Sunset Drive-In Theater

So thankful for this place. Great pricing for two films. Selections are often good. Classic theater foods (nachos, hot dogs, candy, coffee, soda, etc) at reasonable prices. Most popular spaces in the front fill quickly so arriving early is recommended, but honestly most of the available spaces are good.
The bathrooms are run down and gross, so bring soap and maybe disinfectant spray if you have to sit down (after their awesome nachos and chili!). Maybe that’s part of the artistic charm of having one of the few remaining drive in theaters in our backyard. Farmer’s markets on Sundays. Enjoy!

I love that SLO has this drive in! It’s perfect for families and date nights, you can’t beat the price of admission and you can bring your own food if you want. They usually open the gates at 7:30 unless lines are ridiculously long. Plan on getting there 45 min before that for popular movies. It’s cash only still to get in but the concession area has an ATM once inside.
If you leave between movies at intermission, it’s a bit tricky. Sometimes, no issue and you get right out, other times you get stuck waiting for sympathetic drivers to let you in the line to turn and get out, if not then you literally have to force your way in the line when you turn right out of rows. There is only one exit at the back, one car at a time.
We like coming here because the kids can be kids and we can chill out in our stretchy pants.

Cool spot, one of the last operating outdoor Drive-​In theaters in California
Pros:
Being in your own car
Usually a double header — two movies for the price of one
Its a cool experience — you should do it at least once
Cons:
Video quality sucks especially if you are a video person
If you have to go the bathroom its a pain
After the movies over you have to cattle call your way out
If your bored looking for something to do, do it!

It is so nice to live just around the corner from a drive-​in theater. It is so inexpensive and easy to go have a good time not far from home. They always have a double feature and the concessions are reasonably priced.

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuude! You guys! This place is bananas fun! I took a picture of the screen with the moon above it, because it was just all hella beautiful. Popcorn: huge. Nachos: huge. I parked front and center because I believe in myself. So can u!

Always a good place to go see a movie. Prices are very good and you see two movies. The food is in nice size portions for the price.

Great place! $ 8.00 for movie, plenty of parking. Easy in and out with freeway access. Radio station lets you hear the movie and crowd was friendly. Snack bar had great prices, large soda and candy was $ 7.00. Definitely would go back.

Good old fashioned fun. Drive in’s are becoming rare. Nice to see slo still has one. Definitely bring your own snacks.

Love this place! Two movies. $ 8 for adults, $ 2 for kids, toddlers free. We put an air mattress in the back of our Suburban, pillows, ice chest, and snacks. What a night.
The drive in has a snack bar for those who want pretzels, soda, hot chocolate, popcorn, lots of options.
Bring lawn chairs, wear your Jammie’s, bring a sweater just in case. Great way to spend a date night or family fun night for sure!

What’s not to like? First-​run movies, very cheap admission ($ 8 adults, $ 3 kids) for a double feature, free refills on the cheap popcorn, and a well designed parking setup so everyone gets a good view. We went recently for the first time and will definitely be back.

Believe it or not, I had never been to a drive-​in movie until yesterday. While I may be a late-​comer to this experience, I’m now a fan!
For the price of one matinée ticket at a regular movie theater (currently admission is $ 8 per person) you get to see a double feature here. The snack bar sells bomb buttery popcorn and doesn’t charge an arm and a leg for it ($ 5 for a large).
Most people watch from their souped up trucks and SUVs but if you don’t have one, then you can bring lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy a movie under the stars.
I sort of wish I was a teen again just so I could go on dates to the drive in theater :)
CASH ONLY! DOG FRIENDLY

Fun, double feature drive in. My husband and I went and loaded up the truck with blankets, pillows and an air mattress and laid in the back of the truck bed. There’s no outdoors speakers but we rented a portable radio from the snack bar for $ 3. The radio quit working a couple times, but the problem was fixed immediately. Fun times!

Old school drive in, cheap snack bar. Cant have this kind of fun in Bakersfield.

On these warm nights in San Luis Obispo there is nowhere better to be in the sunset drive-​in reported to be one of 20 drive-​ins left in the US it’s a social icon not to be missed.
Great staff, yummy popcorn and family fun.
We bring our lawn chairs, puppy, a few adult beverages and enjoy a throwback in time. Thank you for being here and offering a great family activity or date night for two (depending on the movie!)

A rare gem found just hours away from home. With very few drive-​in movie theaters left, it’s nice to be able to give our kids an experience from our own childhood. Our children had a blast! The radio channel comes in exceptionally clear and there is plenty of parking. Get there a little early for a good parking spot. Reminder that it is cash only! Even on a mid summers night, it is still quite chilly so bring plenty of blankets. Our kids made a bed out of the back of the suv and we sat in folding chairs in front of them which worked out perfectly. The snack bar line went quite slow as only one person was working, but the prices are more than reasonable and the popcorn was fresh, buttery and warm. Definitely gonna make this a yearly tradition during our summer vacation to the coast.

I love drive in theaters! It’s a shame more aren’t around anymore. Sunset Drive-​In has that warm nostalgia feel to it, with the old cartoons characters reminding you, «go to the lobby, and get yourself a treat.» Sometimes nostalgic isn’t always great, the fact that it’s cash only is a bummer. There is an ATM in the snack bar but at the front gate if you don’t have cash you’ll have to turn around and find a bank. The ladies room also could use a spruce up.

Came back to watch Furious 7. Still an amazing entertainment experience. Highly recommend going to Sunset over any of the other theaters in SLO!

I miss my car, because when I had my car, I could go to the Sunset Drive Inn, now it you have FM stereo, and who doesn’t (gee I guess some people don’t because they rent a boom box for their auto) it sure beats, the old days of hanging a speaker in side your window. I will update this review, but just say, we are luck y having a drive in theater…

If your looking for nostalgia then this is the place to go. Its a shame that Drive-In’s are dying if not dead altogether. This was a throw back with of course modern conveniences (listen to the Movie via your car stereo) The price for 2 movies was a steal. $ 8 for a double feature. It would be great if they had better food in the concession stand but hey its a Drive in… So if you from SLO or just visiting it worth checking out…

We tuned into 100.7 and listened to Exodus Gods and Kings in our own little car. Drive-​ins are cool cause you can have an extended conversation about the movie during the movie without affecting anyone’s viewing experience. It’s like watching a movie while inside a podcast.
This theater sometimes works on a double feature schedule. On this day it was $ 8 for both Night at the Museum and Exodus: Gods and Kings
We initially parked in the back. We were able to see the full screen pretty well but had some more room through our windshield to fill up. After the pile of garbage that is Night at the Museum ended, we snaked our way to the front mound and let the screen fill up the windshield. My rearview mirror and the steering wheel cut off the screen a little even while laid all the way back in the front driver seat. I didn’t mind; it was still exciting.
They display a 5-​minute-​warning just under the screen when the snack bar is about to close. So when that blue neon sign came on, I darted to the snack bar; I was too engrossed in the Gods And Kings.
I got a large popcorn and a bottle of water. You don’t really need a bottle; just ask for free water in cups. I got bottled because I needed a bottle in addition to the water inside it. A large popcorn is massive; be careful. Unless 4 people plan on eating popcorn, get the smallest one. They have a nice selection of flavored salts; I went with cheddar and just cheddar. I feel like I should’ve combined the cheddar flavor with the jalapeño flavor. Take your time with this, it’s the difference between good popcorn and great popcorn.
Bathrooms are decent; not a private pooper. Kind of wide open in there; no urinal separators.
Cash only. I really despise cash-​only policies and I feel like they should lose a star because of it. But this is a drive-​in movie theater; so in sticking with the theme, there’s not many modern amenities, so I can appreciate that.
Places like these are a dying breed; I recommend you experience one before they’re all gone.