Drive-In Movie Theaters That Once Were Located in Ventura County

Once upon a time there were drive-in theaters around Ventura County, providing family entertainment combined with fresh air.

The Simi Drive-In was located at 361 Tierra Rejada Road. It opened in 1963 and closed in 1997, for a 34 year run.

The Pacific 101 Drive-In in Ventura was located at 4826 E. Telephone Road (at the 101). This theater opened in 1948 and closed in 1998. Fifty years!

Sky View Drive-In in Oxnard at 1250 S. Oxnard Blvd opened in 1955 and closed in 1988.

The Santa Paula Drive-In Theatre was located on Harvard Blvd at Barkla (which I believe today is Palm Ave). It opened on Thursday, May 18, 1950 and closed in the 1978 time frame.

Pacific’s Thousand Oaks Drive-In Grand Opening in August 1967

The Thousand Oaks Drive-In was located at Kelley Road and Newbury Road in Newbury Park (now Kohl's) It opened in 1967 and closed in 1983.

The West Wind All Digital Drive-In in Goleta closed in September 2022 after operating from 1966 to 1991, then 2010 to 2019, then once again from 2020 to 2022.

MOVIE THEATERS IN VENTURA COUNTY AND ADJACENT AREAS

Free and Nearly Free Movies All Summer Long Around Ventura County

Stay cool this summer of 2023 with several hundred free and nearly free ($1 to $6) movies in and around Ventura County and surrounding areas!

Regal Theaters in Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Simi Valley and Calabasas present the Regal Summer Movie Express - $2 family movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in June through mid-August.

Rancho Simi Rec & Park District Movies in the Park on June 30, July 28 and August 4 in Simi Valley and June 23 in Oak Park

City of Moorpark Movies in the Park on June 16, July 14, Aug 18, Sept 9 and Oct 21 at Arroyo Vista Community Park.

Free Movies at the Park at Thousand Oaks Community Park on August 25 and Sept 29.

Free Movies in the Park in Camarillo on June 30, July 14, July 28 and Aug 11.

City of Agoura Hills Summer Movies in the Park on June 10 and July 8

Studio Movie Grill at the Simi Valley Town Center is offering $6 Children's Summer Movies (including small popcorn and small drink) Mondays through Thursdays from June 5 to August 3.

CineMalibu Summer Movies at Malibu Bluffs Park on June 17, July 15 and Aug 19.

Free Movies at Warner Ranch Park in Woodland Hills on Saturday nights in August.

Free Movies in the Park at Reyes Adobe Park in Agoura Hills on June 10th (National Treasure) and July 8 (The Incredibles)

Free screening of E. T. at Berniece Bennett Park in Westlake Village on July 22nd.

Outdoor Movie Nights at Ventura Harbor Village on June 24th (Jaws), July 29th (Goonies) and August 26th (Moana).

AMC Dine-In Thousand Oaks 14 hosts Summer Movie Camp - movie lineup for $3 on Wednesdays and $5 on Saturdays from mid-June through August.

Movies/dates subject to change. Contact organizers to confirm.

AND HOW ABOUT FREE CONCERTS IN AND AROUND VENTURA COUNTY

Special Needs Screenings at Studio Movie Grill on Designated Saturday Mornings

Studio Movie Grill, including our local Simi Valley location at the Simi Valley Town Center, offers Special Needs Screenings on designated Saturdays at 11am.

Special Needs Screenings are shown with the lights on and volume lowered. Children are free to move around, talk, even dance in the aisles during the movie.

These special sensory friendly screenings are free of charge for children with special needs, as well as their siblings. Accompanying parents pay the “before-noon” price.

For upcoming shows, visit studiomoviegrill.com/movie/film-series/special-needs-screenings.

Filmed at Apricot Lane Farms in Moorpark, "The Biggest Little Farm" Documentary Is a Must See

My kids had no idea what the film was about. I had heard good things about “The Biggest Little Farm,” and on a hot Sunday afternoon we headed over to the Regency Westlake Village to catch the 1 pm screening.

The Biggest Little Farm is a documentary that follows the dreams of John and Molly Chester and their dog, Todd., as they achieve their dream of creating a certified biodynamic farm. This farm happens to be Apricot Lane Farms, located right here in Moorpark (10700 Broadway Road).

Prior to pursuing the farm, Molly was a private chef and food blogger, while John was a career documentary filmmaker.

The film was truly an engaging tale of how these farmers found the inspiration to create their dream, enlist the help of many others - investors and support team - build the farm and sustain it, encounter numerous obstacles and challenges, and find creative solutions to these challenges.

It was a wonderful film to bring the kids to see. The film brought a lump to my throat many a time. The farm animals played a large part in the film and led us through emotions of joy to sadness, cheerfulness and grief. The story flowed nicely and the hour and a half brought not a dull moment.

While most of us would never entertain the thought of opening a farm, the lessons of perseverance and finding clever solutions in the film is of value to all. I’m glad I brought my teenage sons to the film.

Visit www.thebiggestlittlefarmmovie.com for showtimes at local theaters. Highly recommended!

Learn more about Apricot Lane Farms at www.apricotlanefarms.com. Their produce, meat, eggs and products are available at the Thousand Oaks Farmers’ Market and Calabasas Farmers’ Market, as well as at the Erewhon store in Calabasas.

Muvico Brand is No More in Thousand Oaks After Placement of AMC Signs

Muvico Theater at The Oaks Shopping Mall in Thousand Oaks opened its doors on February 27, 2009.

Four and a half years later, Carmike Cinemas purchased nine Muvico theaters in Florida, Illinois and California, including the Thousand Oaks Muvico. However, Carmike did not re-brand the Conejo Valley based Muvico as it continued to operate as Muvico.

On November 15, 2016, Carmike announced it was purchased by AMC Theatres. The merger was completed on December 20, 2016. 

While the theatre promptly changed its online branding to AMC Dine-In Thousand Oaks 14, the iconic Muvico sign continued to be prominently displayed. Until now.

The Muvico signs are finally gone.

Studio Movie Grill at the Simi Valley Town Center Makes a Great First Impression

Studio Movie Grill Simi Valley opened its doors to the public tonight at the Simi Valley Town Center and I got to check it out!

The theater is located on the east side of the mall behind the new Buffalo Wild Wings. It is beautiful both inside and out.

There are nine screens in the facility with varying sizes and over 950 seats in total.

The stadium style seats look a bit airline-ish but were surprisingly comfortable and supportive and the serving trays pivot for comfort. Tons of leg room too!

When I first saw the seats I thought they didn't look very comfortable. But when I sat down, I realized I was wrong.  I usually squirm in movie chairs with my aging hamstrings, but these chairs were very supportive. I also noticed they don't seem to recline too much, but that was also a non-issue for me during the movie.

Each of the stadium style seats have trays and buttons to press for food service. Pretty darn efficient. I ordered a blended margarita and it was excellent.  A movie with a margarita, chicken nachos, tasty flatbread, burgers and more.  Everything we tried tasted great!

There's a special deal on the menu; $25 for 1 appetizer and two entrees. The price seemed pretty fair to me for the solid quality.

Enjoying a blended Cadillac margarita at the show. Plenty of mixed drinks, beer and wine available at the press of a button.

The trays can be maneuvered around to be closer or farther away from you, which was a nice convenience you don't find on, say airline seats. I was also impressed by the extraordinary leg room/distance between rows, allowing for attendants to scoot by without you having to scrunch up into your chair.

There's also a full bar and eating area in the front of the theater. A bit on the loud side in there but it was really buzzing!

My initial assessment is that the Studio Movie Grill Simi Valley will be very successful. Reasonably priced, great service, tasty food, full bar, nicely appointed and comfortable. Larn more and buy tickets at www.studiomoviegrill.com.

There are some special offers next week highlighted HERE.

Beach Scene in McFarland, U.S.A. Filmed at Sycamore Cove Beach, Point Mugu State Park

McFarland U.S.A. is a great "feel good" movie about a coach who leads the cross country team from McFarland High School to win the inaugural California state championship in 1987. The film, starring Kevin Costner as coach Jim White, is based on a true story. The film premiered on February 20th. My kids and I saw the movie today in Thousand Oaks and we unanimously agreed it was outstanding.

McFarland is a small town in Kern County, 25 miles north of Bakersfield (and 145 miles north of the Conejo Valley). There is a scene in the film where Coach White surprises the kids by diverting them to a beach after a successful cross country meet. This was a special moment for the kids, because none of them had ever seen the ocean. The first several minutes of the following video shows some behind the scenes footage from that scene.

If the beach scene looks familiar, it should be. It was filmed at Sycamore Cove Beach at Point Mugu State Park. The Sycamore Cove PCH bridge crossing seen in the background made this quite clear. Sycamore Cove is only an eight mile walk, ride or hike from Newbury Park via Sycamore Canyon. According to this website, the actual beach visited by the team was near Morro Bay.

Sycamore Cove Beach looking west towards PCH and the bridge

The PCH bridge that connects Sycamore Cove Beach with Sycamore Canyon Campground

The Pacific Ocean, seen from Sycamore Cove Beach

Learn more about McFarland, U.S.A. at movies.disney.com/mcfarland-usa.