Ranger Exes Memorial - Historic Texas Old Texas Drive-In Theaters Twister

In 1933, there was one drive-in theater operating in the United States. The peak number was in 1958 with 4063. The number open in 2004 was 417 and today only 12 remain. The Galaxy Drive-In near Ellis opened a few years ago and is the first drive-in theater to open in North Texas in decades. Photos by Webmaster. ATHENS Athens Trail Drive-In Remains of the Trail Drive-In Theater located near Athens.
CISCO The Joy Drive-In closed in the late-1970s after opening in 1952. It was located between Cisco & Eastland on the old Bankhead Hwy. Wesley Walker owned it for a time. Remains of the theater are unknown. CLARENDON The Sandell Drive-In near Clarendon has been in operation over 60 years DALLAS Dallas Jefferson Drive-In Jefferson Drive-In Theater is the only remaining drive-in around the Dallas area. It is located at 4506 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Oak Cliff but will be torn down in early 2004 to make room for a new school. This drive-in opened in 1949 and closed in 1987 but reopened in 1989 for a few years.
DALLAS The Gemini Drive-In was located at North Central Expressway and Forest Lane. It opened in 1965 and was of the most successful theaters in the country. The Gemini closed in 1984 and was torn down to become an auto dealership. The Astro Drive-In and Apollo were also built in 1965. FORT WORTH Twin Drive-In in Ft. Worth The remains of the Twin Drive-In is located near Lancaster Ave. in Fort Worth.
GATESVILLE The Last Drive-In Picture Show opened in 1950 near Gatesville & operates year round. GRAHAM The Graham Drive-In Theater dates back to 1948 & is open summer weekends. GRANBURY Brazos Drive-In in Granbury The Brazos Drive-In is located near Granbury. It's over 50 years old and still operating.
LAMESA Lamesa Skyvue Drive-In The Skyvue Drive-In is located on Hwy. 87S near Lamesa and does a booming business on the weekend. It is famous for the "Chihuahua" sandwich which is also sold for take-out. The drive-in has recently closed due to a fire & may not open again. The grandson of the Skyvue owner has a a new drive-in near Lubbock.
MERCEDES The WesMer Drive-In opened in the late 1940s near Mercedes. MIDLAND The BigSky Drive-In near Midland uses digital cinema projectors and has a 90-foot-wide screen. OLDEN Dixie Drive-In in Olden The Dixie Drive-In was located in Olden and closed years ago. PLANO The Plano Drive-In was located at Hwy. 75/Parker Road opening in 1969 and closing in 1984 . A shopping center was built there after the drive-in was demolished. RULE The Tower Drive-In in Rule last closed in 2012. SAN ANTONIO S.A. Dixie Drive-In The Mission 4 Drive-In was located on Roosevelt Ave. south of downtown San Antonio. It opened in 1948 and closed in 2007 due to vandals. SWEETWATER The Midway Drive-In is located near Sweetwater and is closed. WACO Waco Circle Drive-In Circle Drive-In was built in 1947 and is located on LaSalle Ave. in Waco. It has been closed for many years and is now a flea market.
NEWER DRIVE-INS Drive-Ins in Texas are making a modest comeback with new ones popping up. AUSTIN The Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In is a small 50-car boutique theater. ENNIS The Galaxy Drive-In opened in 2004 near Ennis. FORT WORTH The Coyote Drive-In opened in 2013 & has four screens. LEWISVILLE The Coyote Drive-In opened in 2016 & has five screens. LUBBOCK The Stars & Stripes Drive-In has three screens & accommodates more than 1000 cars. NEW BRAUNFELS The Stars & Stripes Drive-In opened in 2015 with three screens & 1000-car capacity. TYLER The Sky Vue Drive-In opened in 2007 near Tyler.