The Greenville Drive-In, located in the Northern Catskills, in Greenville, NY is currently up for sale or lease. It is one of only 28 remaining drive-ins in New York State. The drive-in was built in 1955 and has been open each year up until 2011. The current owners would love to see it reopened. Its screen and projectors were updated two years ago, and although it currently is a single screener, there is plenty of acreage for two or possibly three screens. If interested, contact Barbara Brumell at barbara@heartlandupstate.com. 07-11

Greenville Drive-in Theatre
Greenville, NY
Photo courtesy Barbara Brumell

There’s something about an empty drive-in that makes you wonder if the movies will ever return. The big screen was still standing along Route 32 in the Northern Catskills, the entrance was still there, and there was plenty of open space for cars. But when this shot was taken, the Greenville Drive-In was quiet and looking for someone to give it another chance.

Greenville Theatre Screen
Greenville, NY
Photo courtesy Barbara Brumell

The Greenville opened in 1959, back when drive-ins were still popping up along highways and outside small towns all over New York. This was the kind of place where you could pull in before dark, find a good spot facing the screen and settle in for a couple of movies under the stars. For more than 50 years, that's pretty much what happened here every summer.

Then the screen went dark after the 2011 season.

Greenville Drive-in Ticket Booth
Greenville, NY
Photo courtesy Barbara Brumell

For a while, the Greenville was up for sale or lease, and its future wasn't looking all that certain. Fortunately, most of the important pieces were still here. The big screen remained standing, the projection equipment had been updated, and there was enough acreage that another screen or two could have been added someday. All it really needed was somebody willing to open the gates again.

That finally happened in 2015. New owners Dwight Grimm and Leigh Van Swall brought the Greenville back to life, but didn't try to turn it into something completely different. Movies returned to the screen, while a beer garden, outdoor patio and live entertainment gave people a few more reasons to arrive before sunset and stick around.

The Snack Bar
Greenville, NY
Photo courtesy Barbara Brumell

And then this little Catskills drive-in picked up a bit of fame that probably nobody sitting here during the 1960s could have imagined.

Take a close look at the screen and Taylor Swift fans might recognize it. The Greenville Drive-In screen appears in the official lyric video for her song “this is me trying.” With millions of people seeing that video around the world, the Greenville has since been called the “world’s most viewed drive-in screen.” Not bad for an old roadside movie screen sitting along Route 32.

More Snack Bar
Greenville, NY
Photo courtesy Barbara Brumell

The theater even holds Taylor Swift appreciation events celebrating the connection. Drive-ins have always had their share of teenagers hanging around on summer nights, but this probably wasn't quite what the original owners had in mind back in 1959.

There was another intermission in 2025 when the Greenville remained closed for the season. Once again, though, the dark screen didn't mean the end of the show.

UPDATE: The Greenville Drive-in Theater hasn't re-opened this season yet because of money problems. They are having flea markets and fundraisers now to be able to buy a digital projector for next season. Many thanks to David Hughes for update. 07-13

UPDATE: The Greenville Drive-In reopened on May 15, 2026, with first-run movies, double features and classics once again flickering across the big outdoor screen. More than 65 years after cars first started pulling through the gates, you can still find a spot, wait for the sun to disappear behind the Catskills and watch the screen light up. 08-26

Here are more photos of the drive-in theatre.

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