Where to See Outdoor Movies in Tampa Bay

As Florida residents, we are lucky to have a climate that is just perfect. It allows us to take part in outdoor activities and events year-round. A great family-friendly activity is enjoying outdoor movies in public parks or drive-in movie theaters around Tampa Bay.

The best part about the special screenings in public parks is that they’re free! You just need to bring your blankets, lawn chairs, picnic baskets, your family, and even your friendly and well-behaved fur kids.

1) Tampa Theatre is providing us with parkCINEMA, a series of free, new and old, family-friendly outdoor movies in three different parks. Here is the list of the screenings:

• Black Panther – Saturday, Feb. 2 at River Tower Park at 7:00 pm

• Coco – Saturday, Feb. 16 at Al Lopez Park at 7:00 pm

• Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – Saturday, March 16 at River Tower Park at 8:00 pm

• The Little Mermaid – Friday, March 29 at Julian B. Lane Park at 8:00 pm

• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – Saturday, Apr. 13 at Al Lopez Park at 8:00 pm

2) Friends of Tampa Recreation, Inc. is providing us with Movies in the Park, where you can enjoy outdoor movies at Water Works Park every Saturday at sunset in April and October. The April movies are as followed:

• Black Panther – Saturday, Apr. 6 at 7:00 pm
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Saturday, Apr. 13 at 7:00 pm
• Peter Rabbit – Saturday, Apr. 20 at 7:00pm
• Wall-E – Saturday, Apr. 27 at 7:00 pm

3) A little further, in Clearwater Beach, you can enjoy Sunset Cinema at Pier 60, where they show free movies every Friday and Saturday at dusk. What better way to end a fun beach day with the family than watching a family-friendly movie at the pier for free! Check out their website for the upcoming list of films.

4) Last but not least, here’s a list of drive-in theaters for cheap, enjoyed in the comfort of your own car and one that you can enjoy movies while soaking in a pool. Keep in mind that most of these drive-in theaters accept cash only. Food and snacks are available for purchase at the venues.

• FunLan Drive-In Theater at 2302 E. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, FL 33610. Movies start at 7:00 pm nightly. Movie ticket prices for children 0-4 are free, children 5-11 are $2 each, and ages 12 and up are $7 each.
  
• Ruskin Family Drive-In Theatre at 5011 U.S. Hwy 41 North, Ruskin, FL 33572. The box office opens at 6:30 pm on Friday and Saturday and at 7:00 on Sunday-Thursday. Prices are $6 for ages 9 and up, $1 for ages 5-8, and free for children under 4 years old. For that admission price you get to enjoy not one, but two movies back to back, with a 10-15 minute intermission in between
• Silver Moon Drive-In Theatre at 4100 New Tampa Hwy, Lakeland, FL 33815. Ages 10 and above are $5, ages 4-9 are $2, and ages under 3 are free. They have two screens, and each screen has a double feature seven nights a week.
  
• Joy-Lan Drive-in Theatre at 16414 U.S. 301, Dade City, FL 33523. Ages 10 and above are $5, ages 4-9 are $2, and ages under 3 are free. They are open Wednesday-Sunday and gates open 30 minutes before showtime.
• Live It Dive-In Movies at St. Pete Beach Recreation Center in their Junior Olympic sized pool, located at 7701 Boca Ciega Dr., St Pete Beach, FL 33706. Their screenings start on June 1st and will be shown every other Saturday in the summer months. Tickets go on sale at 7:00 pm, and gates open at 8:00 pm. Admission is $5 per person.

If you know of any more, please add them to the comments below. I hope you get to enjoy some of these movies in the great outdoors with your family, I know I will!