A couple weeks ago, we had a fun impromptu family outing to the Van Buren Drive-In Movie Theatre in Riverside just outside of the OC. I've been wanting to take the kids to a drive-in movie for a long time, but either there weren't and good family shows playing, we didn't have the time, or the weather wasn't that great.
Finally, the stars aligned and the opening weekend of Jurassic Park was the perfect time for us to go to the drive-in movies. i was so excited to share an activity i enjoyed as a child with my boys.
As you may or may not know, there are no more drive-in movie theaters in Orange County....sad. however, there are quite a few drive-ins just outside of OC's boundaries that are just a short drive.
This time, we chose to go to the Van Buren Drive-In Theatre because it had the show we wanted to watch and it was the closest to our home.
Drive-In Movie Theaters near Orange County
The number of Drive-in Movie Theaters near Orange County has dwindled in the past years. There are now only 4 outdoor Drive-in movie theaters left in Southern California.
- Van Buren Drive-In Theatre
3035 Van Buren Boulevard, Riverside, CA - Vineland Drive-In Movie Theater - Temporarily closed
443 N. Vineland Avenue, City of Industry, CA - Rubidoux Drive-In Theatre
3770 Opal Street, Riverside, CA - South Bay Drive-In Theaters
2170 Coronado Avenue, San Diego, CA
Drive-In Movie Theater Pricing
Drive-in movie theater prices vary with each theater. But most have child's admission tickets at around $1, and adult admission tickets around $10. This is good deal considering most movies are double features.
Tips for Visiting the Drive-In Movie Theater
Arrive Early. You will want to arrive to the drive-in movie theater early to pick a good spot. I would suggest 1 to 1-½ hours early, especially if it is a popular movie.
We got there 1 hour early and it was already packed. Since it was opening night of Jurassic Park, I suspect that could have been the reason why it was so packed. But there were lots of big families with lots of cars piling into the drive-in. Regardless, we still got a good spot, but it was in the back, and against the fence of another movie. That was a bummer, because we could hear the other movie during our movie.
Bring Chairs and Comfy Cushions. While we waited for the sun to go down and the movie to start, we set up our car. We decided to bring my husbands truck and watch the movie from the truck bed. We filled up an air mattress that fit perfect inside of it, and filled the bed with blankets and lots of pillows.
Most people did the same as us with trucks, or turned their mini vans and suv's around with the trunk opened - sitting in the back. Many people also brought lawn chairs to sit next to their cars.
Make sure your car radio works. Nowadays, drive-ins don't have speaker boxes, you just tune your car radio to a certain channel to listen to the movie.
Check out the Drive-in Theater before the show. The boys wanted to explore the theater, so we walked around while it was still light outside and check it out. The Van Buren Drive-In Movie Theatre is an older theater, like most drive-ins, and has a vintage charm. It is old, but not run down. Such a fun treat to check it out and imagine how it was in it's prime time.
Bring food and snacks. We also brought a really good picnic dinner to enjoy while we waited. That is the best part....eating outside while watching a movie. So make sure to bring lots of yummy food and treats. There is also a snack bar, so you can still get those movie snacks we all crave. We didn't go to it since we brought our own food, but it looked very popular.
There was popcorn, candy, drinks and even dinner items you could buy like these Mexican food combination plates.
Finally, the sun was almost down and movie about to start. We piled into the back of the truck and cuddled up together. We were really excited!
Make sure to be ready before sunset. Once the sun goes down it's difficult to see where everything is, and you shouldn't turn on lights, because it disrupts other movie watchers. Have your radio ready and turned to the correct station. Have your food prepped and ready to enjoy. Have your pillows and blankets ready to watch the movie.
The sun disappeared and the movie started. It was one of the best times we have had as a family in a long time. Everyone was happy and loved watching a movie under the stars. Little Vann tried his hardest to stay awake during the entire movie, but didn't quite make it. But it didn't matter...we were already cuddled up on our air mattress.
During the movie it even rained little...but it was kind of magical and we didn't mind.
Is Going to the Drive-In Movies Worth it?
Going to the drive-in movies was AWESOME, and we had so much fun!!!! Even with the fact that we killed our car battery and had to get the battery jumped (make sure to start the car engine a few times during the movie to avoid this...we lived and learned the hard way). I highly recommend taking the family to the drive-in movies at least once this summer. It's a fun experience that everyone will remember for years to come.
Sandra Caballero
I have always wanted to take my oldest daughter to a drive in movie theater for her to experience. Her dad doesn't want us to go to the one in Industry drive in because he does not think it a great one. He has been there before. Has it change for better? Industry is the closest for us in long beach area. But I do want to go to San Diego one day. I hope you can do reviews on each of the drive in if possible.