Playtime 3 Drive-In

6300 Blanding Boulevard,
Jacksonville, FL 32244

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Showing 1 - 25 of 35 comments

Rainbow Angels Ensemble
Rainbow Angels Ensemble on May 15, 2024 at 8:40 am

This location started out as Wesconnett DI in 1955. It became twin hills DI in 1960.

Kenmore
Kenmore on January 22, 2023 at 10:39 am

A February 2022 Google Street View shows the concession stand/projection booth along with the structure behind them as gone. You can see them in a 2021 street view, but it’s clear that they were removed between then and February 2022.

It also seems that the bottom part of the marquee is still standing. The sign on top as seen in photos is gone.

jwmovies
jwmovies on January 22, 2023 at 7:26 am

It is NOT demolished. A 2023 Google Map says otherwise!

Though overgrown, ALL ramps, concession stand, 2 of the 3 screens are intact!

Missing items: marquee, box offices, projection and 3rd screen. Please update.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on October 19, 2018 at 10:40 am

A Church(Christ Church) in the back of the drive-in lot. The snack bar and screen may still be there in the empty field?

Treadwell
Treadwell on September 7, 2018 at 9:59 pm

This should be reclassified as demolished.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on March 5, 2018 at 9:23 am

There was a fire in the vacant (projection?) building according to a local news report on March 4, 2018. No one was injured.

The report mentioned an NPR story that said a church bought the place in 2008 and stayed there through 2014 and along the way “had unusual ceremonies where old x-rated movies were burned in a fire pit.”

smithal
smithal on June 9, 2017 at 9:26 am

This place was the first place that ive ever went to to see a movie I was 4 years of age my mother took me to this place and as I was growing up I always went back to the movie drive in….until one day I was going there and it was close my heart stopped because they had the most room and space and the best food and every staff member was so nice I really want this place to reopen and if I had the money I would invest in this place and reopen it back up

wizardtroy
wizardtroy on February 10, 2016 at 3:25 pm

Wizardtroy here, Good news I hope but we will see want we. Talked to the church at the Playtime D. I. here in Jax and they have been trying to get in touch with me for sometime now. Good news has it that a very wealthy man wants to reopen it before a trucking company gets its claws in it. Will update as I go.

wizardtroy
wizardtroy on February 10, 2016 at 3:19 pm

To Vinnie, that was the Airbase Drive In that catered to the Jax Naval Air Base. It is now an 84 lumber co.

VinnieWolf
VinnieWolf on June 5, 2015 at 11:25 am

Does anyone remember a drive in on 17 it was near 95 and collins road.

miya1992
miya1992 on January 3, 2015 at 6:47 pm

Please bring it back…. it was so much fun for me growing up spending time.with the family being able to chill and lay back in your own car was the best… I would love to experience this again with my like my parents did with me

FloridaDriveIns
FloridaDriveIns on December 12, 2011 at 4:30 pm

Video from 1997: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc5vyZnPCmY

Troy Powell
Troy Powell on October 18, 2011 at 4:41 pm

There are the letters that I put up on the marquee “THEATRE CLOSED” I cried like a baby putting those letters up there. I had patrons stopping at the red light there saying “Now what are we suppose to do?” We had the best food around. Everybody cried.

Troy Powell
Troy Powell on October 18, 2011 at 4:35 pm

I was managing the gainesville d.i. in about 1986 when the owner wanted to run porn and when I installed screen 3 at the playtime. I said porn was a bad idea. We almost went bankrupt. BAD IDEA. A lot of drama because of it. Went back to first run the money rolled in.

Troy Powell
Troy Powell on August 19, 2011 at 5:27 pm

I wonder if the church ever found the secret closet upstairs yet.Oh and by the way while I’m on a roll here with butter & syrup,another one of my films that they burned,WHICH I PAID FOR IN CASH was The African Queen!!! Yep such morons.

Troy Powell
Troy Powell on August 19, 2011 at 5:21 pm

You know what really burns my grits about this church was that all this church thought that ALL those films were NOT porn.Some of those films were classic foreign clean films that can not be replaced.One of those films was mine and it was the very first bruce lee movie made.

zinniagirl
zinniagirl on February 24, 2010 at 8:09 pm

Great News!! The church that bought the old Playtime Drive In Movies Property will re-open the Wednesday flea market on March 17, 2010. The spaces will be $10-15. Hours 6am till 3pm. Please tell everyone you know about it, as we have all missed such a great shopping spot. See you there. zinniagirl

kenzster
kenzster on March 7, 2009 at 2:05 am

That’s a real shame. Please don’t give up on us as long as there is still hope.I would love to help in any way that I can so please let me know if there’s anything I can do.

nofubars
nofubars on January 19, 2009 at 7:07 am

Still waiting to hear from Clay County. However the possibilities of opening another drive-in in Clay or Duval County is not looking good. The regulations in both counties have changed so much that it might be impossible.
We looked at the Ocala Drive-In in Ocala Florida a couple of weeks ago and are looking into the possibility of re-opening it.
karen (Southern Lights)

kenzster
kenzster on December 31, 2008 at 12:16 pm

Film_dude how are things progressing with the Southern Lights drive in and flea market in Clay county idea you were working on?

KingBiscuits
KingBiscuits on November 9, 2008 at 11:29 pm

That sucks about the film. Not only the porn but Pet Sematary is one of the better Stephen King adaptations. Hell, King’s even in it.

Harvey
Harvey on November 9, 2008 at 10:43 pm

A few weeks back, the church that bought the Playtime had a publicity stunt that left me horrified.

They found, by their estimate, 100 titles of 35mm porn from the 70’s and 80’s on the property. Then they burn it for the stunt. You can read about it here.

View link

One of my biggest fears was that they’re burning non-porn films. A week after this made national news, Folio Weekly, our alternative weekly paper, went out there to speak to the Church about this. The writer was able to find pieces of the film they burned.

The film was PET SEMATARY.

PET SEMATARY played on a quadruple feature the Playtime ran in, I think, late 91 or Spring of ‘92. I definitely went but that time period is a little hazy. However, the other films they played that night were THE UNHOLY, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP and HELLHOLE, which means there’s a good chance that is all still there.

I say all still there because the writer found out that they DIDN’T burn all the films for toxic pollution environmental reasons. They contacted the city and were told they couldn’t. Folio Weekly also contacted the city fire department to find out why city fire trucks were participating in church shenanigans. No real answers, but the reverend apparently fears that someone will break in to steal them.

Harvey
Harvey on November 9, 2008 at 10:28 pm

That’s an excellent name for a drive-in! Keep us posted and I’ll be there opening night!