Cascade Drive In

Horrible… Rude lady at front where you pay! Then none of the speakers work. You can tune in to a radio station if you’re confident your battery won’t die

We have been to the Cascade Drive-​in on a number of occasions in Summers past, and have generally had a good time. The ticket prices are decent ($ 10 for adults, $ 5 for kids), and the fact you can bring in almost any food from outside is a great plus, saving you a great deal of money.
When coming in make sure you are ready to pay with cash, since they charge $ 1 to use a credit card. If you are driving a large vehicle, you will need to park toward the back, so as not to block the view of other patrons. To the credit of Cascade, they are serious about this policy, and will ask violators to move.
I strongly suggest bringing bug spray and other forms of repellent, since the mosquitoes can be vicious. An optional suggestion would be to «go before you go», as the bathrooms are in a questionable state of repair and can sometimes be out of tissue.
Other than those caveats, Cascade can be a fun place to take the family out during the Summer.

Although I have had positive experiences in the past, my most recent experience was not good at all. We went on a Tuesday with the «$ 15 per car» deal. After dealing with the terrible traffic issues to get into the drive in, we pulled up to an extremely rude lady who asked us «How many people do you have?» By answering «Two», she charged us $ 20 even though we asked about the deal for the night. She barked back at us that we had to mention that first, even though she worded the question in a way for us to not get the deal. After paying $ 5 additional, we pulled in only to find very few people assisting with parking. It became very confusing and, honestly, was a huge mess.
The men’s bathroom was fine, but my girlfriend mentioned that the women’s bathroom was disgusting. There was no toilet paper, and no hand soap.
The movie watching experience was good during the first movie. Other patrons were courteous throughout. Upon the completion of the first movie, many patrons chose to leave. Although this would be absolutely fine to do during intermission, Cascade theatre chose to begin the second movie while many patrons were still trying to leave. This meant that our view to the screen was blocked for the first 15 minutes of the second movie. Waiting to start the movie, or providing assistance with traffic would have kept this from being an issue.
While we have enjoyed Cascade in the past, we are now looking to find a new Drive-​In. Our experience with the lady at the front was so offensive that we do not wish to continue to provide them with our business. While she bullied us into an extra $ 5 last Tuesday, she has lost us as customers.

I have a concern. My ten year old daughter and I, and our dog, found a spot and got all comfortable. Then this car pulls up next to us and just leaves their car running. I could feel the heat from their car hit my face. I was smelling the fumes coming from their exhaust pipe. I go ask the security guard if people are allow to have their car running during the movie, he said yes, along as they don’t have their lights on. I think this could be a big safety issue. If people want to sit in air conditioning then why don’t they just go to an indoor theater. Also, I think the drive in should have a section for those who want to leave their cars on separate from those who want to sit outside an enjoy the movie. My opinion is how they have it now, could potentially turn into a serious heath risk.

Prices are on the high side for food. That’s typical for a movie place I guess. The food quality is so so. I can make better at home if I had to. The ticket prices are also high considering I have to sit in my vehicle with the tail gait open while sweating to death. In winter I bet it’s better. Also bring repellant because it’s loaded with flying annoying biters also know as mosquitos. All in all I still love a good drive in. Probably better for dates in a two seater where you can just keep the car running with the Ac on. Oh and also there’s a hot dog place that ruins the vibe with their lights. Don’t get food from them.

Check in person was so rude. I knew Tuesday was a special for $ 15 per car. She asked how many people and I said we would like the special. She RUDELY remarked «well you have to say it, we don’t just do it» so pretty much if you don’t tell them you want the cheaper price they’ll charge you full price. And be careful, the check in person might bark back at you.

There’s not a lot of these in the Chicagoland area anymore. I can only suspect that ultimately, it’s not lucrative or profitable for the business, which stinks for those who wants to try a Drive-​In theater. $ 10 per person, or $ 15 for a carload on Tuesdays, this is a steal compared to ordinary theater prices… and the price includes TWO movies! Drive a school bus and load em up with neighborhood kids for the summer and look like a hero! (No, please don’t do that).
We got here somewhat early; movies start around dusk and we got there a little before 7PM (this is the summer, so dusk was closer to ~815PM or so. It turned out the previews that night started at around 830PM). There were already a few cars in the gravel-​dirt parking lot. There’s no parking spot markings or anything; spots are implied/​designated by the external pair of speakers every 15-​feet or so. Park as close as to the speaker as possible, or else have the overzealous security dude tell you to repark. We were fairly close to the speaker pole, but apparently you need to almost have your side-​mirror touching the pole for his satisfaction.
At 7PM, there were a handful of cars, but plenty of spots. At around even after 8, there were still a good number of spots. Granted, you won’t have a pair of adjacent parking spots, but you can find them rather easily. Even at close to 9PM, there were spots sprinkled here-​and-​there, but I would not recommend it because having your headlights on during/​near movie time is frowned-​upon, so it is rather dark, and it’s hard to find the spots and also the people sitting outside of their cars. Overall, a bad combo, in which I suggest you avoid. Bottom-​line, come early and enjoy the experience!
The cool part is they have a grassy area at the front, near the screen, where they setup a small playground. The playground looked more like one of those slide/​swing wooden setups that you find at someone’s backyard, versus the metal playground you see at your local park. Nonetheless, it’s a decent option to help pass the time with the kids, until the movie starts.
The sound coming from the speakers were soft at times; a roaring Harley going down the neighboring street can drown out the sound of the movie momentarily, but if you are sitting inside your car, and either use your car’s stereo system (tune it to a specific station frequency) or grab the wired speaker from the speaker pole and place it close to your car window, all is well.
Lines for the snack counter can get long during the brief (10-​minute) intermission between the two-​movie feature, as well as the bathroom, so try to go before the first movie starts.
Overall, great experience, one that is lost nowadays, with the AC-​blasting, $ 12+ movie tickets you get at your movie theater conglomerates.
BATHROOM REVIEW: Located near the middle of the Drive-​In, the Men’s bathroom boasts 4-​urinals and several stalls. The bathroom was rather dirty (think of a public park’s bathroom) and I was glad I was wearing shoes, rather than my usual thinly-​sliced rubber flip-​flops. Pro-​tip: Be careful turning-​on the water faucets, or expect to get splashed. These faucets have enough pressure to fight a forest fire, so proceed with caution. There are two hand-​dryers for use as well. Sit or squat? Squat, most definitely.

I absolutely, unequivocally, with all my heart love Cascade Drive In!
I wasn’t sure what to expect my first time going but was very happy it lived up to my expectations and beyond. We went Saturday night for opening weekend of Finding Dory (great movie!) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (the first half was good, I slept through the second hehe). I was curious as to crowd levels on a Saturday night opening weekend and it got packed to the brim!
We arrived just before the clock hit 7pm (gates open at 7) and were able to get a prime spot in the second row. If you bring a van or truck, you’ll be asked to park in a row further back so if you can swing it, bring your car. You’ll pay $ 10 a person for the double feature films which is a great deal for 2 movies!
When you pull in, be sure to pull as close to the speaker as you are able to or you’ll need to repark later. They have a security guard (think Dwight from the Office) who takes his job very seriously and will make sure you are following the rule of pulling close to the speaker and all other rules for the night.
Movies won’t start until it’s dark out so you’ll likely be hanging out until about 9pm. You can bring your own food (as long as it’s not from the hot dog stand next door) and have a relaxing outdoor picnic by your car passing time with whoever you’ve come with. It was super relaxing and we really enjoyed ourselves. There are all types of characters and interesting people there for the films so you can have a ball of a time people watching!
With the place packed and so many children abound, I was wondering how the volume level would play out. You can either listen to the movie through their personal old timey speakers next to your car or tune your radio into the station airing the film. During the first movie, we sat on our chairs in front of the car and it would sometimes be hard to hear the dialogue. For the second movie, we sat in the car and the speaker was shooting crystal clear sound into the car so we didn’t need to turn on the radio channel.
Pro-​Tips —
Bring bug spray — they do have some mosquitos though I didn’t experience many myself.
Bring a blanket or sweatshirt as even in warm months it can get chilly when the sun sets.
Don’t forget the wine opener.
If you don’t remember to bring food & drinks or just think it’s a hassle, they have a concession stand with hot dogs, popcorn, drinks, and snacks. The line gets incredibly long at some points though so keep that in mind. I went to the bathroom between the two movies and the line was insanely long — I waited 20 minutes and the bathrooms were pretty trashed at that point. Ugh!
Aside from the jankity bathrooms, I just loved Cascade Drive In! I’m anxious for the movie lineup to change so I can go again. It was such a fun experience, made for a cheap date night and was so relaxing and cool to watch new release movies like that. I’ll be back as soon as I’m able!

Do not go to cascade. They over booked and let cars in that shouldn’t be let in we waited 45 mins and could not find a spot. We had to leave I asked for my 20 dollars since all the people in there decided to park in the middle and be curtious of others so they could fit. The lady in the box was extremely rude. We will never return to cascade and I will be sure to spread this to my family and friends. Thank you for taking my $ 20 and letting me drive around the parking lot for 10 mins looking for somewhere to park

I love the drive in experience and it is very affordable ($ 35 for 2 adults and 3 kids) however having said that, it’s a dump. There’s broken glass littering the gravel which is obviously dangerous with flip flops and kids running around, the snack bar has the greasiest, smelly food, and the bathrooms are nasty as well. The «lanes» for driving aren’t defined which means you have cars driving almost on your toes depending on where you park. And people parking can get sketchy.
If you go, go early to get prime spots, bring a frisbee or ball to throw around, wear LOTS of bug spray, and wear shoes that are sturdy to avoid glass in the foot.
the manager (owner??) is incredibly rude and disrespectful. NOT service oriented in the least and simply there to make as much money as possible without putting anything back into his business. I hate the idea of giving him business but it’s the only place in the area to experience the drive in.

It used to be great but now they only show all kids movies. This happened last year too.

It’s great for all ages. I’ve been here numerous times. You get two shows for the price of one and you can bring your own food too. I like to get take out and bring my own popcorn, lawn chair, and blanket when I go here. Also on cooler nights it’s much better than hot summer nights because you have to deal with mosquitos and such. Dogs are ok to bring too and plus there is a grilling area. The bathrooms aren’t all the clean they smell but it can be improved upon.

This place is always a good time for us. The kids enjoy the movies and can always sit outside on a nice night. It’s a huge plus that we’re allowed to bring in our own snacks and beverages. Plus two movies for the price of one is a hell of a deal. At $ 10 per adult and $ 5 per kid it’s a no brainier.

Terrible experience the security guard does not let you enjoy the movie he kept coming up to our car and harassed us. Only because we were parked in row 4 in front of the restaurant. There were other trucks parked in front of us and he didn’t even bother to ask them to move. We weren’t blocking anybody save your money and go to another drive in. Came here with about 10 people and none of us will ever be returning.

Nice way to spend a night with the family. Blast frim the past. I remember going to the drive in as a child with my parents, this experience brought back fond memories. There is a playground and grills under the movie screen. They also play a Double feature, which is a bang for your buck. If you are really watching your funds Sunday night is the best night to come it is $ 15 a carload. you can bring in your treats, all they ask is that you dont Purchase Anything from the resturant Scoobys next door. They are
having some sort of fued going, in regards to the resturant not turning their lighted sign off during movies. The restrooms were clean, there is a outdoor patio, and they also sell food at their con session stand. We will definitely return.

I read the Unilocal reviews and they were great. It never occurred to me we would have a bad experience. It took an hour to get into this business, we missed the first half hour of the movie. There are four ticket booths and on Saturday night of LABOR DAY WEEKEND they had only two open. By the time we got inside it was dark and difficult to navigate the parking lot — especially with the number of patrons sitting in front of their vehicles in lawn chairs. Each vehicle was using two parking places, one to park their vehicle and the other to park themselves. Also lots of unattended kids running around in the dark.
The concession stand had a crazy long line and a sign that said CASH ONLY. The patrons were using credit cards with the employees swiping cards on a Square Chip Card Reader. I’m still not sure if there is a less efficient way to process mass transactions. The popcorn tasted old, bland and dried out. The speaker (which may have been original equipment) had one volume setting ON. When I tried to turn it down it just went silent.
I am overwhelmingly disappointed that the customer service here has disintegrated into dust, the drive-​in was great fun 30 years ago. Perhaps there is a reason why all the other drive-​in theaters have closed. This place is a dinosaur.

Ah, the drive-​in. Had I known about this place when I was younger, I bet lots of hanky panky would have been had. But now that I am a mature lady, I can appreciate the drive-​in for what it really is: a cheapskate’s dream.
You get two movies for the price of one. You don’t have to worry about sitting next to smelly people who keep bumping into your elbow while you try to watch The Dark Knight Rises. You can bring in your own food! I mean… NO! You can’t bring in your own food, or beer, so don’t ever, EVER do it. Ever. Ahem.
Another great thing about Cascade is that it’s pet-​friendly! We didn’t get a chance to take our dog yet but we did take our cat with us to see X-​Men: Days of Future Past, because Wolverine is his favorite character.
All in all, I really love Cascade and will continue to visit there when they decide to play good movies and not ditch Mad Max: Fury Road for Pitch Perfect 2. Come on, what were you thinking?!

Would give it a 3.5. $ 10/​persin for a double feature does not seem too bad. Used to bring the kids here when they were younger. Was a way to see movies and get out of the house. They would fall asleep during the first movie and we could see the 2^nd in peace.
Its nice because you can bring in your own food. Would not recommend the popcorn, last time I purchased it, was scooped out of a garbage can and not fresh at all.

After wanting to come here for a couple of years, we FINALLY made it this summer!
I had never been to a drive-​in, so for someone my age it was a fun treat to hug with my movie buddy in the car and watch dinosaurs attack (yes, the show was «Jurassic World»). I was surprised at how well the window speakers work, or you can use your radio.
For one price you actually get a double feature, but it’s still cheaper than going to the regular theater. Of course there isn’t stadium seating, but you can bring chairs and food (or buy something at their incredibly comprehensive snack bar).
Bathrooms were remarkably clean, and the young staff was on point. Fun to see some rockabilly kids reliving the old days in their retro clothes; it is definitely the right venue!
I wouldn’t come here to see every movie (and they only show two a week; watch their web site). But it was a fun summer novelty, and I would go again! There aren’t many of these places left, so keep ‘em alive! :)

We probably chose the worst night ever to come here, but had a great time anyways! We came on a really stormy, lightening-​y night, and took fellow Unilocalers advice and arrived right at 7pm. This was not quite necessary for this night, the place didn’t get super full, I’m guessing due to the weather.
I was surprised when the double feature was two of the hottest movies right now– Jurassic World followed by the movie Spy. For $ 10 per person? AWESOME deal.
We brought our own snacks in… I don’t know why you’d want to pay for concessions when there is a Jewel not 5 minutes away where you could get anything you wanted!
My guy was worried about his car battery dying, so we opted not to listen to the movie via the radio, and actually ended up putting the speaker against his dashboard. This was perfect sound for the movie. If we’d been able to keep the windows open, you wouldn’t have needed any extra sound at all.
We were really looking for the parking lot staff to throw down for SUVs in wrong spots and people who kept their lights on, but it was always a respectful transaction, but it’s nice to see that they do follow their own restrictions.
I’m docking a star because of the delay in starting the movie. They didn’t even start any kind of ad until at least 840, so the movie started much closer to 9. I was struggling to stay awake by the end of movie 1, and we didn’t want to stay for the second. Many others left after the first as well.
I’d definitely come back again though!