Felton, Delaware: Last Drive-In Theater Still Showing Outdoor Movies in Felton, Delaware

When Amanda Burck, 14, gathered with her family at the Diamond State Drive-In Theater's snack bar for popcorn, cheeseburgers, and ice cream on a Friday night, it could have been an autumn evening in 1967. “I've seen them on TV and heard stories, but I've never seen an actual drive-in,” she said.

Diamond State, a 300-car theater on U.S. 13 in Felton, is the last drive-in remaining in Delaware. As of 2007, theater operators Donald Brown and Patricia Creigh faced uncertainty: the founder and owner had died in June, leaving the future of the 8-acre property in question. The heirs held an appraisal valuing the commercially zoned land at $1.2 million.

The story of Diamond State mirrors the national drive-in decline. At their peak in 1960, some 5,000 drive-in theaters operated across the country. By 2008, roughly 400 remained -- a number that had stabilized, with some new theaters even opening. The biggest cause of closures has been rising land values, not falling attendance; many drive-ins were still profitable or selling out when they shut down.

The first drive-in opened in 1933 in Camden, N.J. Diamond State itself opened in 1947, originally using 24-inch bullhorn speakers audible two miles away before adding the iconic in-car window units. Today, most theaters broadcast through the car radio.

For regulars like Bill Walton and his family from Felton -- who arrive with pizza, a cooler of sodas, lawn chairs, and sleeping bags -- the Diamond State is irreplaceable. “It's a small business. We're able to make a living from it,” said operator Brown. Whether the property would be redeveloped or the lease renewed remained undecided at season's end.