New York’s Oldest Drive-In Theater Opening For 72nd Season

During our recent "Remember Whensday" feature the topic was places and things we miss around CNY. While the list was long and varied from restaurants to department stores, the subject of Drive-in Movie Theaters was mentioned by several people. So we went into search mode and found the oldest NY drive-in was right in the Finger Lakes, and there are still many around the state.

The Finger Lakes Drive-in first opened in July of 1947 and is New York's oldest continually running drive-in. The current plan is to begin their 72nd year sometime in May, you know how CNY weather can be. May 24 is a firm date for a showing of Aladdin with Avengers and a possible Shazam triple play for the evening.

The theater still maintains the old-school speakers for audio, but you can utilize your vehicle's sound system by tuning the FM radio to 101.9. The drive-in will add WiFi this season enabling you to use Bluetooth devices like your phone or wireless speakers from home.

Turns out there are 27 drive-ins throughout the state.  Below are the nearest located in Central and Upstate New York with links to their websites and opening date if it's been announced. New York Drive-ins.com has a full list of theaters.

Midway Drive-in Theater in Fulton
Valley Brook Drive-in Theater in Greig opening May 17
Black River Drive-in Theater in Watertown opening April 19
Bay Drive-in Theater in Alexandria Bay
56 Auto Drive-in Theater in Massena
El Rancho Drive-in Theater Rt 5 Palatine Bridge
Ozoner 29 Twin Theater Rt 29 Broadalbin
Unadilla Drive-in Theater State Highway 7 Unadilla
Elmira Drive-in Route 352 Elmira

Most theaters offer two movies each evening and at very affordable prices. Note, many of them only take cash and not debit or credit cards. Check their websites for more info. Know of one we missed? Add a comment below or on our Facebook page.