The Blue Fox Drive-in Theatre located at 1403 Monroe Landing Road in Oak Harbor, WA opened up for business in Oak Harbor, WA in 1959. The drive-in was remodeled in 2004 and is currently still open.

Blue Fox Drive-in sign and snack bar
Oak Harbor, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

This drive-in complex features more than just outdoor movies. The complex features the Brattland Go-Karts at a good sized go-cart track, an arcade building, and rides for the kids. The lot since in a large field area with plenty of company watching, as seen in the last photo. More information can be found at the Blue Fox Drive-in Theatre site. 07-08

Blue Fox projection booth
Oak Harbor, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Blue Fox opened in 1959, back when drive-ins were popping up all over the country. Most of them have disappeared over the years, replaced by shopping centers or left to slowly fade away. That's what makes finding one like this such a treat. It isn't preserved as a museum piece or frozen in time. It's still doing exactly what it was built to do more than sixty years ago.

The first thing that caught my attention wasn't even the movie screen. It was all the activity taking place before anyone had settled into their cars. Families wandered across the grounds carrying popcorn. Kids were racing each other toward the arcade. Others were making one more trip around the go-kart track before showtime. Instead of everyone arriving just in time for the previews, people seemed perfectly content to spend the evening here.

Blue Fox screen tower
Oak Harbor, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

That's something you don't see very often anymore.

The Blue Fox has managed to keep the old drive-in experience alive while giving people plenty of reasons to arrive early and stay awhile. The Brattland Go-Karts are almost an attraction all by themselves, and the arcade keeps busy while everyone waits for darkness to settle in. Younger kids have rides to enjoy, while parents gather around the snack bar deciding whether popcorn alone is enough or if tonight calls for pizza, curly fries, or something a little more substantial.

The ticket booth
Oak Harbor, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

As the sun gets lower, the atmosphere begins to change. Cars find their favorite spots. Lawn chairs appear beside pickup trucks. Conversations drift across the lot while everyone waits for that moment when the screen finally comes to life. There's no hurry. That's part of the charm. A drive-in was never just about watching a movie. It was always about the time leading up to it.

Standing near the screen, it's impossible not to imagine how many families have spent evenings here over the decades. First dates. Birthday parties. Teenagers piling into station wagons. Parents loading sleeping kids into the back seat after the second feature. Places like this quietly become part of a community's memories without ever trying to.

The theater received a major remodeling in 2004, helping ensure that another generation would have the chance to experience a real drive-in. Later came digital projection, allowing the Blue Fox to continue showing current movies while keeping the experience that makes people return year after year. Fortunately, the things that matter most haven't changed. The giant outdoor screen is still the centerpiece, and the retro marquee still announces another night at the movies just as it has for decades.

The go-kart track
Oak Harbor, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Looking around the property, it's easy to see why the Blue Fox has survived when so many others haven't. It offers something that's difficult to duplicate. You can spend an entire evening here without ever feeling like you're simply waiting for the feature to begin. The movie is almost the grand finale after everything else.

Drive-ins have always been a little different from indoor theaters. They encourage people to slow down. You can hear kids laughing somewhere across the lot, smell popcorn drifting through the evening air, and watch the last bit of daylight disappear behind the screen. Even before the opening credits roll, you've already had an experience.

Being watched at the drive-in
Oak Harbor, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

That's probably why places like the Blue Fox leave such an impression. Long after you've forgotten what movie was playing that night, you'll still remember the glowing marquee, the wide open field, and the feeling of sitting beneath an open sky waiting for the screen to light up.

UPDATE: The Blue Fox continues welcoming moviegoers year-round on Whidbey Island. Its classic marquee, giant screen, go-karts, arcade, and old-fashioned drive-in atmosphere remain one of Washington's great roadside experiences. 07-26