Lansing’s First Drive-In Theater: 1948-1982

It was Lansing’s very first drive-in movie theater; and it was appropriately named the Lansing Drive-In.

The theater opened on Saturday, May 29, 1948 at a location that now is difficult to fathom. Most drive-in theaters were located on the outskirts of town, but this one sat at 5509 S. Cedar Street which is currently the home of ZZs Supermarket.

Price of admission was 60 cents for adults, and kids under 12 were free.

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Surprisingly, for its location, it could hold almost one thousand cars.

The Lansing Drive-in kickstarted a wave of other movie drive-ins, like the Crest, M-78, Northside, and Starlite which opened in1948 not long after the Lansing Drive-in opened.

The ‘Lansing’ lasted 34 years, finally closing in 1982.