Sky Drive-In Theatre (Closed)
Yucca Valley, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Welcome to the Sky Drive-In Theatre on Theatre Road in Yucca Valley. The old drive-in once had a wonderfully strange tiki-looking ticket booth greeting moviegoers on their way inside. By the time these photos were taken, the movies were gone, but the screen base, speaker posts, ticket booth, and big SKY marquee were still hanging around.

The Sky opened in 1958 and showed movies beneath the high-desert stars for more than three decades. Its final screening came in 1994 with Disney’s The Lion King. Then the projectors went dark and the property became, yes, you guessed it, a swap meet.

Sky Drive-In Theatre (Closed)
Yucca Valley, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Longtime projectionist Bob Carr turned the grounds into the Sky Village Swap Meet, filling the former drive-in with vendors, oddball folk art, giant sculptures, and plenty of things nobody knew they needed until they saw them. The concession building became the Sky Village Cafe, where Anthony Bourdain once stopped for chili, onions, and eggs.

UPDATE: The Sky Village Swap Meet permanently closed in December 2024 following an accessibility lawsuit. The property is now vacant, though the towering SKY marquee remains beside the highway. The current condition of the ticket booth, speaker posts, and other drive-in remains is uncertain. 09-26

Smiths Ranch Drive-In
29 Palms, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The roadside marquee at Smith’s Ranch Drive-In looks as though it wandered out of an old Saturday morning cartoon. With its playful lettering and crooked arrow pointing toward the entrance, the sign is worth a stop even before the sun goes down and the movie begins.

Smith’s Ranch opened in 1956 on the outskirts of Twentynine Palms. The first feature projected across its big outdoor screen was The Man with the Golden Arm, starring Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak. The desert lot was built to hold around 330 cars, giving local families and travelers a place to catch a movie beneath the stars.

The old pole-mounted speakers have mostly given way to FM radio sound, but the snack bar still serves popcorn, candy, hot dogs, and snow cones. Just tune the car radio to 89.1 FM, settle in, and try not to run the battery down before the closing credits.

Smiths Ranch Drive-In
29 Palms, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE: The drive in at Smiths Ranch in Twenty nine Palms is still showing movies. This year they have switched to one per night, no more double features. But you can take a lounge chair, your ice chest and snacks and sit outside and watch that big screen action under the stars. It is great fun. Many thanks to Linda Winters for update 08-05

UPDATE: Smith’s Ranch remains open with a limited schedule, generally showing current movies on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The cartoon-like marquee, screen, and concession stand all survive. Admission is no longer the old $3 bargain and is currently listed at $10, but an evening at a real desert drive-in is still a pretty good deal. 09-26

Skyline Drive-in Theatre
Barstow, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Sitting on the outskirts of Barstow near Interstate 15, Skyline Drive-In Theatre offers movies beneath the wide-open desert sky. The tall roadside marquee lets passing motorists know they have reached the right place, while the big screen rises from the open ground beyond the entrance.

Take a closer look and there is a second screen standing in the background. Added in 2000, it gave moviegoers another choice on any given night. If the feature on screen one did not sound quite right, perhaps whatever was playing over on screen two would do the trick. Either way, there was popcorn waiting at the snack bar.

The Skyline opened in 1966 with Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain, starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews. It entertained Barstow moviegoers for more than 20 years before closing in 1987. The old theater then sat abandoned for nearly a decade, and most drive-ins that reach that point never light up again.

Skyline Drive-in Theatre
Barstow, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Fortunately, Skyline beat the odds and reopened in 1996. The second screen followed four years later, turning it into a twin-screen drive-in. Digital projectors arrived in 2015, while FM radio replaced most of the old window speakers. A scattering of speaker posts, the dirt parking lot, snack bar, and original marquee still help keep the classic drive-in atmosphere alive.

UPDATE: Skyline remains open with a seasonal schedule, generally showing movies Wednesday through Sunday and closing for part of the winter. The grounds also host a weekend swap meet during daylight hours. Bring cash for the box office, check the schedule before heading out, and try to arrive before the desert sky goes dark. 09-26

Skyline Screen Tower Barstow, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Projection Booth Barstow, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com