Central New York Drive-Ins Opening For 2017

We were excited to hear about El Rancho Drive-In opening again for the 2017 season, so we started looking at what other Drive-In's are still in operation in Upstate New York.

Did you ever pile the family in the car and head off for a fun night of entertainment? Ever hide someone in the trunk until you got through the gate? Bring tons of food from home? We used to have several drive-in theaters in Central New York - Marcy Drive-In, New Hartford Drive-In (across from Sangertown) and Rome Drive-In, and it was always a great time - whether it was a good movie or not. Sadly they're all gone locally, and only a few hundred left in the entire US. Here's what we found just a short drive from the Utica-Rome area.

• El Rancho Drive-In - Route 5, Palatine Bridge (near Canajoharie)

• Ozoner29 Twin - Route 29, Broadalbin (near Johnstown)
• Finger Lakes Drive-In - This is New York State's oldest drive-in, in operation for 70 years. Located at 1064 Clark Street Road, Aurelius (near Auburn)

• Unadilla Drive-In - Scheduled to open in May 2017; no movies listed yet. Located at 1706 State Highway 7, Unadilla (near Oneonta)

• Valley Brook Drive-In - This will be their 65th consecutive season of operation. Located Off Rt. 12 at Burdick's Crossing Rd., Lyons Falls (just south of Lowville)

• Midway Drive-In - Voted one of the Top 5 Drive-Ins in a USA Today Poll. No opening date or movies listed yet. Located at 2475 Route 48, Minetto (near Oswego)

Most of them have new digital projectors so the picture is probably brighter and more clear than you remember. They use FM transmitters for sound, which sounds a lot better than the old days of listening through the speaker on a post. And admission prices are a breath of fresh air. Of course, you can probably still bring your own snacks from home, but the concession stands at these drive-ins are so much more than just popcorn and candy bars. Some drive-ins even allow pets. And you'll rarely have to worry about someone in the seat next to you "texting" through the whole film.

You can find more drive-ins across New York State on Google Maps.

Please remember to tune your radio back to Lite 98.7 after the movie!

BONUS VIDEO