You can debate the luxuries of 4-D, surround sound, IMAX experiences, and electronic reclining chairs till the credits appear, but born-and-raised Polk County residents will tell you the best place to see a movie in town has none of those. They’ll wax poetic about the Silver Moon Drive-In, and its Americana theater experience: the smell of popcorn, a freshly baked pizza on your dash, the sound quality that can only be achieved by speakers in an enclosed space, the prices that simply cannot be beat, and of course, the double feature.
If you ask Chip Sawyer, the president of Sun South Theaters, about what he thinks makes the experience so unique he’ll say, “being at the drive-in allows you to be creative on how you watch the movies. Many people back into their spots and open their trunk to lay in the back of their vehicle… or bring their favorite outdoor chair and sit in front! People can bring their well-behaved dogs, or small children that might not be able to stay awake through a full movie.”
All of this and more is what makes the drive-in such a unique and cherished format of entertainment, and we as Central Floridians are privileged to have one such treasure still available to us.
A Bit of History
The Silver Moon Drive-In and Swap Shop has been a Lakeland staple for 76 years, opening in April of 1948 as the first of its kind in Lakeland. Originally run by I. Q. Mize and M. G. Waring, and sporting only one screen, theater goers could expect to pay only 35 cents per admission to see the Blist movies of the era, be bathed in sound from the 357 state-ofthe-art (at the time) RCA speakers, enjoy the newsreels of the day, and a short cartoon with each flick. Snacks were located at the snack bar, which was situated toward the front of the lot, and if you didn’t wish to get out of your car to order your treats, have no fear, for vendors would circulate throughout the show hawking candy, popcorn, soda pop, and other such tasty tidbits.
However, just two years after the drive-in opened, tragedy struck in the form of a tornado, which demolished the original screen and nearly took the office and one of the owners with it! Recuperating relatively quickly, an article written by the Ledger later in that year states that the Silver Moon was still one of the most well attended attractions in Lakeland at the time. With four different feature films throughout the week, I don’t find it hard to imagine that Lakelander’s of the 1950’s might be tempted out of their homes time and time again.
The Silver Moon did not acquire its trademark marquee and neon signage until 1952, when the theater’s new owner, Carl Floyd of Floyd Enterprises, took over and updated the facility with a concession stand and, all important, onsite restrooms. Two years later, another important name in the history of the Silver Moon would appear, Harold Spears. He joined the Floyd Enterprises family at the age of 25 as the manager-in-training for a Clearwater branch of the company. Spears would come to be a bigger part of the Silver Moon story in 1969, when he was named by Carl Floyd as the President of Floyd Enterprises.
After Spear’s promotion, the next two decades would bring a lot of change in ownership to the theaters, being absorbed by one larger corporation and then another. This culminated in 1996 when Mastec (who owned them at the time), began closing and selling all the drive-in theaters they had acquired. At 60 years old, Spears wasn’t yet ready to retire and still loved the theater business he and his father worked in so much that he bought the Silver Moon and Joy Lan Drive-Ins to start his own small business: Sun South Theatres.
It is thanks to Mr. Spears and his family that we still have this historic theater. Historic in more ways than one, as it has been passed on to the next generation. His grandson began working at the theater on the weekends in 2007, and over the next 10 years Chip Sawyer worked his way from concessions to manager. In 2017 after the passing of his grandfather, Sawyer was named the new President of the company, and so the legacy continues.
Today‘s Drive-In
As one of only four drive-in theaters (you read that right, FOUR!) still in operation in the Sunshine State, today’s Silver Moon boasts the traditional: two low powered radio stations which play the movies of the evening through your car speaker set up (with portable radios for rent for those who have none), as well as two screens which show a rotating selection of four flicks, seven nights a week!
There’s more thought that goes into the movie selection process than one would think, as nearly 500 movies are released each year in the United States, which actually blows my mind. With only two screens to show that surplus of films on, the staff has to be pretty selective and find the best of the best. Having asked Sawyer how walk-in theaters impact the work he does at the drive-in, he answered me by highlighting the symbiosis of walk-in versus drivein theaters. “The success of walkins is actually critical! With the vast majority of sales from movies coming from walk-ins because of the amount of locations and their higher ticket prices, without walk-in theaters, the film industry simply wouldn’t survive. And without the film industry, drive-ins wouldn’t have the first-run movies they need to survive either.”
When it comes down to it, I’d pick a double feature at the drivein over a traditional theater any day, especially after talking with their gracious staff. Ticket prices are still incredibly low ($8 for ages 10+, $3 for ages 4-9, and kids three and under are free) as the administration is just as committed now to making movie nights affordable for everyone, as they were back in 1948.
At the time of this writing, inspired by fond memories of high school dates and family movies, my partner and I went out to Silver Moon to see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Transformers One. Between our two tickets, the pizza we split, and two fountain drinks the grand total? Drumroll please… a whopping $35! Compare that to the exact same selections at the Cinemark or Lakeside 18 and you’d be looking at at least a $50 bill for the tickets alone.
The staff has done an incredible job of merging the roots of the drive-in with this more modern era, as we were enchanted by the vintage commercials that played at intermission between films. Watching a fudgsicle twirl a baton as a row of ice cream cups high step behind it, I was immediately reminded of John Travolta with greased back hair, a leather jacket, and a broken heart over Oliva Newton-John that he just had to belt out… to the chagrin of all the other couples interrupted in their canoodling. From Mountain Dew commercials from the 1960’s and the ear worm that is “Let’s All Go to the Lobby” you will be charmed and transported to a different time.
As it turns out we were lucky to get a spot that night, as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has been one of their top billed movies. Chip told me that predicting which movies will be hits with the community can sometimes be tricky, as “family-friendly blockbuster movies do best. But sometimes (as is the case with Beetlejuice), remakes of older movies or sequels can do really well, and especially around Halloween you have a lot more people who want to come out to the drive-in to watch a horror movie or two.” He confided in me that Halloween is his favorite season for the drive-in, as the staff decorates a broken down car donated by ARC Towing, and lets the screams commence in a horror marathon. This year’s line-up was Monsters OR Doom and Blum.
Other Events
There are more unique offerings that the staff present as well, with community fundraisers over the years for cancer patients, Mother’s Day double features, the Rocky Horror Picture show and many other events just as wonderful. During the initial years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Silver Moon partnered with Harrison School for the Arts to give the Motion Picture and Musical Theater departments opportunities to showcase their work on the big screen to family and friends, while also maintaining safety restrictions. This is truly a group of people who care about making their community’s life better and being a space for fun, the love poured into each parking spot is palpable.
In more creative efforts to utilize the space for the community, the staff allows patrons (who ask in advance) to project personalized messages up onto the screen before the credits roll. With things as timeless as birthday celebrations and as sentimental as a proposal, the staff has seen it all. So, pay attention to the screen even before the commercials and credits and you might just be part of someone else’s magical moment.
Starting in the 1980’s, in an effort to utilize the space when the sun is out, the theater hosts a swap shop every weekend. The vendors change from week to week, sometimes even day to day, so you never know what you might find. Hit up the downtown Winter Haven or Lakeland farmers markets on a Saturday, then swing by the Silver Moon on Sunday for your market fix and you just might head home with a treasure, or two!
So, if you’re someone who wants to support this local gem, do so with gusto! The best way is through their concessions, which are delicious, with everything from hot dogs to ice cream, soft drinks, or a chilly dill pickle if you’re hankering for a salty, crunchy bite. With a little something for everyone, the drive-in adds that perfect level of whimsy to elevate any date, family movie night, or solo outing to something you’ll remember forever.
Silver Moon Drive-In
4100 New Tampa Hwy, Lakeland
(863) 682-0849
FB @silvermoondrivein
IG @silver_moon_drive_in
