Mansfield Drive-In: A Piece of Living Nostalgia in Connecticut

Serving as a piece of living history is the Mansfield-Drive In, one of the last remaining drive-in movie theatres in Connecticut and in the United States.

A couple of summers ago, I visited the Mansfield Drive-In, enticed by both the prospect of enjoying a new experience and the fact of watching two movies for the price of one.

While some stayed in their vehicles like me and my girlfriend, others brought fold-up chairs or opened the back of their SUV's or vans and enjoyed the fresh night air.

Make sure you bring a blanket because it usually gets cool at night, even on a hot and humid summer's day.

Many of the people I have seen at the drive-in have just come from the beach or local park adorned with fresh sunburns, shorts and short sleeve shirts, and some still in their swimming trunks with a large shirt over top.

I was expecting many of the customers to be couples but in reality, the customer base varies and there were many families of children of all ages there enjoying a piece of nostalgia.

It seems that the drive-in theater gets to be the best place to go when temperatures warm up, usually happening at the same time when the college semesters of nearby Eastern Connecticut State University and the University of Connecticut are over.

There is usually at least one screen playing family-friendly movies.

A small wooden building greets visitors with a letter marquee board in either direction on Route 32, not far from the Route 6 Expressway and downtown Willimantic.

Further up there is a roofed drive-thru box office structure appearing eerily similar to the old toll booths that used to exist on Connecticut highways.

You pay here and receive a "Mansfield Drive-In" ticket stub, a souvenir you may want to keep a hold of to remind you of your experience.

The theatre features three large 110 foot wide screens and there are three FM frequencies one can tune to so they can listen to the movie with the same quality as modern radios with stereo and controllable bass and treble.

I would recommend bringing a portable radio in case you decide to sit outside or if your car battery dies from it being on too long.