How Many Drive-In Theaters are Still Operational in Kentucky?

It seems like drive-in movie theaters are a thing of the past now, and that's sad. What's even sadder is how many are still fully operational in Kentucky.

One of my favorite places to go in the summer is the drive-in movie theater. Something about seeing movies at night underneath the stars just speaks to me. Here in the Evansville area, we are most familiar with the Holiday Drive-In located in Reo, Indiana. However, back in the day, we had several drive-in movie theaters all throughout the area in Indiana and Kentucky.

Travis Sams

Since we teter the Kentucky border, and several people in our area do live in Kentucky, I was curious how many drive-in movie theaters were still operational in Kentucky. What was once a popular place to visit, has become kind of a thing of the past. Some folks in the state may not have even been to a drive-in movie theater, or even have one in their area.

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When it comes to traditional movie theaters in Kentucky, there are hundreds to choose from. Heck, there are even multiple locations in bigger cities. However, when it comes to drive-in movie theaters, there is only a handful left in the state. According to Drive-In Movie, back at its peak in the 1950's, there were approximately 120 drive-ins in the state. Now, nearly 95% of them have closed.

One of the reasons for the large number of recent closings is that Kentucky had a large number of small, rural single screen drive-ins that simply could not afford to switch to digital projection and therefore were forced to close.

So, how many drive-in movie theaters are still open in Kentucky? Let's take a look.

How Many Drive-In Movie Theaters Are in Kentucky?

Drive-In Movie says that out of the approximate 120 drive-ins that were in Kentucky, there are only seven of them still operational. SEVEN! That's a pretty staggering drop in numbers, right?! Here are the seven remaining drive-ins still open in Kentucky:

The Knox Drive-In

599 Johnson Lane

Barbourville, KY 40906

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Skyline Drive-In
5600 Hodgenville Rd
Greensburg, KY 42743

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Sauerbeck Family Drive-In

3210 D.W. Griffith Ln
LaGrange, KY 40031

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Judy Drive-in

4078 Maysville Road
Mount Sterling, KY 40353

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Bourbon Drive-In
Jackstown Rd
Paris, KY 40361

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Stanford Drive-In
1645 Hustonville Road
Stanford, KY 40484

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Calvert Drive-In
111 Drive in Ln
Calvert City, KY 42029

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There is one drive-in that closed in 2022, the Highway 27 Drive-In. However, the drive-in has not been sold and there are no current plans to demolish it so hopefully, it can open in the future.

It's sad to see all of the drive-ins in the state (and country for that matter) that have closed down throughout the years. Perhaps one day, they will make a comeback. I certainly hope so!