Starlight Drive-In Theatre and Flea Market — Attraction in Atlanta

Be prepared to not be able to watch the first movie. People arrive up to an hour and a half late, and apparently no one knows how to turn off their headlights and there's no staff to enforce people turning them off. Many people leave their car running, which means that even if their headlights are off, their parking lights (yellow) are on which still washes out the screen. People leave halfway through the movie and turn their headlights on to exit, blinding you. Snack bar has popcorn, nachos and hot dogs and Skittles and Whoppers. They're overpriced for the size, but you can bring in your own snacks. There are no napkins at the snack bar. The restrooms were very clean, but there were no paper towels, only an air dryer. TP was stocked, one toilet didn't look like it was flushing. The movie or song will start before the other, so if you have movie and no sound, just wait.

Before you go practice turning off your headlights so you don't turn on your high beams 3 times figuring it out. Learn how to dial in the FM radio before arriving. Bring your own napkins and snacks, and be prepared to not really get to watch the first movie. If you park to the side and leave your headlights on, yes you're still washing out the screen, just turn them off. If you park in the back and leave your headlights on you're watching it the screen and blinding everyone on front of you.

Maybe if you go on a busy night it's better staffed, but I thought going on an off night would provide a better experience. People move around after the first movie, some to leave, some to swap screens, some to get a better spot, some for reasons unknown. People arrive up to 40 minutes late for the second movie, but after that it was mostly good, outside of People turning on their headlights randomly for a couple of seconds.

I arrived 45 minutes early to get a good spot, and thankfully no giant trucks parked in front of me, but they did shine their headlights in my side mirrors and blind me. I had to ask 3 different people to turn off their headlights. I don't care if you're going at it on the back seat- have fun, just please turn off your headlights.

This is best for viewing if you've seen the movies before and don't care if you can see what you're watching.

It's $10/person and you can being in your own snacks, so it's a good deal, provided you live nearby.

Please note that the screens look small in the photos, but they're actually quite large and a good size for viewing...

If you're looking for a state-of-the-art movie experience, this isn't it. Pretty bare bones movie theater, but 5 stars for being over 70 years old and still kicking it. Wonderful vintage vibe that you just cannot find in the cavernous more high-tech theaters. Great value for the price ($10 per adult, $1 per kid for a DOUBLE feature), and you don't have to worry about being annoyed by things like people messing with their cell phones or kicking your chair. This is our favorite way to watch movies with our little (antsy) kids.

There are four screens here. If you imagine a large rectangular parking lot, there's four screens at each corner of the rectangle with a concession stand/bathroom in the center. As such, if you are parked at screen one, you can position yourself so that you can see two other screens - one in the back and one to the left. Not that you'd necessarily want to do that, but if your kids are watching the family movie and you want to watch something else (granted, from a distance) you could feasibly do so.

We didn't get the memo about bringing your own food as other drive-ins usually charge to bring in outside food. That is not the case with Starlight. They sell very basic things - popcorn ($7 for large), nachos ($6), and drinks. Not even prepackaged boxes of candy. In my eyes this is a huge miss because the concessions building is so vintage (check out the lovely vintage pink bathroom in the ladies restroom) and could be such a beautiful retro space.

My favorite spot was just outside the concessions/bathroom building where there were a few picnic tables. From here you can watch one of the screens, enjoy a bite to eat (in theory), imagine what the Starlight must have been like in its heyday, and hope that this old theater lasts...

This place is amazing. $9 for two movies, per adult and $1 for each kid. They have 6 screens and you can find the showing schedule online. They allow you to bring food and drinks which can make the experience an even better bargain.

About the process: You pull up to any one of the entry lanes and an attendant assists you with ticket purchases. Then you follow the signs to the screen you've paid to watch. Your ticket and the screen have the radio station that you'll need to tune-in to listen to the movies. They say that you need a strong car battery and should turn your car back on to re-charge during intermission, but most everyone at this show had their car running with their lights turned off. It did rain a little bit during my visit but it really didn't make much of a difference with the wipers on.

About the layout: All the screens are in the same area with their own lots of angled parking spaces. The screens and lots are arranged in a big circle with the screens on the perimeter facing inward. The rows up at the front of the screens are angled so that you don't have to crane your neck to see. And, in the center of all this is a decent size building. This building has restrooms and the snack bar. I didn't go to the snack bar but can say that the restrooms were of decent quality, cleanliness, and stocked with plenty of soap/toilet paper.

Overall, this is not your conventional movie experience so don't expect it to compare. It is, however, a very fun and relaxed environment where movies can easily be enjoyed. There were even a few groups of people that came together in multiple cars and actually tailgated during intermission, a great way to create a more social and enriching experience. Highly recommend this to everyone to at...