Review: Verne Drive-In Theater, Budget Friendly and Delicious Night Out

Last year, on a visit to Blue Mounds State Park, we had the opportunity to finally spend a night out at the movies again. The twist is, it was at a drive-in. We hadn’t been to the movies in months thanks to Covid, and it was really exciting to think we could still have that experience again but in a safe way! We did a ton of research on the area we were visiting and what to do ahead of time and found the Verene Drive-In Theater. They have a great website and a Facebook Page, so make sure to check both out as you are planning. I also recommend taking a look at the picture of their menu, as it give a better idea of options and prices.

It’s All About the Journey

We had never been to a drive-in as a family before so I was a bit nervous about the how-tos and whens of it all. It turns out I was worried for absolutely nothing, but I will give you the run down in case you are like me and worried too. Based on the sunset time for each day they are open, they will post a gate open time on Facebook. You should arrive a few minutes early to make sure you get a good spot. Pull up to a booth and pay $7 per person in your vehicle over 7 years old. Then you will pull in and pick your spot with several rows and plenty of space. If you do not want to be in your car, there are also picnic tables in the grassy area in front of the screen. Tune into a specific radio station for you to be able to hear the audio and they even have glass cleaning buckets and squeegees if your windshield needs to be cleaned. The website features a list of rules to go over the nitty gritty, but these are the basics of getting into the space. I would recommend bringing some lawn chairs if the weather is nice, as well as blankets, pillows, and pjs if you are bringing the kiddos with (or if you just like to cuddle and watch movies!)

Delicious Food Options

Having seen the menu ahead of time and loving the variety of options and reasonable prices, we were really excited to eat out at the movies! We tried quite a few different items and our absolute favorite was the Pork Shanks! You can see hubby eating them in the picture above. You get three for $6 and we thought that was well worth the price. Honestly, if we hadn’t ordered several things to try, we would have ordered a few more of these instead! The kids loved that they ordered from the menu just like us instead of a kids meal. W thought his corn dog was amazing and ate it very quickly! We tried several other options and found them all to be tasty movie treats, but not anything particularly special, except for how reasonably priced they were! We were able to order way more food then we normally would at the movies and have a great meal while we were waiting for the movies to start, all for way less than we would normally pay! I cannot say enough how amazing the food and pricing was, seriously!

Family Bonding Time

After our meal we still had some time before the movie started so we ended up playing cards and talking. It was a great way to spend some time together. Having the cards helped the kids keep from asking non-stop when the movies would start, so make sure you bring something to do as well. They played music on the radio station while we were waiting which was a nice touch lots of old hits we sang along with. As the movies began, we all settled in and had an awesome time! We even went and got more snacks during the first movie. The screen was easy to see and the audio was great being piped into the car. I was nervous about this to begin with, but it worked super well. We did need to remove our headrests for the kids to see and cover our dashboard with a sweatshirt to get rid of the extra light, but it was very easy to make those two changes. I will say, without reservations, that I had no idea the value of doing two movies in one sitting for only $7 per person. We were there ALL NIGHT! It was amazing! I fell asleep a lot during the second movie, which was actually kind of perfect! It was a great way to spend the night as a family.

Why are you still reading? Get to the Movies!

Beyond the amazing food and affordability for every aspect of the evening, this is also a small business you are supporting. They are locally owned and have many employees manning the various stations. It was worth every single penny we spent and we had such an amazing time. If you are in the southwest corner of Minnesota and have an evening to spare, go to the movies at Verne Drive-In! You will not be sorry and will likely want to come back and thank me for giving you such good advice. Just kidding. But still, you should check out this amazing local business. Tell me below if you have been here before and how it went!