Summers at the Drive-In
One of my favorite summer activities is going to the drive-in movies. We’re lucky near Pittsburgh that we are one of the most densely populated places for drive-in theaters in the country. I remember going to the Greater Pittsburgh Drive In when I was little. Unfortunately, it is one of the theaters that has gone dark; they built a Wal-Mart instead. For me, going to the drive-in is a sign that summer has actually arrived. It’s one of my favorite daily adventures. We usually get to go about once a month in the summer.
Drive-in Theaters are places where you watch a movie on the big screen out under the stars. You can sit inside your vehicle or on the grass or pavement outside. I like sitting outside unless the top is off the Jeep! You watch the sun go down, and the film starts. The smell of the dewy night rolls in on top of the smell of popcorn wafting from the snack bars, and the stars come out. You can curl up on a picnic blanket or in the bed of the truck with your baby to snuggle under the stars. In our area, the theaters are in places with less concrete than most neighborhoods. It’s smart to bring a blanket or sweatshirt. Most of the drive-ins I have ever been to play double features at every screen. It gives you the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone if you have both on your list. The drive-ins in our area are often cheaper than going to the normal theater once. Sometimes we have no intention of seeing the second movie until we find out it is playing at the drive-in, so we get to see some films we did not think we would watch.
Drive-ins have specific rows of parking spaces. Usually, ones nearer to the screen or toward the middle are reserved for smaller cars. Parking trucks, vans, or SUVs there makes it difficult for other patrons to see. Some drive-ins will have things to keep you entertained before the film starts such as a playground, or music on their radio stations. 
There are three options to be able to hear the movie. Some theaters have working sound systems. They are little speakers you hook onto the window of your car. You can also tune in to a specific radio station to hear the movie’s sound. You can bring a radio with you to use. This is nice if you are sitting in the bed of the truck, if you plan on sitting in front of your car, or if you may leave your larger vehicle in the back to sit closer to the screen. If you plan on using the radio in your car, you need to be able to put your car on auxiliary so you do not drain your battery.
Before you go, you should test out the lights on your vehicle. Lights will be very distracting to your fellow patrons. Don’t use the automatic locks on your key fob. Don’t put your foot on the brake in the car. Learn how to turn off your interior lights, and how to use your running lights if you plan on leaving early. We try to roll down all the windows before we get out, because it makes it easier to grab things we forgot in the car without making the inter
As with most theaters, drive-ins make the majority of their money from their snack bars. They rely on patrons’ honesty about not bringing food or drink into the theater. The profit from the tickets they sell is mostly claimed by the movie companies. We try to make sure we buy something every time we go. Recently, our theater had to make the choice to purchase a digital projector, or stop existing. The digital projectors are around $60,000, which forced many theaters out of business permanently.
To find a drive-in near you, www.driveinmovie.com is a good resource. They have information about drive-ins that have gone dark as well as currently open theaters. Google Maps also has many drive-ins listed. I have found that the social media pages of the drive-ins in my area are more quickly updated and reliable than their static web pages.