Badin Road Drive In Theater

Great affordable date night! My husband and I went last summer, got admission to the double feature, ate dinner from the concession stand, got candy to eat while watching the first movie, and went back for ice cream to enjoy during the second movie, all for less than $ 40!

Love this place! I love that our town has a drive inn! One of my favorite places to go with the family or for a date night with the hubby. There is nothing better than sitting on a tailgate with a big blanket and some junk food with ur family! And the food is good… love the chicken wings!

Best place ever. New movies at ridiculously cheap prices. We have a toddler rarely have a babysitter, but we are able to go to the movies and bring him along. He loves it! There is usually a kids movie first and he’s asleep by the time the second movie rolls around. We go every weekend, great food at the concession stand, without the crazy movie theatre prices. Highly recommended. I would give it 6 stars if I could.

Sometimes chaotic but love this place so much. Great in the spring and they make the milkshakes the old fashioned way.

Good old fashion fun! I used to love the drive in as a kid and now I’m glad to say that I can still take my kids! The food could be better but it doesn’t really make a difference. Tha movies are always first run! The staff is nice.

So fun! The people working there are so kind and friendly; their intermission games and talks were hilarious. The food is good and very inexpensive and they do raffle ticket prizes for pizza or ice cream. They provide jumper cables and you can get a radio to rent if yours is broken or you don’t want to use it. We’re on a vacation from LA and we’re staying in Charlotte so it was nearly an hour drive but it was completely worth it. Definitely check it out

My family loves the drive in. Had a great time last time and can’t wait to go back. Can’t beat the price. Our popcorn was really good. Last time we went we stopped and got burgers before. Can’t wait for this season!

Badin Rd Drive In, Albemarle NC Review August 2014 Pros and Cons
PROS
*First and foremost: Friendly staff
*Nice playground and grass area for kids of all ages.
*Digital quality movies
*Easily heard reception on radio.
*Usually nice crowd.
*Good food at concessions and ice cream milk shakes in a variety of flavors.
*Entertaining announcements and story’s over the intercom during intermission.
*Allows movie goers to bring in their own food.
*Hands out rules and garbage bags when entering.
*2 Screens with 2 movies playing on each
CONS
*Does not enforce their own rule of pick up trucks, SUV’s and minivans to park in back or on sides. These type of vehicles usually park front or second row and center. Making it hard for those in cars or sitting in front of vehicles to view the entire screen.
*Consistently speaks over the movie to let individuals know to pick up their pizza.
*Speaks over the beginning of the second movie to announce that the snack bar is closing and to get your orders in.
*Starts movie much later than dark. Usually a full half hour after complete darkness.
*Intermission is very long, sometimes a full half hour waiting to start one movie so both movies will end at the same time.
*Lines at concession are so long they back up down two rows towards the screen from the booth, so get your food and milk shakes early.
*Will ask vehicles to move over when movie should have started so they can get more cars in but does not move the large vehicles from the front rows or enforce tie downs on hatches. (both their rules)
*Big drainage ditch children fall into when accidently running or playing too close to it while playing. Needs barriers for safety.
*Of no fault of the drive in: Vehicles riding past on main road honk as they go by.
Loud vehicles rev their engines or speed as they head up and down the side road which runs right next to the parked cars. Again this is no fault of the owners, just inconsiderate people.
Would like to Recommend to Owners:
*Add a barrier for safety of children on playground.
*Paint parking lines with grass paint to be sure everyone will park exactly where you want them too, maximizing space for more cars to increase your profits and eliminating the need to move cars towards 9pm.
*Enforce your large vehicle rule.
*Make people wait for their pizzas instead of interrupting the movie
Recommendation to movie goers…
Would recommend a visit to this drive in. Compared to others, it is very clean and affordable even with the per person admission price. The quality of the film because of the digital projector is far superior than before.
I give 3 stars only because the cons are about just as long a list as the pros, but this by no means you should not visit this drive in. It’s a wonderful family experience and should be enjoyed by all. If the owners would address the cons, this drive in would certainly receive 5 stars from me.

The price when I went was $ 6 per person in the car. Super cheap. Did the double feature totally worth it (on the weekend). All you need is one scoop of ice cream they give out big scoops!
Quality of the screen was AMAZING — as a photographer I’m super picky about stuff like that. I thought it wouldn’t fill the whole screen — it did!
If you’re worried about the audio, it all depends on the system in your vehicle. (This was my first time to experience the drive in).
What was really cool they have one screen playing a kids movie and one screen playing the feature of the night. So a really nice set up for families.
Enjoy it!

Growing up, I remember going to the drive in with my parents. Now it’s time for me to give my daughter that same great experience! I love the fact that they try to put movies together that you actually want to see TOGETHER! It’s actually cheaper than all 3 of us going to see one show and the concessions sells great food at great prices! We love going even if it’s over an hours drive home!

Great place to spend time with family and friends. Has good food at reasonable prices.

Great experience, must go! Family fun, meet new people. Enjoy the movies under the stars anytime of year.

A step back in time!

This place here was one of my best memories of iving in the Charlotte area…
My wife and I used to go here with our then 3 year old… Back in 98 – 99, it cost $ 6 buck per carload… You’d get two movies and a bingo game… Great atmosphere, and this dude always had the current movies as soon as they came out… From what I remember, it was nothing more than a grass field with a huge screen, you tuned the sound into your radio, and it everything at the concession stand was no more than a buck or two… Definitely a good place to go for a good night out… especially if you didn’t make any plans for the evening…

Although we had to drive 1 ½ hours to come to the drive in, I did enjoy it. A double feature for 2 adults and 2 children, $ 14!!!
Info you need to know–
do not drive around with your headlights on it it RUDE once the movie had started
They only take CASH, but there is a ATM located inside the concession stand.
you should bring a small flashlight inorder to walk around, sometimes the moon light is not enough.
reccomend bringing a small radio, since most newer cars (like ours) the radio cuts off after a certain amount of time and «restarting» it can turn on the headlights (sorry people in front of us).
You cant switch spots during the movies, but there is nothing that says you cant turn around inside your vehicle or move your chair from the front to the back in order to watch a different movie.
NOW as far as the food is concerned, it took over 30 minutes to receive our order of wings, 2 burgers, tenders, 3 fries and drinks! and it was over $ 30! so if its just 2 of you, the prices are fair etc for a couple items, but if you are bringing the famly… hit the bojangles on your way in and bring a cooler of sodas etc. then get your popcorn at the movies.
Food was just ok, the grease they fried the wings in needed changing, you could smell and taste the old in it. the ranch dressing they give you was gross.
the nachos were not good either, the cheese was very thin and plastic tasting and the chips were not fresh, also they pour the cheese on the chips which of course makes the chips then soggy– eww.
Anyway this is a great bargain for the price in any event. Get there early, set up and enjoy the time with the family! make it a picnic and just have a great time. We sure did

Great fun indeed! I’m a sucker for old school things to do and drive-in’s are exactly that. Bring a truck, back it up and unleash the blankets and folding chairs and viola! This particular location charges by headcount and NOT just a general price per car which is how it used to be done. They do allow you to bring your own food and beer but discourage the food being brought in because that is how they make most of their money is off the food sales. The bathrooms are decent (for men) but be warned it’s much like campground bathrooms, no nice amenities will be found here. The movie selections are normally the new releases and the screens are ample size to see from basically anywhere on the lot. Instead of using the radios that clip on the windows they broadcast the sound across FM stations for you to tune into. I recommend bringing a small radio so that you don’t drain your cars battery during the movie.

Badin Road Drive In lies 45 minutes outside of Charlotte. It’s an easy trip and it places you at a majestic dual screened gravel park where you can select which movie to face. One side has a basketball court and a playground that kids can enjoy before the pictures begin.
A couple other noteworthy features:
* $ 5 per adult gets you two movies back to back starting at dark.
* Open Friday thru Sunday
* Once you are in you can’t switch spots or leave and come back without a fee
* You can bring your own food. Alcoholic drinks are allowed as long as they stay inside your car
* Full clear sky of stars
* Clean bathrooms
* get there early if you want a prime spot. It was pretty full by 8:00 pm on a Friday. The movie didn’t start til 9 (or dark)
* Bring a radio so you don’t have to leave your car radio on through the event. You can rent radios there and they can jump your car if you need to.
* Real friendly people everywhere. Great for families friends and couples.

It is only by sheer luck that I’m the first to review this icon of Albemarle. This must be one of the very few remaining drive-​in theaters on the planet. Being the happening people that we are, we went with friends and their kids to see a movie.
Two titan-​like screens facing one another: one showing a kids film, the other showing the latest action, thriller. Point your vehicle in the direction of your viewing pleasure. Tune your FM dial for movie audio. Many pickups with the tailgates down. Stars in the sky serve as illumination to the concession stand and/​or cinderblock restroom facilities.
To give you a taste of what the experience is like, dial the number given in the info dialog for this place: 704−983−2900. You… will…be…amazed.
Oh, also, very affordable concessions. Use bug spray. God bless American. Over and out.