READ MORE FROM OUR SUMMER GUIDE HERE.
The drive-in movie experience is like seeing summer through a lens sprinkled with stardust. Moonlight glows over a giant outdoor screen. The ambiance includes twinkling stars and a bevy of cars like yours, there to relive childhood memories or make new ones. These seasonal theaters have a similar setup – when the movie starts (at dusk), you tune your car radio to the appropriate frequency to hear the audio. Most offer a wide variety of concessions. Leashed dogs are usually allowed, too. Pack some bug spray, a few blankets and lawn chairs (if you want to sit outside your car) and get ready for some “Happy Days”-era vibes.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
1. Field of Scenes
N3712 HWY. 55, FREEDOM
The 21-year-old family-run venue north of Appleton shows double features. (They opened the season with The Garfield Movie and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.) The concessions are extensive: grilled burgers, brats, hot dogs, pizza, nachos, funnel cake, popcorn, beer and more. Movies start at dusk, but there is lots to do if you come early to stake out parking, including two playgrounds, basketball hoops and a volleyball net to pass the time. Adults $8; children ages 4-11 $4.
2. Highway 18 Outdoor Theatre
W6423 US-18, JEFFERSON
This venue features a 90-foot screen with digital projection, so your view is decent pretty much wherever you’re parked. Come hungry – they have burgers (a two-third-pound Gutbuster), chicken strips, hot dogs, onions rings, cheese curds, hot buttered popcorn, hot pretzels and funnel cakes. With septuagenarian owner Lee Burgess’ announcement that he wants to retire and sell the business, this might be the last season for this place. The schedule includes Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Twisters. Adults $10; children 5-11 $6.
3. Starlite 14 Drive-In
192 S. CENTRAL AVE., RICHLAND CENTER
The current owners took over this 1950s relic an hour northwest of Madison in 2020 to save it from the wrecking ball. Co-owner Tony Johnson is planning to sell off some acreage to pay for a restoration of the marquee to its original art deco glory They show some new releases (Inside Out 2, Deadpool 3), plus Sunday classics like Dr. Zhivago and The Way We Were. There’s a full grill menu of burgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs, plus popcorn and sweet treats. Ages 13 and up $10; children 3-12 $5.
4. Chilton Twilight Drive-In
1255 E. CHESTNUT ST., CHILTON
First-run films, hot pizza and an affordable $10 per carload admission (three nights a week) keep this 13-year-old venue humming. Besides showing double features on the single screen, they have a game area featuring cornhole and lawn dice.
5. Skyway Drive-In
3475 HWY. 42, FISH CREEK
The retro neon sign is one clue that this family-operated theater is old-timey.
The owners (who took over in 1999, when their parents retired) have made modest improvements, but things like the 1950s snack bar (serving fare like Tombstone pizzas, nachos, popcorn and ice cream sandwiches) remain as they were. They even show retro cartoon ads between films, which screen as double features and include new releases. Ages 12 and older $10; 5-11 $6.
