DRIVE-INS

FLORIDA

| MOVIES

USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: DEBRA MOORE/GETTY IMAGES

Drive In!

Enjoy classic movie fun from a safe social distance

By Shameika Rhymes

RANSPORT YOURSELF BACK

TIN time to when families and couples on date nights loaded into cars and parked in rows facing a 50-foot screen lit up with the current action, drama, romance or comedy flick at a drive-in theater. This nostalgic entertainment touchstone , which largely faded over time from many parts of the country, has returned to vogue as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered movie theaters and promoted quarantining and social distancing.

If you’re looking for a safe escape from the confines of your home for a few hours, make your way to one of the approximately 400 drive-ins that remain in the U.S., down from about 4,000 in the late 1950s. In Florida, only seven active drive-in theaters remain. Operators of those that managed to survive the ebb and flow of trends and technology say movie lovers flocking to the venues are lured by the same factors that drew people to the drive-ins of yesteryear: family fun and a good bargain.

Prices at drive-ins across the state vary, but on average a family of four can see a double feature for $25 or less, including snacks.

USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

FLORIDA | MOVIES

Ocala Drive-In concessions

PROVIDED BY JOHN WATZKE

“A walk-in theater is a movie. A drive-in is a memory.”

— JOHN WATZKE, owner, Ocala Drive-In

The American drive-in era began in 1933 when the first theater opened for business in Camden, N.J. While it only survived three years, the concept caught on, and by the early 1960s, more than 4,000 drive-ins were filled with moviegoers .

Eventually, drive-ins fell prey to the popularity of movie theaters, and VCRs allowed for viewing in the privacy of homes. Today, they compete with Netflix, Hulu and other at-home moviestreaming services. Some drive-ins are experimenting by hosting nonmovie events such as concert viewings, graduations, church services and even weddings. Florida’s Ocala Drive-In is one of the oldest in the state, and its screens have gone dark just twice in its 64-year history. This year, owner John Watzke

says the drive-in was the only one still operating and showing first-run movies at the start of the pandemic. He says coming from a long line of projectionists, he knew the show must go on, so he made changes for the safety of his customers. “I roped off every other parking space that allows not just 6 feet, but as much as 12 to 14 feet” for social distancing.

As an alternative to the walk-up concession stand, Watzke added a feature to the drive-in’s website “where people could order their food and have it delivered to their vehicle.” Watzke claims Ocala Drive-In has the largest screen in the state. “It’s 65 feet tall, 90 feet long and you can see it from two blocks away,” he says.

Visitors have traveled up to three hours to watch the silver screen under

SUN SOUTH THEATRES

Ocala Drive-In

PROVIDED BY JOHN WATZKE

a starry sky. “I came from the Daytona Beach area just to experience the (Ocala) drive-in, and it was well worth it. Can’t beat the price (and) the concessions were good and reasonable,” wrote Frank Smith in a review on Facebook .

Sun South Theatres owns and operates the Silver Moon Drive-in Theatre & Swap Shop in Lakeland and the Joy-Lan Drive-in Theatre & Swap Shop in Dade City . Silver Moon offers films on its two screens seven days a week, and situated an hour west of Orlando, it’s the closest drive-in to the family attractions in central Florida. Both Silver Moon and Joy-Lan also operate swap shops, so you can make an entire day of shopping and watching movies.

Chip Sawyer, president of Sun South Theatres , says people come from as far away as the Space Coast to catch a

SUN SOUTH THEATRES

GO OUT TO A DRIVE-IN

Here are seven drive-in theaters across the Sunshine State:

1. Ocala Drive-In, Ocala ocaladrivein.info 2. Funlan Swap Shop and Drive-in, Tampa floridaswapshop.com/new-tampa 3. Joy-Lan Drive-in Theatre & Swap Shop, Dade City joylandrivein.com 4. Ruskin Family Drive-In Theatre, Ruskin ruskinfamilydrivein.com 5. Silver Moon Drive-in Theatre & Swap Shop, Lakeland silvermoondrivein.com 6. Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop, Fort Lauderdale floridaswapshop.com 7. Lake Worth Swap Shop & Drive-in, Lake Worth floridaswapshop.com/lake-worth-1

flick. “It is really neat to see avid fans of the movies, or younger people that have never even seen the classic movies, come enjoy the shows.”

Pamela Womack grew up in Lakeland and says going to the Silver Moon is an experience she treasures. “I want my kids to have this too, so we go as much as possible,” she wrote in a review on the drive-in’s Facebook page .

Watzke says the drive-in experience is something that lasts longer than a double feature.

“If they see that movie at a drive-in ... they will tell you what drive-in they saw it at, what kind of vehicle they were driving, who was with them and even what the family ate,” he says. “That’s the difference between a walk-in theater and a drive-in. A walk-in theater is a movie. A drive-in is a memory.”