28th Street Drive-in (Demolished)
St. Petersburg, FL
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

In the St. Petersburg area of Florida is a grand colorful drive-in theatre called the 28th Street. One of the few remaining open theatres, stop by when you're in the area and watch a flick or two. You won't be able to miss the colorful screen tower. Back in 1970, the 28th St. had two projectors, each running 2,000 foot reels with RCA supplying all the booth equipment. The theatre is still doing well. Many thanks to two-time former projectionist Budd Ballard for info.

Opened in December 1950, the drive-in entertained local audiences for nearly fifty years. Around 1970, its projection booth used two projectors running 2,000-foot reels, requiring regular changeovers to keep the show moving. Its final double feature played on June 30, 2000: Mission: Impossible 2 followed by Rules of Engagement. After decades of movie nights, the theater had reached its last reel.

28th Street Marquee
St. Petersburg, FL
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

UPDATE: The 28th Street Drive-in shut down for good on June 30, 2000. In operation since 1950, the 28th Street was purchased by the Pinellas County School Board. Many thanks to Maria R. for update. 02-04

UPDATE: As of 2005, the site of the old 28th Street Drive-in is now a new Middle School. The Fun-Lan in Tampa, Ruskin Drive in, Silver Moon in Lakeland, and Joy-Lan in Dade City are still open serving the Tampa Bay Metro area. Many thanks to Bryan Otto for update. 06-06

UPDATE: The Pinellas County School District purchased the property, and the screen tower, marquee, and remaining theater buildings were demolished. Construction of the replacement school campus began in 2004, with Lealman Intermediate School welcoming students in fall 2005. The drive-in is gone, but photographs preserve its colorful contribution to Florida’s roadside movie history. 07-26

Ruskin Family Drive-In Theatre
Ruskin, FL
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

The old marquee at the Ruskin Family Drive-In Theatre announces the “Home of the Last ’50s Real Family Drive-In.” Beyond it, the towering screen promises an evening of movies beneath the Florida stars. It’s the sort of roadside welcome that makes you want to pull in, find a parking spot, and see what’s playing.

Opened in 1952, the Ruskin began entertaining audiences with Singin’ in the Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor. Over the decades, it retained the familiar ingredients of a hometown drive-in: an outdoor screen, a snack bar, and room for families to settle in together. Modern projection equipment eventually replaced film, but the basic attraction remained an evening at the movies from the family car.

Ruskin Family Drive-In Theatre
Ruskin, FL
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

Hurricane Milton interrupted that long tradition in October 2024, bringing down the screen and leaving the property littered with debris. For an independent outdoor theater, damage like that could easily mean the final curtain. Instead, family members, friends, local businesses, and movie fans helped with donations, cleanup, and materials to put the Ruskin back together.

UPDATE: The Ruskin Family Drive-In reopened on March 7, 2025, with a rebuilt 64-by-28-foot screen. The snack bar also received improvements as the theater recovered from the storm. Movies continue under the stars, giving this longtime roadside attraction another chapter more than seventy years after its opening night. Good to see the community help keep the picture show going. 07-26

The Exit Sign Ruskin, FL Photo courtesy Andy Callahan	The Snack bar Ruskin, FL Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

Auto-Park Drive-in (Gone)
Tampa, FL
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

There’s little in this view to suggest that cars once gathered here for an evening at the movies. The Auto-Park Drive-in in Tampa welcomed audiences with a giant screen along the 22nd Street Causeway, giving this stretch of road an attraction worth noticing after dark. Empty pavement and grass make a quiet contrast to its movie-showing days.

The Auto-Park opened on June 24, 1948, with the musical Carnival in Costa Rica, starring Dick Haymes. Its location led some patrons to call it the Causeway Drive-in. Arriving during the postwar outdoor-theater boom, it offered the familiar pleasure of watching Hollywood entertainment without leaving the family car.

Auto-Park Drive-in
Tampa, FL
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

By 1960, the Auto-Park had joined the Floyd Theatres circuit. Its programming later included a 1963 roadshow engagement of El Cid, bringing Charlton Heston’s historical epic to the outdoor screen. From colorful musicals to sword-waving spectacles, the theater gave Tampa moviegoers decades of entertainment beneath the stars.

UPDATE: A former manager recalled that the Auto-Park closed permanently in 1983. The screen, concession building, and other theater structures were subsequently demolished, leaving little recognizable evidence of its working years. The drive-in is gone, but photographs and memories preserve another chapter of Tampa’s outdoor movie history. 07-26