The first drive-in theatre in the U.S. was built in 1933 in Camden, New Jersey, while the first in Minnesota opened in 1948 in Bloomington. At one point during the 1950’s, the state was home to about 80 drive-ins. Sadly, the majority of these drive-ins are now closed, and now only six drive-in theaters are still in operation throughout the state today. While not many outdoor movie venues are left, movie-goers can fortunately still find a handful of places where they can enjoy a movie from the comfort of their car.
Three of these former Drive-Ins include:
- 65-Hi: This theatre, once located in Blaine, was established in 1987 and closed in 2001.
- 100 Twin: This drive-in, once located in the northern suburb of Fridley, was operated by Avro Theaters beginning in the late-1950s until the screens blew down in a storm in 1968. However, these were rebuilt and the drive-in remained operational until the late-1970s. In 2001, Medtronic opened its new World Headquarters on the site at the intersection of Interstate 694 and Minnesota Highway 65.
- Hilltop: This former drive-in movie theater, first opened in 1949, was located at 47th and Central Avenue NE. At only about 1/10th of a square mile, Hilltop (which is actually located within the Columbia Heights district) is one of Minnesota’s smallest cities. In fact, Hilltop is so small that it would fit inside Minneapolis nearly 500 times and is even smaller than the U of M‘s East Bank Campus! Currently, the “city” is home to 274 mobile homes, 97 apartment units, 14 single-family homes, and 18 attached multi-family homes. The theater closed in 1966.
Traces of Places 