Back during the boom years in the late 1950's
there were 31 Drive-ins operating within the
Mount Rushmore state. Since the heyday of
America's Drive-ins 80% of those that had
once flourished in South Dakota have gone
dark or have been demolished ... now only
half a dozen outdoor cinemas continue in
operation here. These are the most recent
closings and the remaining Drive-ins that
we can still appreciate and patronize to
help preserve the presence of the past:

Gregory (Gregory County) South Dakota Hilltop Drive-in:   605-835-8105 located on Highway 18 West The oldest  of South Dakota's remaining Drive-in theatres opened up back in 1946 and remains open May-October for a couple hundred cars per nite; AM/FM sound only. Miller (Hand County) South Dakota Midway Drive-in:  605-853-3372 located on Hwy.14 East, between Miller & St.Lawrence The smallest of South Dakota's Drive-ins which remain in operation has a capacity for up to 160 cars Mitchell (Davison County) South Dakota Starlite Drive-in:  605-996-4511 located on Highway 37 North (5 miles N of I-90) Another tough old-timer, South Dakota's Starlite has been lit since before the late 50s 'boom' years (1949), and in its time, the Winds of Change were more than a quaint euphemism .. a tornado ravaged the Drive-in back in the late 80's and then the old Ozoner had gone dark for a stretch before being restored and resurrected in 1993.  The revived Starlite accomodates nearly 400 cars, with traditional speakers in the first 3 rows. They broadcast the movies' audio on FM (90.1) April-September.  ADM: $6 per person 12&UP or $7 per car certain nites; holiday Dusk-to-Dawn shows. Mobridge (Walworth County) South Dakota Pheasant Drive-in:  605-845-2021 located off Highway 12 just west of city limits Mobridge's Drive-in was once located a couple miles east of it's present location .. from where it had been moved when the original site was flooded to form Lake Oahe. It reopened on the west side of town in June of 1960 and was renamed the Pheasant by its current owner who has operated here since 1976. Situated midway between Bismark, ND, up north, and South Dakota's state capitol 100 miles south, the Pheasant is lit seasonally, May - September; screening double features most nites plus triple features frequently on weekends. The audio for the movies' soundtrack is provided with AM (530) and FM (105.5) radio as well as traditional Dr'in speakers. Admission: $5 per adult; under 12 free. Snackbar FAV here: their chopped BBQ sandwich. photo:  Julie Neidlinger Redfield (Spink County) South Dakota Pheasant City Drive-in:  605-472-1453 located on Route 281 North Pheasant City has been lit-up since 1953, a tough old solo screen, which has a capacity for up to 200 cars .. is still maintaining some traditional Drive-in speakers for nostalgia's sake ..  in adddition to providing audio with a local vicinity FM radio broadcast. Pheasant City remains open seasonally, May thru September. Saint Lawrence (Hand County) South Dakota see:  Miller, South Dakota Sisseton (Roberts County) South Dakota Siskota Drive-in:  605-698-3021 Solo screen, with a capacity for up to 200 cars, which is open seasonally, May through September. Winner (Tripp County) South Dakota Pix Drive-in:   605-842-2913   DARK located on Highway 18 West Winner (Tripp County) South Dakota Winner Drive-in:   DARK located on Highway 18 East

If you are aware of any Drive-ins
that we seem to have missed, or
would like to contribute any
information to our efforts,
please use this envelope
to send a letter to us.

webcraft by