Central Maine Is Home To One Of The Best Drive-Ins In America

Back in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s drive-in theaters were king.  They were the place to go with the family, or on a date, for decades.

Slowly, as the popularity of VHS rentals and cable movie channels increased, the number of drive-ins in the United States started to dwindle.  In the 1960s, there were over 4,000 drive-in theaters across the country.  Now, there are only about 350 left in the United States.

Even though the era of the drive-in theater is over, it does not mean people don't really love the remaining drive-in theaters.  According to Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, Google searches for drive-ins have recently skyrocketed.  And, more than 100 million TikTok videos use the hashtag #driveinmovie.

Here in Maine, we are lucky to have several surviving drive-in movie theaters.  These include the Birdgton Twin, Pride's Corner Drive-In, and the Narrow Gauge Drive-in.

One of our Maine drive-ins has been named one of the best drive-ins in the country.

According to Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, the Skowhegan Drive-In, located in Skowhegan (duh), has made the list of the top 10 drive-ins from around the country.

The Skowhegan Drive-in scored a 93.12 out of a possible 100.  A few of the things that people really love about the drive in is that it has a really great snack bar, it is dog friendly, and the tickets are really affordable.  Adult tickets at $7, children at $5, and a family of four costing just $20.

The last few years have been kind of troubling for the Skowhegan Drive-In.  The lack of new movies released during the pandemic, and the health concerns brought on by the pandemic, definitely did not help.  However, the owner and operators of the drive-in managed to make the best of a bad situation.  They ran older movies (classics!) and managed to host a few country and rock concert events.  Basically, they were concert movies.  Not as good as a real concert, but still pretty cool.

Hopefully, the fact that it made this list will serve as a reminder of what a great family night out the drive-in can be.

Learn more about the theater HERE

Other drive-ins on the list include the Joy Lan Drive-In in Florida, the Solano 2 Drive-in in California, and the Portville Drive-In Theater in New York.