Tonto Drive-in Theatre (1998)
Winslow, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Off the I-40 and historic Route 66 corridor on the far west end of Winslow, Arizona, stands an old remnant of an entertainment past. In this case, that entertainment belongs to the Tonto Drive-In Theater, a classic open-air desert "ozoner" that once welcomed carloads of moviegoers under the wide-open northern Arizona sky.

Opening its gates in 1951, the 13-acre, single-screen theater was operated for much of its lifespan by the prominent Nace Theatres circuit, which ran entertainment houses across the state. Designed with terraced dirt ramps to accommodate roughly 300 automobiles, the drive-in sat in a classic roadside setting on West 3rd Street, positioned directly alongside an early dirt-and-asphalt alignment of the Mother Road and nestled right next to the busy Santa Fe railway tracks.

Tonto screen tower next to the rail track (1998)
Winslow, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The screen tower at the Tonto was removed around 2005

On warm summer nights, movie audio piped through heavy metal in-car window speakers would often compete with the rumble of passing freight trains, making for a uniquely rugged Arizona drive-in experience. For nearly four decades, it served as the prime weekend social hub for Winslow families, railroad workers, and local teens looking for double features, hot buttered popcorn, and a fun night out under the stars.

The ticket booth (1998) was demolished in the 2000s
Winslow, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

As indoor multiplexes grew and home video reshaped moviegoing habits in the late 1980s, the Tonto finally shut down its projectors for good in 1988. Throughout the 1990s, the abandoned theater stood like a cinematic ghost town frozen in time. While weeds and sagebrush overtook the ramps, the iconic tall wooden single-screen tower, the central ticket booth, and rows of empty speaker posts remained remarkably intact, greeting interstate drivers and Route 66 explorers with one of the most striking, photogenic roadside ruins in the Southwest.

The slow march of progress and utility expansion eventually altered the property. In the early 2000s, the old ticket booth was torn down, and around 2005 the towering wooden screen frame was finally cut down and removed to clear the grounds.

Former ticket booth (1998)
Winslow, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE : The Tonto was operated by Nance and had a capacity of 300 cars. Many thanks to Andy Callahan for update.

UPDATE : The screen and ticket booth have both been razed and are now just a memory. At this point, just the marquee remains, but for how long?

UPDATE: The old marquee still stands as of 2020. The location is now the site of an Arizona Department of Transportation facility. 11-20

UPDATE: Today, the original screen and theater buildings are completely gone, and the cleared parcel has been repurposed for an Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) maintenance facility and yard. Amazingly, the weathered, sun-bleached original metal marquee sign still survives out front, standing alone in the arid field along West 3rd Street as an enduring, solitary monument to Winslow's Route 66 drive-in heyday. 08-26

Tonto Drive-in Theatre (1998)
Winslow, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Tonto Drive-in marquee has been standing the test of time over at least the 20 plus years that I have seen it. Back in the late 1990s, it appeared the drive-in theater was about to be razed over like so many other ozoners across the country, especially as land values continued to rise and big box retailers were clamoring to build upon as much open land as possible. The ticket booth was still here in the lat 90s as well as the screen tower. Writing was on the wall when the screen tower was taken down and the ticket booth demolished.

The Tonto Drive-In theater first opened for business in 1951 and was a central hub for folks looking for outdoor theater entertainment around the Winslow area. The drive-in closed in 1988.

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