fun-Lan (Tampa). Once I even visited the Swap Shop Drive-In near Fort Lauderdale. With its 13 outdoor screens, the Swap Shop (formerly the Thunderbird and also formerly the Sunrise) was billed as the largest drive-in theater in the world. In December of 2022 it closed for renovations and the theater never reopened, although the swap shop continues on the site.

Floyd Theaters

Many Central Florida theaters were operated by Floyd Theaters. Carl Floyd, from Haines City, owned a chain of successful Florida drive-in and indoor theatres. Harold Spears, who once managed the theaters in Winter Garden, was named president of Floyd Enterprises in 1969. Upon Carl Floyd’s retirement in 1977, Mr. Spears was named chairman of the board. Fun fact: Floyd Theaters once operated the Pine Hills Twin indoor theater (1971-1987) as well as the Pine Hills Drive-In (1953-1987) located directly across the street.

In the late 1970s telecomunications construction company Burnup & Sims Inc. acquired Floyd Theaters. In 1994 Miami company Church and Tower Group acquired Burnup & Sims, changing the name to MasTec, Inc. MasTec sold all the indoor theatres but continued to operate the drive-ins. Unfortunately in 1996 MasTec closed the remaining drive-ins. Mr. Spears then formed Sun South Theaters, purchasing both the Silver Moon (Lakeland) and the Joy-Lan (Dade City) drive-ins. When asked if he was planning to purchase the Star Lite in Winter Garden, he replied that it was too far away. Mr. Spears was very hands-on and took an active part in running his theaters. He could often be seen directing traffic on busy nights at the Silver Moon. In July 2015 the Polk Life magazine did a wonderful feature on Mr. Spears and the Silver Moon Drive-In. Sadly, in 2017 Mr. Spears passed away.

Judy Crews Martin

In 1996 I was fortunate enough to meet Judy Crews Martin. Judy was a supervisor for Floyd Theaters and later worked for Sun South Theaters. Judy traveled to all our local drive-ins in connection with her job. She was a wonderful person – willing to answer questions and quick to offer a smile. She was also very knowledgeable about the industry. Judy had the incredible foresight to bring her camera and snap photos of several of the Central Florida drive-ins. She continued to work at the box office at the Silver Moon, and it was always a pleasure seeing her. Unfortunately, Judy passed away in 2015. She is greatly missed by all those who knew her. 

Some of her photographs are featured here. They were scanned in 1996, with her permission, to preserve the memory of what we have lost.

Orlando Drive-Ins

Once the Orlando area drive-ins closed, the properties were redeveloped and life continued. A few of the former drive-in sites hosted retail stores, such as Target (Orange Avenue) and Walmart (Pine Hills – now closed). Two of them, the Ri-Mar and the Winter Park theaters, burned down after closing. The wooden construction of their 70-ft tall screen towers created blazes that could be seen for miles. After years of lighting up the night with movie magic it was their final goodbye.

Please enjoy this tribute to these fantastic outdoor movie theaters. Hopefully it will bring back memories of playing with friends before the show, sitting on top of the car for the best seat in town, and swatting countless mosquitoes until the mosquito coil kicked in and chased them away. These drive-ins may be gone, but for many of us they are not forgotten.  There are still a few operating drive-in theaters within driving distance from Orlando. The drive is a just a little farther these days, but those who make the trip are in for a special treat! The open drive-ins are at the end of this list.

ClerVue Drive-In (Lake County) 

Location: 796 Hooks Street, Clermont, FL 34711. One screen, 200 car capacity. Opened July 7, 1953 – Closed in 1988.

One of our family movie night excursions was to the ClerVue to see Disney’s “The Boatniks” (1970). I remember the lot being packed with cars and kids! The theater was clean and well run, and you could see the lake from the back of the field. The marquee was on Highway 50 a few blocks away, and it stood for years after the theater was closed and torn down. There is a video tour of the abandoned drive-in here. There is a hotel on this property now.

Colonial Drive-In 

Location: 6441 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32807. One screen, 550 car capacity. Opened May 9, 1955 – Closed October 3, 1992.

Once a staple of east Orlando, the Barry University’s Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law now sits on the former Colonial Drive-In property.

Movieland Drive-In (Sanford) 

Location: 3760 S. Orlando Drive, Sanford, FL 32771. One screen, 440 car capacity. Opened April 29, 1949 – Closed April 30, 1996.

I was at the Movieland on its last night of operation. It was very clean and had a rural atmosphere. The lot was huge! The two elderly staff members working the snack bar seemed very proud of their drive-in, but very sad that it was closing. The Movieland and long-term employee Cecil Bales were featured in an Orlando Sentinel article in January of 1990. You can read it here: part 1 and part 2.

There were a lot of customers on the last night and the drive-in was quite busy. It made me sad to think that once the concession stand supplies were gone, they would never be restocked. The candy stand on the counter only had a few boxes of sugary goodness left. Later I ventured beyond the gates to get a closer look at the magnificent marquee all lit up with neon – it was truly amazing! It was the end of an era and a very sad night.

Orange Avenue Drive-In

Formerly the Kuhl Avenue Drive-In. Location: 120 W. Grant Street, Orlando, FL 32806. One screen, 450 car capacity. Opened September 20, 1949 – Closed July 19, 1984. Note: early Orlando/Winter Park City Directory listings show the address of this theater as 2400 Kuhl Avenue.

Reports have it that in May of 1960 the City Council voted to change the name of Kuhl Avenue to Orange Avenue. In October of 1960 the name of the theater was changed to the Orange Avenue Drive-In.

In 1963 the drive-in suffered damage when a tornado went through the area. Reportedly the screen was torn in half. The drive-in was rebuilt and reopened. In 1966 it was closed again for remodeling. It reopened on October 19, 1966, on the lot slightly behind the original property with a west-facing entrance (cinematreasures.org).

I visited the property long after the screen tower was gone and a retail store (Zayre) had been built (and also closed) on the front part of the property. For a time there was a storage business behind the retail shops, and the concession stand still proudly stood in the middle of it. This drive-in was down the street from Orange Memorial Hospital (now Orlando Regional Medical Center). A Target store sits on the site today.

Orlando Drive-In

Formerly called Drive-In Theatre, it was the Orlando area’s first drive-in theater. Location: 1001 S. Orange Blossom Trail (O.B.T.), Orlando, FL 32805. One screen, 300 car capacity. Opened February 7, 1940 – Closed June 17, 1984.

Beginning on October 5, 1948, ads for this theater listed the name as the “Orlando Drive-In Theatre.” I never visited the Orlando Drive-In, but the property (1001 S. OBT) was just down from the former site of Orlando’s Wigwam Village Motel (700 S. O.B.T.). A Dollar Store now occupies the drive-in site, and a Vacation Lodge budget motel occupies the former Wigwam property. Pictures from this era show it was sparsely populated.

Pine Hills Drive-In 

Location: 5050 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808. One screen, 600 car capacity. Opened June 25, 1953 – Closed November 1, 1987.

Our family spent a lot of time at the Pine Hills Drive-In. Back then Pine Hills was a nice place to live: many of the houses were built when the Martin Marietta defense company opened a facility at the end of Kirkman Road near where International Drive is today. The property leading to Martin was undeveloped, giving the surrounding area a rural nature. The Pine Hills Shopping Center on West Colonial Drive was right across the street from the drive-in. Royal Castle and A&W restaurants were not far away. I remember waiting for my mom on the shopping center’s cement benches by the fountains (actual water fountains with colored lights) and watching the movie playing on the huge drive-in screen across the street.

We saw many, many movies at the Pine Hills Drive-In. I remember watching Disney’s “Babes in Toyland” and “In Search of the Castaways.” We saw re-releases of “Godzilla vs King Kong” and John Wayne’s “The Searchers.” It was a great place to go! In the 1970s it started getting a little run-down, and I remember Mom having us leave early one night when a strange smell started emanating from the car beside us. The last time I went to visit was in the mid-1980s but I had never heard of the movies playing, so I didn’t go inside.

Starting in 1975 this theater added a daytime flea market. When the flea market moved down the street to the fair grounds I feared the days of the Pine Hills Drive-In were numbered. It closed not long after that. The flea market still exists at the fair grounds location on weekends. For more information on this theater you can go here.

Prairie Lake Drive-In 

Location: 1136 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701. One screen, 685 car capacity. Opened September 30, 1948 – Closed April 10, 1988.

I never watched a movie at the Prairie Lake Drive-In. It was located on SR 436 near Altamonte Springs, and I drove past it often on trips to and from the Altamonte Mall. It was a large theater in what became a busy part of town. After it closed a Circuit City retail store fronted the site.

Ri-Mar Drive-In 

Location: 4137 Clarcona Ocoee Road, Orlando, FL 32810. One screen, 400 car capacity. Opened September 2, 1949 – Closed April 30, 1996.

I visited the Ri-Mar property after the drive-in had closed. The stable that once housed ponies for the pony rides was still there. Vandals had broken into the concession stand and smashed the remaining fixtures. They had also forced open a door leading into the screen tower. There was an apartment on the lower level and it was also a mess. After the fire, it was determined that the blaze was most likely started by a candle belonging to the unhoused people who were sheltering inside from the cold. It was a sad end to such a towering structure. I remember the screen tower was painted a dark brown color.

South (Blossom) Trail Drive-In 

Location: 8701 Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32809. 1 screen, 350 car capacity. Opened January 9, 1956 – Closed November 29, 1984.

This theater was opened as the Blossom Trail Drive-In in 1956 but was sold to new owners in August of 1960. It reopened as the South Trail Drive-In on August 7. It was down the street from the property that eventually became the Florida Mall. At the time of its closure, a comment on CinemaTreasures.org states “Judy Martin, a supervisor for Floyd Theatres Inc., said that the South Trail Drive-In was doing good business.”(CinemaTreasures.org). 

Star Lite Drive-In 

Location: 1171 E. Plant Street, Winter Garden, FL 34787. Opened 1948 – Closed November 1996. One screen, 250 car capacity. A grass roots effort, Save Our Star Lite, tried to preserve this theater by finding a new owner with the resources to keep it operating. Sadly the effort was unsuccessful. This was the last drive-in theater in the Orlando area to close. It was torn down in 1998.

Star Lite was our go-to place. Winter Garden was a small town, and after the Garden Theater closed in 1963 it was our closest theater. I remember loading into the car (either with my parents or my friends’ parents) just about every week to go see movies there. We saw Disney classics such as “The Love Bug,” “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” and a re-release of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” I also loved the Disney movie “Hang Your Hat on the Wind” which I saw several times. There were also older B-movies such as “The Mole People,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and “Fantastic Voyage.” The theater had carload admission on select nights and was always clean. I used to love how the sound echoed across the lot when the drive-in speakers were in use. I also loved the flicker of the light (and the bugs flying through it) from the projector booth. The snack bar had terracotta-colored “cracked tile” flooring which I have always loved. The Silver Moon snack bar also has this flooring.

We used the Pic mosquito coils to combat the bugs. We always sat outside on blankets in front of the car. When they ran the snack bar intermission trailers between the movies I loved the dancing hot dog! The popcorn was delicious and they had RC cola products (the lemon-lime soda was my favorite). I visited this drive-in well into the 1990s and was part of the SOS committee that worked to save it. For years the property was in unincorporated Orange county, between the cities of Winter Garden and Ocoee. Once the theater closed I was told the city of Winter Garden annexed it. A 7-11 store now sits where the screen tower used to stand.

University Twin Drive-In 

Location: 11500 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32817. Two (and later three) screens, 500 car capacity. Opened June 10, 1970 – Closed September 14, 1986.

I never visited the University Twin Drive-In, but I drove past it for two years on my way to school. It was on Colonial Drive (SR50) near Alafaya Trail. I believe a Carl Black auto dealership is on the property today.

I remember it being a little run-down in 1980. I could just see the screens peeking over the fence. I don’t recall any big screen tower or sign. Apparently the third screen didn’t last very long as I only remember it having two screens. Some of my friends at school said they had seen quite a few movies there.

Washington Shores Drive-In 

Location: 3950 Columbia Street, Orlando, FL 32805. One screen, 200 car capacity. Opened June 14, 1950 – Closed April 28, 1961. This theater was primarily for African-American audiences. 

The original address for this drive-in was listed as 3942 S. Vineland Rd in the 1955 Orlando/Winter Park City Directory. Apparently the road name was changed to Columbia Street at some point as later searches show it at 3950 Columbia Street.

Winter Park Drive-In 

Location: 801 S. Orlando Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789. One screen, 670 car capacity. Opened November 17, 1949 – Closed February 22, 1979.

I remember going to the Winter Park Drive-In many times with my family. We saw several Elvis Presley movies there as well as Disney’s “The Barefoot Executive.” The marquee sat out next to the road (Orlando Ave.) and there was a long drive (road) back to the theater lot. I remember the theater being filled with cars and people. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Although the marquee is long gone, the road leading into the property is still there: it runs between the Publix shopping plaza next to the AAA office and the smaller shopping plaza containing the Orange Tree Antiques Mall. A business park sits on the theater property today.

Open theaters as of 2026:

Silver Moon Drive-in 

Location: 4100 New Tampa Highway, Lakeland, FL 33815 (Polk County). Two screens, 372 car capacity. Opened April 14, 1948.

The Silver Moon has been my happy place for the last 30 years. It still operates seven days a week, is clean and well-run, and keeps my love of drive-in theaters alive. My dog comes with me occasionally and my friends and I can share a whole pizza purchased from the snack bar. Nearing its 80th year of operation, it remains a shining gem among Central Florida’s drive-in theaters. It is the last remaining drive-in theater in the Lakeland area.

Joy Lan Drive-in 

Location: 16414 US Hwy 301, Dade City, FL 33523 (Pasco County). One screen, 396 car capacity. Opened March 9, 1950.

Ocala Drive-in 

Location: 4850 S Pine Avenue, Ocala, FL 34480 (Marion County). Two screens, 300 car capacity. Originally opened in 1949 and closed in 2007, it was reopened under new ownership in 2011. This drive-in was one of the winners in a nationwide Project Drive-In (2013) initiative sponsored by Honda. The winners each got a new digital projection system.

Ruskin Family Drive-in 

Location: 5011 Highway 41 N, Ruskin, FL (Hillsborough County). One screen, 200 car capacity. Opened April 16, 1952.

Drive-In Church Services

Several of the Orlando drive-ins offered Sunday morning worship services. The Pine Hills, Orlando, Star Lite and Winter Park theaters held them regularly. The Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church (3140 S. Atlantic Ave, Daytona Beach Shores, FL 32118) still operates services at the site of the former Neptune Drive-In Theater. 

Drive-In Dreams

As we move into the future, the status of drive-in theaters remains uncertain. Every year more theaters close, but also a few new ones open. Here in Central Florida there have been rumors of upcoming drive-in entertainment complexes but nothing has come to fruition. Perhaps the drive-in theater experience will be relegated to live in our memories. Or perhaps a giant screen tower will once again rise up to overlook the Orlando landscape and fill the night sky with movie magic. Only time will tell.