(NOTE: The following two symbols only relate to how I placed drive-in ads found on this page and not how they are used elsewhere on this site.)
Original Wisconsin Drive-in Theater Newspaper Ads
The links on this page are to ORIGINAL newspaper ads straight from that days newspaper for the drive-ins listed below. There were no microfilm copies used in the making of this web site. Some of these ads are dated back to 1940. Again these are ALL ORIGINAL newspaper ads. ABSOLUTELY NO microfilm copies were used. If using any of these ads for reference on other works or web sites, please give credit to myself or this web site. Thank you.
Cool facts for the Wisconsin Drive-in Newspaper ads page........
1. Total number of Wisconsin
drive-in theaters listed on this newspaper page of the website are.....49
2. There are a total of 319 vintage newspaper
ads for these drive-in theaters listed here.
Special note:
Some drive-ins listed below have ads that list multiple theaters in the ads.
I have only counted these ads once in the total above even though the same ad
will be placed in each theater that is listed in that ad.
(NOTE: The following two symbols only
relate to how I placed drive-in ads found on this page and not how they are
used elsewhere on this site.)
= New
drive-in theater movie ads were added to that particular theater.
= If this symbol is next to any of these theaters listed
on this page, then it is a new drive-in that I have found ads for. If
it is listed on the page of that particular theater,
then that individual drive-in ad in a new one.
** If anyone has old newspapers that they would like to contribute to this page, my book, or both, please contact me **
Bluemound
Drive-in - Brookfield
My oldest drive-in ad from Wisconsin, June 2, 1940!
Lake Park Outdoor - Fond Du Lac
Franklin 100 Drive-in - Franklin
Port Outdoor
(1953-1955) / 57 Outdoor (1956-1985) - Grafton
Originally opened as the Port Outdoor Theatre, the name changed to the 57 Outdoor
when reopening in 1956.
St. Croix Hilltop Drive-in - Houlton
Northstar Drive-in - La Crosse
10-13 Motor Movie - Marshfield
Maxwell's Outdoor - Marshfield
Starlite Outdoor - Menomonee Falls
Racine
Outdoor (1949-1952) /
Westgate Outdoor (1952-1978) - Racine
Originally opened as the Racine Outdoor theatre in 1949, but came under new
management and name change in 1952.
Ripon Outdoor
(1954-1969) / 23 Outdoor (1970-1981) - Ripon
Marcus Theatres changed the name to the 23 Outdoor upon opening for the season
in 1970
Winnebago
Drive-in (1953-1980) /
Dells Drive-in (1981-1992) /
Big Sky Drive-in (1993-Present) - Wisconsin Dells
Confusing?? Not really. This drive-in originally opened as the Winnebago
Drive-in and eventually became the Dells Drive-in after Don LeGros bought it
in 1981. He then changed the name again to the Big Sky DI upon reopening
in 1993.
Hwy 13 Outdoor - Wisconsin Rapids