Stars & Stripes Drive-In Theatre

Reviews 3

AN

Anie OnTheGo

I recently took my kids to Stars & Stripes Drive-In Theatre in New Braunfels, TX. I give my experience two thumbs up, 5 stars, an A+, and 10 outta 10. I was so happy to see this theater was finally open. It’s conveniently located near my house (the center of IH35), between Austin and San Antonio, more specifically: between New Braunfels and San Marcos. Anyone vacationing here should give it a look and there’s no excuse for locals not to attend regular shows here. Stars & Stripes offers double features on three screens currently. My little ones were free but rather than loading up your car with people like in the good old days, you can pay $8 for an adult ticket. $8 for me and two little ones for two movies is a steal. I loved it already. I drove up and it was like a gem in the rough. Signs and lights made it easy to know where to go to get my ticket. The staff was friendly, helpful, and professional. They answered any question I had before I had them. I was handed a menu and directed where to go, and which station to tune to. I got there an hour early. I heavily suggest you all do the same. We had plenty of time to go inside and find a parking spot we loved. I saw a few different viewing options while there: you can park facing forward, laying in your trunk if you have a SUV or hatchback, or bring chairs and spread out tailgate style. The bathrooms were the cleanest bathrooms I’ve been in in a very long time. Granted, this place was new, but when you think of a drive-in theater, you usually don’t imagine pristine bathrooms with many stalls and convenience. The current and upcoming movies were displayed along the wall like a standard movie theater. The restaurant area was spotless, well lit, and had a great retro vibe. We opted to eat half our dinner indoors and took the rest to the car to get situated. The menu offered stuff like jalapeno nachos, all-beef hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwich, burgers, and funnel cakes. Classic American menu as you’d expect with a few fun items added. We ordered the kids menu and it came in an awesome classic car box! My child loved it. The value was incredible under $5 for chicken tenders and the best skinny fries I’ve had in years. I got a corn dog and was pleased to see the kitchen up front. I love being able to watch people making our food and see a shiny kitchen. They had white cherry Icees. This may not be a big deal to everyone but they got bonus points from me as I don’t like the added dyes and stains from the colored drinks, parents will love that. I plan to get something new each time, everything looked great as I saw people picking them up. I brought a picnic in case I wasn’t thrilled about the food, but we ended up loving what they had and didn’t eat our snacks. The countdown movie was very cute. It let you know how many minutes you have before the movie starts so you can be back in time. It was done in a retro style that brought back great memories of the drive-in as a child. We saw a kid’s double feature showing HOME and Cinderella. The intermission was a perfect amount of time. We got to get out and dance during the dance scenes of the movie and the sound clarity was great in our car. We got to see the helicopter from the hospital off in the distance but didn’t hear it over the movie, my kid thought that was pretty awesome. The picture was clear and exiting with our lights off was easy as the exit/entrance was so well lit. This is a great family place, good for kids or to have a party here… but also could be one of the coolest date destinations in town. The 6 movies shown each night are plenty to choose from and you can see the schedule online. They are opening a playground in the summer of 2015 but we loved it without one just fine. I’ll be back A LOT.

KE

Kelsey Markham

The drive used to be the best place for families to see movies. However, its hard to pay the almost same price for a drive in movie as you would pay at indoor theaters. Its probably a good deal for college kids and non families, if you see both movies. The last few times we have gone, the movie experience wasnt great. Its hard to see the screen if the movie scene is really dark; also its sometimes hard to hear the dialogue its soft, even with the car stereo turned up loud. We last visited the drive in on April 1st, 2017. The website said box office opens at 7pm daily, but we waited in line until almost 7:30pm before they opened it. Ordered food from the cafe, waited in line for 15 minutes to order then waited another 30 minutes for our cheese sticks. We missed the beginning of the first movie.This would not have been bad if they were busy, but this was the least crowded I have ever seen the drive in. Went back at intermission and ordered their Famous Chihuahua Sandwich, fries, 2 kids meals, and a charburger. It was quick to order but again waited another 30 minutes to get our order! Missed the first 10 minutes of the 2nd movies as well. Also it was the WORST Chihuahua Ive ever had from here. The chili on the sandwich was flavorless, skimpy on the portion, and had way too much pimento cheese (which was more like mushy cheddar cheese instead). This sandwich was my no.1 reason to continue coming here, and I am so sad to see it decline in quality. Its a family recipe, but it has lost its special taste. I would recommend the drive in if you have young kids who cant sit still in a regular theater, or if youre really wanting to see both movies. The drive in also allows you bring your own food, so you can skip the poor food in the cafe, and it has a (unsupervised and crowded) playground for kiddos. But if you want to really enjoy your movie free of distractions (cars frequently shine their​ lights on the screen) and also understand every scene in the movie, Id stick with an indoor theater. Its just not the deal it used to be, nor is it as fun.

DO

Douglas Settler

Two movies for under $9.00 just cant beat. They also have great food at the cafe thats very reasonably priced. They offer a decent sized menu of American food with personal pizzas, chicken strip dinners, messy and tasty chilli burgers that are huge and fresh off the grill, plus many more dinner offerings. Cant go wrong with hot cocoa and a funnel cake if there is a chill in the air and if youre feeling adventurous give their crazy and one of a kind "Chihuahua Sandwich" a try. Youll either love it or be totally confused by it. If you came early to eat during the summer season you may even be treated to a live concert from some of Lubbocks many outstanding local musicians while the kiddos entertain themselves on the large outdoor playground. Of course if your budget is tight feel free to pop some corn at home and bring along your favorite ice cold beverages and snacks in your cooler or even grab some cheap takeout because outside food is allowed. Then once the Sun goes down, tune your radio to your screens station anf just sit back and enjoy two new movies for cheaper than the price of only one at any of the other theaters.

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