All of us are familiar with drive-ins, whether we frequented them in our high school years or because we’ve watched the “Stranded at the Drive-in” scene from Grease again and again. Either way, who wouldn’t like to enjoy a little ’50s nostalgia on a beautiful summer evening? You can­—at the Fairlee Drive In Theater in Fairlee, Vermont.

Located at 1809 US Route 5 North, the drive-in offers an accessible summer experience for the whole family. This family-owned business is one of only two motel/drive-in combos in the country. Built in 1950, the theater was originally called the Hi-way 5 Drive-in because Route 5 was the main road. Since then, it has grown to include a bigger snack bar and more motel rooms.

Beginning in April or early May, the theater is open weekend nights, but by the end of June and throughout the rest of the summer (until Labor Day), movies are shown every night. The films are often recent, popular blockbusters, with the occasional throwback mixed in. Weekends frequently offer double features, with two movies played back to back. The feature film begins at dusk each evening, at approximately 8:45pm. Be there earlier to park your car in one of the rows and tune your car speakers to 88.7FM, the station where the movie audio is broadcast.

To make it a true drive-in movie night, bring some blankets and open up your car’s tailgate. You’ll also be able to purchase your favorite classic drive-in munchies at the concession stand, including popcorn, soda, chips, candy, and more. The snack bar opens at 7pm, the same time the gates to the theater open. Tickets for admission are $9 for adults and $6 for kids under 11 years, and kids under 5 are free.

If you enjoy the drive-in and want to see it stay alive, you can do your part to help preserve it. In order to keep playing movies, the theater will need to pay for a digital projector, as soon all movies will be in digital format only. Thanks to local donations, the theater has been able to make the down payment on the projector, but $28,000 is still needed. Your support of the drive-in can come in the form of a small donation, but you’ll also be helping to preserve this blast from the past by frequenting the theater with your friends and buying snacks or purchasing a unique drive-in tee shirt. You can even make a donation on line if you prefer.

For more information on which films will be screened, visit the Fairlee Motel and Drive-in Theater website.