Category Archives: California

Feb. 4: Van Buren Drive-In Theatre, Riverside CA

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It’s Day 35 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and today’s drive is one of the shortest. I visited the Riverside CA’s second drive-in, the Van Buren.

Why didn’t I cover two drive-ins in the same city in one day, the way I did with Tyler last month? Unlike that situation, neither of Riverside’s drive-ins specialize in adult movies. And considering my goal of watching 200 movies in 365 days, I need to take advantage of every active winter drive-in that I come across.

According to the official Van Buren web site, it opened in 1964 at the site of a former orange ranch with a single screen. The theatre was expanded to three screens in 1975, and was substantially remodeled in 2007. It converted to digital projection in 2015.

The Van Buren site also states a theory that I’ve been hearing more often: “Like most drive-ins, the Van Buren was not built to last more than a decade before it was redeveloped, for a higher value, in the booming Southern California real estate market.” I’m sure that some drive-in owners had that in mind, but many others really planned to hang around longer than a mere decade.

The Van Buren is owned by the same folks who own the Rubidoux across town, which accounts for a similar snack bar speciality: carne asada nachos.

I had seen two of the Van Buren’s early shows, so I chose the third, Rings.

Miles Today / Total:  10 / 4589 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Rings / 25

Nearby Restaurant: After days of comfort food, it was time to try something challenging. There are several restaurants in a strip mall adjacent to the drive-in, and the one I chose was Morefire Thai Cuisine. I had the pineapple curry with spicy red chili paste partly extinguished by coconut milk. Yum!

Where I Virtually Stayed: After a few nights in a row away from my favorite chain hotels, I sought refuge in the familiarity of the Hampton Inn. It’s pretty close to the drive-in, and I knew what to expect in my room and for breakfast. I was glad to be back, knee-deep in the positive sameness of Hampton.

Only in Riverside: According to KABC, Riverside is home to perhaps the oldest navel orange tree in the world. It’s the Parent Navel Orange Tree, California Historical Landmark No. 20, one of the two original navel orange trees planted in 1873. Navel oranges have no seeds, so growers used cuttings to start navel orange groves throughout southern California. Every navel orange grown and eaten in California is a descendant of this tree. According to Roadside America, the tree lives in a tiny fenced-in park with a marker and its own parking area.

Next Stop: Santee Drive-In Theatre, Santee CA.

Feb. 3: Rubidoux Drive-In Theatre, Riverside CA

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It’s Day 34 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, with one last (almost) two-hour drive, this time from Twentynine Palms CA to the Rubidoux Drive-In Theatre in Riverside. Now that I’m in the greater Los Angeles area, I’m looking forward to a lot less time on the road.

The Rubidoux, which calls itself “the last of the classic drive-in theatres remaining in Southern California,” opened in November 1948 with room for about 700 cars. It offered “a variety of pre-show entertainment,” including a miniature railroad, playground, and petting zoo. The screen was widened (for wider movies) in the mid 1950s, then the Rubidoux added two more screens in 1983.

Unlike too many other drive-ins, the Rubidoux specifically tells patrons that they are welcome to bring their own drinks and snacks. I’ve often thought that (a) it’s too easy to sneak in food for a ban to really work, and (b) if you can’t interest your captive audience in buying your offerings, you should reconsider what you’re selling. To support each drive-in, I always buy popcorn and a drink, since they’re typically the highest-margin products. I also like to try what’s different at each snack bar, and this one featured carne asada nachos.

I had seen all three of the Rubidoux’s early movies, so I had to pick which of them I’d rather see again. I chose Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, so that should make it even final-er.

Miles Today / Total:  95 / 4579 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter / 24

Nearby Restaurant: After my great, not so cheap, experience at the 29 Palms Inn, I was looking for something economical. Although it’s a fast food chain, albeit regional, Farmer Boys tends to focus on healthier entrees. A nice salad was good penance for my indulgence the night before.

Where I Virtually Stayed: It’s not often that my choice will be an Americas Best Value Inn, but I needed to balance my budget after the previous night’s expenditure in Twentynine Palms, plus this location had good reviews. Everything turned out fine, with a mini-fridge in the room and a little something to eat in the morning.

Only in Riverside: According to KABC, Riverside quarry workers discovered a 340-ton solid piece of granite. An artist worked with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to acquire the boulder, called “The Rock,” for $120,000. A 200-foot trailer with 200 wheels carried it for eight nights (to avoid tying up traffic), and the “Levitated Mass” exhibit debuted at the LACMA in June 2012.

Next Stop: Van Buren Drive-In Theatre, Riverside CA.

Feb. 2: Smith’s Ranch Drive-In Theater, Twentynine Palms CA

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Smith's Ranch marquee eerily lit at night

photo by v snow from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 33 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and I finally made it to California. It took a four hour ride from the Phoenix area to reach the Smith’s Ranch Drive-In Theater of Twentynine Palms, in the shadow of Joshua Tree National Park.

This is your basic ancient, small-town, single screen drive-in. The Smith’s Ranch opened in 1954, and thanks in part to traffic from park visitors and a marine base, it’s still going strong.

Smith’s Ranch wins the low cost competition so far – admission for the double feature was just $5. The concession stand was basic, with hot dogs and popcorn, but the prices were good.

My timing worked out great tonight. I arrived in Twentynine Palms on a Thursday, and the Smith’s Ranch is one of the few drive-ins with a Thursday to Sunday schedule. The early movie was one I’d already seen, but that beats the heck out of a dark screen.

Miles Today / Total:  275 / 4484 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Split / 23

Nearby Restaurant: Not only does it have great atmosphere, looking out over Joshua Tree National Park, the 29 Palms Inn has some great food. Butternut squash hummus, other vegetarian dishes, or steak and lobster if that’s what I wanted for dinner. Add some live music and those great views, and I’ll try not to feel guilty about how much I paid.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The restaurant experience was so nice that I wanted to stay all night, so I also got a room at the 29 Palms Inn. After the cookie-cutter efficiency of the nice chain hotels, I was glad to have another night where the rooms don’t all look the same. I slept in an adobe bungalow with a fireplace, then enjoyed homemade sourdough bread in the morning. There aren’t any chains that can give me an experience like that.

Tiny World Famous Crochet Museum

photo by Kathy Drasky

Only in Twentynine Palms: Just up the Twentynine Palms Highway in the town of Joshua Tree, you’ll find the World Famous Crochet Museum. Artist Shari Elf took an old one-hour photo booth, painted it lime green, filled it with little crochet pieces, and gave it this name. According to its web site, HSBC is using a photo of the museum in a “favours the unorthodox” ad campaign in airports around the world. Which matches that whole World Famous part, of course.

Next Stop: Rubidoux Drive-In Theatre, Riverside CA.