Around the Country, Drive-in Movie Theaters Are Popping Up and Lifting Spirits Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The coronavirus outbreak has caused most non-essential businesses to close their doors temporarily as we get the spread under control.

That means many of the luxuries we once might’ve taken for granted—getting a haircut, a manicure or massage—are all out the window, and may be for quite some time.

That doesn’t mean that businesses haven’t come up with some insanely creative solutions, however. For example, one pizzeria in Texas is selling meal kits for families to make while social distancing, not to mention there have been countless tips from stylists all over the world about how to give yourself a successful haircut at home.

Additionally, people around the world have gotten creative with how they celebrate milestones they might have otherwise had to miss out on—from drive-by baby showers to a socially distant high school graduation, it may be a strange time, but we’re coming together even when we’re apart.

Recently, there has been one new creative loophole to getting in some entertainment while quarantining, and we think it’s our favorite yet.

Sunshine Mill Winery in Oregon has recently decided to set up an old-school-style drive-in movie theater right smack dab in the center of their parking lot. Since the winery had to temporarily close their winery, and movie theaters are off-limits, they figured why not mesh the two to create a pandemic-friendly way to do both?

Each parking space has its own wine barrel where you can order pizza that comes straight from Freebridge Brewing, a local eatery. Additionally, you can order beer and wine, but these are for to-go orders only—no alcohol is allowed on the premises. (Well, you do have to drive home after the drive-in!)

There are a few rules in order for everyone to stay safe and properly social distance. For one, you must stay in your vehicle the entire time the movie is on. There will be one 20-minute bathroom break n the middle of the movie so that you can use a restroom—however, public restrooms would be a health hazard, so if you need to use the restroom, you have to drive to find one.

Additionally, only 21 cars are allowed in the drive-through parking lot at a time. There will be two movies shown a week—“mature” movies on Fridays and family-friendly movies on Saturdays. Tickets to the drive-through are just $15 and can be purchased here.

To learn more about this awesome Oregon parking lot turned drive-in, check out the video below.

Don’t live in Oregon? No problem—there are actually tons of drive-ins popping up all over the country—like the McHenry Outdoor Theater in Chicago or the Starlight Drive-In in Atlanta—in light of the pandemic so that people from all over can take advantage of getting out of their house for some socially-distant fun. Be sure to check your area to see if there are any options near you!

What do you think of this idea? Is this something you can see yourself doing while quarantining?