Hometown Sarasota Drive-In Movies

During my dating years one of the favorite things to do in Sarasota was to go to a drive-in movie. Sadly, they don’t exist in Sarasota any more. Sarasota built its first drive-in in 1949 with the opening of the Trail Drive-In on the North Tamiami Trail, across from the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport. The Trail Drive-In touted itself as one of the largest drive-ins in the Southeast in 1951. I grew up near the Ringling Museum, so this was ‘my theater’! We would all mill around and visit with our friends before the movie and during the intermissions - it was real 'family time'. And of course, 'dating time.' (enough said!)  It had the capacity for 780 cars and showed only first-run pictures of the highest quality. In an ad in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune on November 20, 1949, the Trail Drive-In was described as “one of the finest projection rooms in the nation. The screen impression, located 265 feet from the projection room is clear, sharp and light. The lounges are immaculate and a modern snack bar serves chicken and shrimp dinners for your refreshment.” The screen measured 65 feet by 47 feet and was the largest in the South.

Yes, that is an air-conditioner in the bottom, middle photo!

The Trail Drive-In stressed family entertainment by providing playgrounds for the kids and talent shows. The theater would open early so families would make an evening of it. One ad in the Sarasota Journal in the mid-1950s stated that the “whole family likes the Trail Drive-In Theater because Mom can leave her girdle at home; Dad likes to smoke big black cigars and he will hear no complaints at the Drive-In; baby sleeps in the back seat with all the comforts of home; brother likes snacks with his entertainment and the Drive-In Theater is less costly.”

The Trail Drive-in wasn’t the only drive-in in Sarasota. There was also the "Siesta" where Gulf Gate Shopping Center is today; the Tropical on the way to Venice; "Booker Park" on today's 27th Street for African-American's (Sarasota was segregated back then) and the "Bee Ridge," on Bee Ridge Road, just east of Beneva Road, which was the last drive in to open in Sarasota was the Bee Ridge and advertised the largest screen on the Gulf Coast. It opened in 1969 when air-conditioning had become the norm in Sarasota households. To maintain the comfort factor, the theater offered individual units, with the added benefit that it kept the mosquitoes out – somewhat!

Many blamed the introduction of daylight savings time and the end of the “baby boom” for declining revenues. The ‘80s brought cable TV and the introduction of the VCR, which kept people at home. Many theater owners, sensing that their time had passed, began selling land to developers. The Trail Drive-In closed in the 80s and stood vacant for years. Today it is a site of a hotel and storage facility. But my memories are still vivid!

Sources and Credits: Sarasota History Alive, Jeff LaHurd, cinematreasures.org