Jun 5, 2021 5 min read

Editor’s note: This is a weekly series focusing on the importance of buying local.

During the pandemic, some drive-in movie theaters shut down, and others remained opened as an alternative for moviegoers who could no longer go to indoor theaters because of COVID-19.

Skyview Twin Drive-in, Carmichaels, is open Friday and Saturday. The box office is open from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The theater shows movies on two large outdoor screens.

Skyview Twin Drive-in operates on a seasonal basis and has a more classic setup and feel to it, according to vacationidea.com,

The drive-in includes its own snack bar that offers fast food and pizza, and also features vintage video games. The Skyview is one of the oldest drive-in theaters in the area, first opening to the public back in 1946 and residing on Route 88 ever since. No outside beverages or food are allowed at the drive-in theater, and the drive-in can accommodate up to 400 vehicles.

Skyview Twin Drive-in is located at 595 South Eighty Eight Rd, Carmichaels. For more information, call 724-966-2364.

The Brownsville Drive-in, which is a retro-style drive-in that shows first-run films, is also highly regarded by moviegoers in the area.

According to vacationidea.com, the drive-in offers a clean and safe atmosphere where the entire family can enjoy first-run movies across the outdoor movie theater’s three large screens.

The drive-in theater uses stereo radio for audio during films and high-quality projection and has a security team on-site during showings.

The Brownsville Drive-in offers an affordable movie-going experience for the whole family as well as affordable prices on food and drinks at the snack bar. Items at the snack bar include popcorn, hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and pizza, the website said.

Caitlin Major, a Monessen resident, said her family always enjoyed the Brownsville Drive-in.

“I’ve always had a good experience at the drive-in,” Major said. “It’s an easy location to access and it always has good (movie) selections.

“I actually like drive-in movie theaters better than indoor. You can make the experience what you want it to be. It’s comfortable. You can make it fit and if you want to leave, you just leave. They have all kinds of snacks, and the snacks are fairly reasonable priced.”

Brownsville Drive-in is located at 6231 National Pike E, Grindstone. For more information, call 724-785-7190.

Other rated drive-ins in the area include:

The Comet Drive-in

• , which is an old-school drive-in theater that screens new releases for the Connellsville community and the surrounding area. The outdoor movie theater opens seasonally each year from the month of April through the month of August. The Comet is a cash-only theater. A flea market is also held on the grounds of the drive-in theater on Sundays from spring through October, according to vacationidea.com.

The Comet Drive-in opened originally in 1950, however, the outdoor theater closed in 1986. It then reopened in 1993 and uses digital projection today, according to vacationidea.com.

The drive-in is located at US-119, Connellsville. For more information, visit 724-628-6160.

The Evergreen Drive-in

• , Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland County, is a vintage Americana drive-in theater that shows classic movies on several large outdoor screens. It also offers an array of movie theater food, drinks and candy from its full-service snack shack, according to vacationidea.com.

The outdoor movie theater only accepts cash at both its ticket booth and concession stand. Customers can enjoy movies March to October. The Evergreen runs six different first-run films on its three screens, with audio provided through FM radio. Double features begin at dusk, according to vacationidea.com.

The theater is located at 309 Drive in Lane, Mt. Pleasant. For more information, visit 724-547-2632.

Dependable Drive-in

• is a classic drive-in movie theater in Moon Township.

Built originally in 1949, “the Dependable” opened for the summer the following year and has since lived up to the name, according to vacationidea.com.

The drive-in theater boasts four large outdoor movie screens as well as concession stands that serve a variety of concessions like ice cream, popcorn and hot dogs, according to vacationidea.com.

The Dependable is open every day, depending on the weather, from April to September. The theater is located at 549 Moon Clinton Rd, Moon. For more information, call 412-264-7011.

Those interested in joining the Be Local Network can contact Chris Slota at 724-225-1326 or by email at chris@belocal.net. Discount cards are available at the Observer-Reporter and Almanac office, 122 S. Main St., Washington.