Screens Gone Dark: A Look Back at Drive-In Theaters We Loved and Lost in Amarillo

With the closing of Tascosa Drive-In, Amarillo is now officially without a drive-in theater. At one point, there were several operating in Yellow City. Here's a look back at the history of the drive-in in Amarillo, Texas.

Tascosa Drive-In

This one hurts. The Tascosa Drive-In has been a staple in Amarillo for a very long time. Over the past couple of years, we've all watched as the future of our beloved drive-in became more and more uncertain. Eventually, the tragic news was announced that Tascosa Drive-In would close.

Their social media went quiet...and that was pretty much it. There was an auction scheduled that was canceled, but not much else.

The Twin Drive-In

The Twin Drive-In opened in 1952 and was enormous. It sat on 17 acres and had a massive capacity of 1,008 cars. This gave the Twin the ability to claim that it was the largest drive-in in the entire state of Texas, where everything is bigger.

The Twin got its name from the two screens showing separate features. The dual-screen approach to running a theater was incredibly rare in the 50s.

One of the screens burned down, and the drive-in was never able to fully recover. Where The Twin once stood, you'll find the Walmart on Georgia now.

Trail Drive-In

The Trail Drive-In opened in 1948. It was located on the Blvd and had enough space for 400 cars. In 1966, faulty wiring caused a fire that damaged the screen. It would only last for another 11 years.

The Trail Drive-In would close for good in 1977.

Palo Duro Drive-In

The Palo Duro Drive-In opened in the late 1940s. Early on, you could fit 400 cars inside of the Palo Duro Drive-In. Not content with a mere 400 cars, it was eventually expanded to allow room for 533. Seats were also provided for 100 "walk-in" customers.

Palo Durco Drive-In would last around 20 years before closing down.

Sunset Drive-In

The late 40s were a popular time to open a drive-in, apparently. In 1949, the Sunset Drive-In opened on W. 9th. Drive-ins must have been getting plenty of business. The operator of Sunset Drive-In also operated the Trail Drive-In and opened the Tascosa Drive-In.

If you're familiar with the Winchester Apartments, you're familiar with the spot where the Sunset Drive-In once stood.

Skyway Drive-In

The Skyway Drive-In opened in 1950. To set itself apart from the flood of drive-ins opening in the late 40s, the Skyway supposedly had someone parachute into the drive-in theater and deliver the first film. The capacity was around 500 cars.

In 1961, Skyway started showing Spanish-speaking films. Skyway would only last a total of 14 years. In 1964, Skyway showed its final two features.

Skyway was demolished to make room for I-40. An access road now sits where the Skyway used to stand.