Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
🎵 The soundtrack to Santa Cruz summer starts May 29. Event Santa Cruz Midtown Fridays returns with FREE live music every Friday through Aug 28. Full lineup + info: eventsantacruz.com/event/event-santa-cruz-midtown-fridays-summer-block-party-2026
This aerial footage ( 🎥 By Bruno Guitarras - instagram.com/bruno.guitarras ) shows the former site of the Santa Cruz Drive-In — once known as the Skyview Drive-In, a local landmark that brought movies, community, and memories together for nearly 60 years.
Originally opened in 1949 as the Encina Drive-In, it became a go-to spot for families, date nights, and weekend flea markets. At its peak, it even expanded to multiple screens as drive-in culture thrived across California.
The theater officially closed on December 2, 2007, after the property was sold for the expansion of a nearby medical facility — marking the end of an era for Santa Cruz.
Today, the screens are gone, but the history is still here.
Do you remember going to the Santa Cruz drive-in?
What movies did you see here?
Drop your memories in the comments 👇
📅 Key timeline (use this in your video/description)
Opened: May 27, 1949 as the Encina Drive-In
Peak era: 1950s–70s (expanded to multiple screens by 1971)
Rebranded: Became the Skyview Drive-In
Unique feature: Also operated as a flea market by day (huge local hangout)
Final day: December 2, 2007
That marked ~58 years of operation
The land was sold for redevelopment
Specifically to expand a nearby Sutter Health medical facility
Community actually tried to save it (petitions, historic landmark push)
Screens were demolished around 2008
The site was later:
Used as a swap meet / flea market for years
Eventually cleared / held for medical development
📍 Santa Cruz, California
🎵 The soundtrack to Santa Cruz summer starts May 29. Event Santa Cruz Midtown Fridays returns with FREE live music every Friday through Aug 28. Full lineup + info: eventsantacruz.com/event/event-santa-cruz-midtown-fridays-summer-block-party-2026
This aerial footage ( 🎥 By Bruno Guitarras - instagram.com/bruno.guitarras ) shows the former site of the Santa Cruz Drive-In — once known as the Skyview Drive-In, a local landmark that brought movies, community, and memories together for nearly 60 years.
Originally opened in 1949 as the Encina Drive-In, it became a go-to spot for families, date nights, and weekend flea markets. At its peak, it even expanded to multiple screens as drive-in culture thrived across California.
The theater officially closed on December 2, 2007, after the property was sold for the expansion of a nearby medical facility — marking the end of an era for Santa Cruz.
Today, the screens are gone, but the history is still here.
Do you remember going to the Santa Cruz drive-in?
What movies did you see here?
Drop your memories in the comments 👇
📅 Key timeline (use this in your video/description)
Opened: May 27, 1949 as the Encina Drive-In
Peak era: 1950s–70s (expanded to multiple screens by 1971)
Rebranded: Became the Skyview Drive-In
Unique feature: Also operated as a flea market by day (huge local hangout)
Final day: December 2, 2007
That marked ~58 years of operation
The land was sold for redevelopment
Specifically to expand a nearby Sutter Health medical facility
Community actually tried to save it (petitions, historic landmark push)
Screens were demolished around 2008
The site was later:
Used as a swap meet / flea market for years
Eventually cleared / held for medical development
📍 Santa Cruz, California
