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Laurel Drive-In
1070 Washington Blvd. (US 1), Laurel, Md.
capacity: 800 cars, plus a 250-seat patio viewing area
years of operation: 1966-84
currently: Laurel Commerce Center

Of the four Wineland drive-ins, this was the only one actually built by the chain itself. Bucking traditional wisdom by its location in the main commercial corridor of Laurel, across from the Laurel Shopping Center (where George Wallace was shot in May 1972!), it cost a whopping $650,000 to build, including a 10,000 square-foot concession/projection building. The drive-in originally offered motorized golf carts (the "special shuttle service" described below) to transport walk-ins to their patio seats. It was big on family fare such as Disney and E.T.

Click here for an interactive 1980 aerial photo of the Laurel (zoom in or out, or compare to older or newer photos of the same site).

Click here to see the USGS map of the drive-in and surrounding area, from 1979. (The drive-in is not labeled as such, but is recognizable by the short vertical line [the screen] at the east end of the large polygonal area in the middle of the map.)

Below: the opening night ad from June 16, 1966.

Below: the drive-in in October 1984, shortly after it closed down. Note the playground under the screen.

Above photos by Ed Bunyan. © 1984 The Laurel Leader; used by permission.

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