Town & Country Drive-In
2902 Vogel Street,
Abilene,
TX
79603
2902 Vogel Street,
Abilene,
TX
79603
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Architects: Harvey A. Jordan
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
325.677.9899
Nearby Theaters
The Town & Country Drive-In opened on June 21, 1956. It was constructed at a cost of over $250,000. At the time it was the largest drive-in in Texas accommodating 1,500 cars.
It had four incoming traffic lanes and boasted a roof top garden area over the concession stand. The garden had about 200 seats if you preferred to sit up there instead of in your car. It had a massive playground for the children including an electric ferris wheel.
It closed in 1981 and remained closed until it was resurrected on July 7, 2000 and a second screen was added. It is open year round with double features. Audio is provided on DTS FM stereo radio. Admission is $5 per person 12 and up and $2.50 for children 6-11. By 2018 two more screens had been added.
It suffered damage by vandals in October 2022 and was closed. A volunteer group has been formed to restore the theatre and get it reopened. It was put up ‘For Sale’ in March 2024.
Contributed by
Chuck Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
This opened on June 21st, 1956
The ad claimed that had the largest drive-in in Texas with 1,457 screen, 110ft wide screen, 20 acres of paving, one mile of fence etc… and a kiddyland with an ferris wheel, merry go round etc…
Great opening ad (2 pages) at
View link
I wondered if this is the Town and Country in Abilene? Is this a good deal? I wonder how much money it makes on a busy night?
Operational Drive-in Theatre for sale – $89900 (West Texas)
Date: 2010-11-22, 10:06AM CST
Reply to: [Errors when replying to ads?]
This theatre has been in business since 1954 with a new screen in 1999. Located in the heart of incredible hunting country in West Texas. Two revenue streams support this business with a third revenue stream already in the works. The infrastructure has been streamlined to reduce payroll expenses and this location enjoys some of the best utility and building zoning perks in Texas.
This single screen operational drive-in movie theatre could be twinned with a very small investment, expanding the audience and lowering the cost of providing content. In 2009, services expanded to include serving lunch during the week, providing an opportunity to serve a much wider customer base. We are known for the best burger in the area. The only competition for lunch or dinner service within a 12 mile radius is a convenience store. And we draw from as much as 20 miles away for lunch and 60 miles away for our movie business.
Because it’s in beautiful hunting and farming country, there is a need for rv spaces in the area and a 6 space pull through rv lot is planned for this theatre. With a very small investment 6 pull through spaces with water, electric and septic dump on each site could be completed in a matter of days. Currently it supports two to four spots with electric service only, in addition to the motor home that is on the property that is included in the sale. During deer hunting season the entire county is overrun with hunters from the Metroplex and West Texas.
This is a turn-key business. There’s no lease to pay. If you buy it, you own it. It includes a motor home for living quarters and training on the equipment, industry contacts, etc. You will find that if you have a desire and are willing to work, the people in this industry are some of the most helpful and generous strangers you will ever meet. If you’re interested in small town living, this is the place for you.
The asking price is $89,900, OBO. To build from scratch you could easily spend $25,000-$40,000 just on a screen and this is a 70 x 35 foot screen made of steel, in excellent condition. Building material and land costs could easily run that amount before adding projection and kitchen equipment.
Please â€" no Lookey Loos, only serious buyers with resources. Photos available.
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Thank you
The Town and Country drive in has 2 screens. Always did.
Added some pictures from there FB page.
This drive-in was built by and operated by C.D. Leon
Billboard – Mar 17, 1956 – Page 70 – Google Books Result https://books.google.com/books?id=8x4EAAAAMBAJ
Went by the Town and Country on July 18th hoping to see a movie, but they are only open Friday through Sunday during the summer. I haven’t been by the drive in a few years, the outside of the concession building doesn’t look as nice as it used to. They have added two small screens, which are back to back of each other, to the left of the ticket booth as you enter the lot. There is nothing separating the screens from each other. The two lot areas are small with their own projection building.
The Monitor of McAllen TX, on July 15, 2000, wrote about the history of the Town & Country, saying that it reopened July 7 that year “after almost 20 years of darkness”.
The article said the drive-in opened June 21, 1956, with a capacity over 1450. “At the time, it was billed as the largest drive-in in the Southwest.” It was then owned by C.D. “Toad” Leon of Abilene. He said, “I had moved to Abilene and was here a year without any visible means of support and they were going to arrest me for vagrancy, so I built the drive-in.”
The Town and Country was vandalized October 2022 is closed until further notice. Vandals broke into the concession building and projection room and damaged equipment as well as the expensive projectors. Fast forward to June 2023, a Facebook page has been created, “Show Up Big Country! (Get the Drive-In Thriving!)” by a group of local volunteers trying to get the property cleaned up, repairs made and donations to the drive in back up and running again. So far they have done a lot of cleanup work with the help of many volunteers.
From the “Show Up Big Country” Facebook page, they stated that the drive in has been put up for sale.