Pinellas Park Drive-in (Demolished)
Pinellas Park, FL
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

A drive-in that has caught the Y2K frenzy is Pinellas Park. The ticket booth is fresh off a gondola ride with a wide wingspan to boot. This drive-in, originally called the Stereo Drive-in, is open seasonally. Currently, the theatre shows religious themed movies and accepts donations for attendees. Many thanks to Budd Ballard for info.

The towering movie screen stood high above U.S. Highway 19, giving passing motorists a glimpse of one of Pinellas County's favorite places to spend a warm Florida evening. Long before giant multiplexes dominated the landscape, Pinellas Park Drive-In offered a different kind of movie experience, one where the family car became your theater seat and the stars overhead were part of the show.

Screen view
Pinellas Park, FL
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

Opening in 1963, the drive-in arrived during the golden years of outdoor theaters, when nearly every city seemed to have at least one giant screen lighting up the night. Families packed station wagons with blankets and pillows, children counted down the minutes until sunset, and teenagers discovered that a drive-in made a pretty good place for a first date. The concession stand stayed busy between features while rows of cars stretched across the lot waiting for the movie to begin.

Like many drive-ins, the theater became more than just a place to watch the latest Hollywood release. It was a familiar roadside landmark that people used for directions and a place where countless family traditions began. The giant screen rising above the highway could be seen from a distance, reminding travelers that another double feature was about to get underway.

Ticket Booth
Pinellas Park, FL
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

As the years passed, indoor multiplexes became the new way to see movies, and one drive-in after another disappeared across Florida. The Pinellas Park Drive-In managed to outlast many of its contemporaries, continuing to welcome moviegoers while the number of outdoor theaters steadily declined. By the end of the twentieth century, it represented a style of entertainment that was quickly becoming part of history.

Its significance wasn't overlooked. Before the property was redeveloped, the theater was officially evaluated by Florida's State Historic Preservation Office and determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. That recognition reflected just how uncommon surviving drive-ins had become and acknowledged the theater's place in Florida's postwar roadside landscape.

Pinellas Park Drive-in
Pinellas Park, FL
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

Unfortunately, history wasn't enough to keep the bulldozers away. In 2002, the drive-in closed, the screen tower came down, and the familiar entrance disappeared as the property was cleared for commercial development. For motorists who had watched movies there over the years, it marked the end of one more classic roadside attraction.

UPDATE: In 2002 this drive-in movie theater succumbed to development, and now a brand new Walmart Supercenter stands in its place. Many thanks to Brian Koepnick for this update. 06-04

Ticket Booth
Pinellas Park, FL
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

UPDATE: The Pinellas Park Drive-In was demolished in 2002, and a Walmart Supercenter now occupies the property. 07-26

Ocala Drive-in Theatre (Closed)
Ocala, FL
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

A giant movie screen rises above U.S. Highway 441, reminding travelers that there's still a place where the best seat in the house is the front seat of your car. The glowing marquee and familiar screen tower make Ocala Drive-In Theatre one of those roadside stops that immediately brings back memories of Saturday nights at the movies.

The drive-in first welcomed moviegoers in 1948 and has been entertaining generations of families ever since, although not without a few close calls along the way. The theater went dark more than once over the years, and for a while it looked as though another classic drive-in had reached the end of the road. Fortunately, new owners stepped in, restored the property, and gave the old theater a second chance.

Ocala Drive-in Marquee
Ocala, FL
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Today, the Ocala Drive-In has two screens and the largest movie screen in Florida. Double features still light up the night while families gather with lawn chairs, pickup trucks, and the family car, much the way they have for decades. On Sunday mornings, the theater takes on a completely different look as vendors arrive for the popular community marketplace before the movies return after sunset.

One of the drive-in's most remarkable chapters came in 2020. As indoor theaters across the country closed during the pandemic, the Ocala Drive-In briefly became the only theater in the United States showing first-run movies. It was an unexpected moment in the national spotlight for a theater that had quietly been welcoming movie lovers for generations.

Ticket Booth
Ocala, FL
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The drive-in has also weathered more than its share of Florida storms. Heavy flooding temporarily forced the theater to close in 2023 when water covered much of the property, but before long the projectors were running again and cars were filling the lot for another evening beneath the stars. Like the best roadside attractions, the Ocala Drive-In has shown a knack for bouncing back.

With drive-ins becoming increasingly rare, it's refreshing to find one that's still doing exactly what it was built to do nearly eighty years ago. As the sun goes down and the first previews begin, it's easy to forget that you're watching a movie in an era of streaming services and multiplexes. For a couple of hours, it feels just like the good old days.

Snack Bar
Ocala, FL
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE: Being one of the last single screen drive in's, the Ocala Drive-in is currently showing a triple feature of Cars, Click, and Fast and Furious 3. All for $5.00! That is a real bargain! Many thanks to Bryan Otto for update. 06-06

UPDATE: The Ocala Drive In is suppose to re-open again some time next month for movies. The Drive-In has been closed now for 3 years. It's good that this one is re-opening again. Many thanks to David Hughes for update. 11-10

UPDATE: The Ocala Drive reopened again back in October of 2011 and is now going strong. Many thanks to David Hughes for update. 05-12

UPDATE: The Ocala Drive-In Theatre remains open seven nights a week and continues showing first-run double features beneath Florida's largest drive-in movie screen. 07-26

UPDATE: Being one of the last single screen drive in's, the Ocala Drive-in is currently showing a triple feature of Cars, Click, and Fast and Furious 3. All for $5.00! That is a real bargain! Many thanks to Bryan Otto for update. 06-06

UPDATE: The Ocala Drive In is suppose to re-open again some time next month for movies. The Drive-In has been closed now for 3 years. It's good that this one is re-opening again. Many thanks to David Hughes for update. 11-10

UPDATE: The Ocala Drive reopened again back in October of 2011 and is now going strong. Many thanks to David Hughes for update. 05-12