The Tower Drive-in Theatre (Demolished)
Tampa, FL
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

Located here is an old drive-in, remnants of which still remain in Florida. The Tower Drive-in, sporting a rather tall tower, no longer shows first-run movies. The lot of the Tower, operated by Floyd Theatres, once held 300 cars. But the traces of the screen base and its empty lot illustrate what once was... and what could have still been.

The giant movie screen stood beside the Hillsborough River while the famous Sulphur Springs Water Tower watched over the neighborhood just beyond. It didn't take much imagination to figure out how Tower Drive-In got its name. Together, the two landmarks created a scene that generations of Tampa motorists remembered long after the credits had rolled.

Snack Bar Pole?
Tampa, FL
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

Opening in the fall of 1952, the drive-in arrived during the golden age of outdoor movies. Families loaded station wagons with blankets and pillows, children eagerly waited for darkness to fall, and teenagers discovered that a drive-in made the perfect place for a Friday or Saturday night. Long before multiplexes became the norm, evenings here were as much about the experience as the movie itself.

The setting helped make the Tower especially memorable. Built along the banks of the Hillsborough River, it offered a backdrop unlike most drive-ins. As the sun disappeared and the evening cooled off, cars filled the lot while the glow from the concession stand mixed with the lights reflecting off the nearby water. Before the first feature even started, the atmosphere felt different from an ordinary theater.

The Tower Drive-in Theatre (Demolished)
Tampa, FL
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

The Tower was operated for many years by Floyd Enterprises, a company familiar to moviegoers throughout Florida. During the 1960s and 1970s, the theater became a regular gathering place for families, young couples, and anyone looking for an inexpensive evening out. The playground kept youngsters busy before showtime, the concession stand supplied popcorn and cold drinks, and hundreds of speakers hanging from car windows carried the soundtrack of Hollywood across the lot.

For countless Tampa residents, the drive-in became woven into everyday life. It was where children saw their first movie beneath the stars, where high school couples went on dates, and where families returned summer after summer because the experience never really went out of style. Even motorists simply passing through the neighborhood recognized the giant screen as one of the familiar landmarks along North Florida Avenue.

Terraserver image
Tampa, FL
Courtesy Andy Callahan

Like so many drive-ins across the country, the Tower eventually found itself surrounded by a rapidly growing city. Shopping centers, new businesses, and changing movie habits slowly replaced the roadside entertainment that had flourished during the postwar years. Although outdoor theaters continued disappearing one by one, the Tower remained part of Tampa's landscape long enough to leave lasting memories for several generations.

Screen Base (Demolished)
Tampa, FL
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

Eventually, redevelopment claimed the property. The giant screen came down, the concession stand disappeared, and the entrance sign that had welcomed moviegoers for decades vanished from the roadside. Today, it's difficult to picture hundreds of cars gathered beside the river waiting for another double feature to begin, but for those who remember it, the Tower Drive-In remains one of Tampa's classic movie memories.

UPDATE: The Tower Drive-In was demolished during redevelopment of the North Florida Avenue corridor. Its riverside setting and proximity to the Sulphur Springs Water Tower made it one of Tampa's most distinctive drive-in theaters. 07-26