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Greenville Drive-In

Greenville Drive-In
10700 Route 32
518-821-2721

In April 1959, Peter Carelas owner of Carelas Restaurant and Grill, began construction on The Greenville Drive-in. The theatre was originally designed to hold 400 cars, was fitted with the latest in projection and sound equipment and was one of 6200 theatres across the country.

The Drive-in’s grounds are all grass and set up like an amphitheater. It provides a beautiful view of the Catskill Mountains. This is a unique opportunity for you to watch movies from a blanket under the stars. Our screen measures 85 feet wide and stands 5 stories tall which gives everyone a great view of the action.

The Drive-in thrived through the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s providing a fun, clean, family environment for patrons to visit and watch 2 first run movies under the stars.

In 1988, local business owner Mark Wilcox and 10 others formed what is now known as the Greenville 11. This group of individuals met at a local restaurant to discuss the merits of jointly purchasing the Drive-in and preserving it for the community. The Greenville 11 jointly purchased the Drive-in and saved it from land development.

Mark Wilcox operated and managed the Drive-in through the 2006 season. During Mark’s time in operations, the drive in saw the switch from wired speakers to FM sound, an expanded menu which included some vegetarian dishes, and of course the always entertaining Mark Wilcox, who often did his Wolfman Jack impersonation over the FM radio waves for all the loyal patrons of the drive in.

2007 was a year of sadness, after 38 consecutive seasons the Greenville Drive-in closed.  In 2009, Don Brown and Patricia Creigh reopened the Drive-in for the season. Due to an extreme amount of rainy days and nights, the Drive-in was only open a few weekends.  The Drive-in was again closed for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.   

In 2012, Jim Gatehouse and Family took over the operations of the Greenville Drive-in. The Drive-in needed work after sitting for two years. Jim and a crew spent months clearing downed trees and repairing pieces of the iconic fence that separates the drive in from route 32. The concession stand got new paint inside and out as well as the bathrooms. The old speaker poles received a fresh coat of white paint, and a brand new video game room was added.


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