South Bay Drive-In
Imperial Beach, CA
Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey

Check out the South Bay Drive-In near Imperial Beach, where the big outdoor screens are still in the movie business. While so many drive-ins have given way to shopping centers and housing, this one continues welcoming cars for an evening beneath the stars. Here’s a place where finding a parking spot is part of finding your seat.

The South Bay opened in 1958 with a single screen, back when drive-in movies were becoming a regular part of the Southern California roadside scene. Families could bring the kids, couples could make a night of it, and nobody needed to leave the car to catch the feature. Of course, the snack bar offered a pretty good reason to get out and stretch those legs.

South Bay Drive-In
Imperial Beach, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

A major remodel in 1974 replaced the original screen and added two more, turning the property into the three-screen drive-in seen today. Those towering screen structures remain the main attraction outside, even before the projectors start up. No ornate movie-palace ceiling here. The evening sky takes care of that department.

The equipment has changed with the times, with digital projection and movie sound delivered through FM radio. The basic idea, though, is familiar: pull in, settle down, and watch a picture considerably larger than anything sitting in the living room. Double features help keep that old drive-in tradition going.

South Bay Drive-In
Imperial Beach, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The property has a daytime life, too. On Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the South Bay Swap Meet brings vendors and shoppers onto the grounds. The movie lot does double duty, trading the nighttime screen glow for tables of merchandise and a little bargain hunting.

UPDATE: The South Bay remains open, with its three screens continuing to show movies. Following the closure of the Santee Drive-In, it is San Diego County’s last operating drive-in theatre. The location is actually in San Diego’s Nestor neighborhood, just inland from Imperial Beach. Fortunately, this roadside survivor still offers something worth stopping the car for. 10-26

Valley Drive-in Theatre (Demolished)
Oceanside, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Here’s a look at the Valley Drive-In Theatre in Oceanside, once a North County destination for movies beneath the stars. Its big outdoor screens gave motorists something to look forward to after sundown, with a parking space doubling as a seat for the evening. A tall van parked ahead could make that seat a little less desirable.

The theatre opened in August 1966 as the Mission Drive-In, showing Frank Sinatra in Assault on a Queen alongside The Last of the Secret Agents. A second screen followed in 1969, and the property eventually expanded to four screens. The name changed from Mission to Mission San Luis Rey, then New Valley and finally Valley Drive-In.

Valley Drive-in Theatre
Oceanside, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Valley stopped showing movies in 1999, but the Oceanside Swap Meet kept the grounds busy. The screens lingered above the vendors, leaving a sizable reminder of the lot’s earlier life. The coming attractions were now spread across tables.

UPDATE: This drive-in is closed to movies but still has swap meets on weekends year-round. 01-04

UPDATE: The screens came down in 2016, and the remaining drive-in structures were gone by February 2020. The property is slated for Ocean Kamp, a development with homes, a resort, shops, and a proposed surf lagoon. Quite a change from watching waves on the movie screen. Another North County drive-in has become a roadside memory. 10-26

Valley Drive-in Theatre Oceanside, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Valley Drive-in Theatre Oceanside, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com