Oklahoma, USA: Watch an Outdoor Movie at One of the Drive-In Theaters of Oklahoma

Oklahoma got a late start on drive-in theaters: while other states were hosting outdoor movies in the 1930s, the first Oklahoma drive-ins didn’t open until the 1940s. By the end of World War II the state had a couple dozen, and over the next decade — as if making up for lost time — that number grew to nearly a hundred. Oklahoma peaked around 1955. The rate of decline since has been less steep here than in most states: twenty years after the peak, the state still hosted more than 70 drive-ins. This historical guide covers the nine that remained open circa 2000.

Chief Drive-In — Chickasha (Grady County)

Rural Route 2 (south of town) • 405-224-1515
Open Fri–Sat–Sun, double features. Admission: $5 adults; under 12 free; Sunday carload night $12.

Beacon Drive-In — Guthrie (Logan County)

2404 South Division Street • 405-282-4512
Opened 1950; operated by the Powell family for half a century across three generations. Open 7 nights during peak season (Memorial Day–Labor Day); weekends only September–October. Single features nightly; traditional speakers plus local FM broadcast. Admission: $4 adults; under 11 free. Fifteen minutes north of Edmond (exit 153 on I-35).

Cinema 69 Drive-In Theatre — McAlester (Pittsburg County)

Highway 69 bypass • 918-423-6969
Built in 1973 alongside an indoor cinema; as the indoor venue expanded to four screens it encroached on the parking lot, making Cinema 69 the smallest of Oklahoma’s remaining drive-ins. A local curfew means most screenings are single features. Audio: FM 89.3. The only venue in America where an indoor and outdoor cinema share the same projection room — and the same snack bar. Admission: $4 adults; under 12 free.

Winchester Drive-In — Oklahoma City (Oklahoma County)

6930 S. Western Avenue • 405-631-8851
Oklahoma’s only drive-in screening triple features regularly. Season runs April–October (weekends in spring and fall; 7 nights per week in peak summer). Gates open at 7:30 p.m. — arrive early on weekends. You’ll find them within a ten-minute drive of either I-40 or Route 66; Route 66 recommended. Admission: $5 adults; $2 for ages 4–10.

Tower Drive-In — Poteau (Le Flore County)

Highway 271 North • 918-647-3606
A single-screen drive-in operated alongside a 3-screen indoor cinema. Single feature nightly in peak season; weekends in spring and fall; FM radio audio. Admission: $4 adults (12 and up); $2 for ages 3–11.

Airline Drive-In — Ponca City (Kay County)

1800 West Highland Avenue (at Waverly) • 580-765-4000
Named for its proximity to Ponca City Municipal Airport. Revived after 12 years as a cattle feed lot; capacity: 500 cars. Double features nightly in peak season; weekends in spring and fall; FM radio audio. Admission: $4.50 adults; $3 children.

Tahlequah Drive-In — Tahlequah (Cherokee County)

Highway 82, north of the city • 918-456-4015
Oklahoma’s oldest surviving drive-in, in operation seasonally since 1949. Capacity: just over 200 cars. Alternates between single and double features. Admission: $4 adults; $2 children.

Admiral Twin Drive-In — Tulsa (Tulsa County)

7355 E. Easton, north of I-244 • 918-835-5181
Oklahoma’s largest drive-in: two screens, capacity for more than 1,000 cars. Opened as the single-screen Modernaire in 1951; a second screen was added when new owners renamed it the Admiral. West screen: traditional speakers plus FM. East screen: FM only. Double features on both screens. Admission: $5.50 adults; under 11 free.

66 Twin Drive-In — Weatherford (Custer County)

Route 66 • 580-774-2428
One of Oklahoma’s two recent revivals, on the historic highway. Double features nightly in peak season on both East and West screens; weekends in spring and fall. Admission: $4.75 adults; $3 for students and seniors; under 5 free.

Historical guide to Oklahoma’s nine surviving drive-in theaters, circa 2000.