Still Old School
Silver Bow Drive-In
Five miles an hour. Pick a side and stick with it.
The Story
Two-screen drive-in off I-15 south of Butte since April 1977. It opens each May with first-run movies on both screens, and the sound comes through your FM radio.
The Silver Bow Drive-In opened April 15, 1977, with Hustle and The Longest Yard. A second screen went up on July 16, 1980. It started as a Hansen family operation in 1977, and the way the family tells it, that second screen made it the first twin drive-in in Montana.
The concession stand and projection booth came out of a drive-in near Deer Lodge that ran 1949 through 1973. Drive-in recycling.
The 2025 season opened the first weekend in May. The house rules are short: 5 mph on the lot, admission good for one side only, a small fee for a cooler permit, pets welcome in the vehicle, and an FM radio for the sound.
Get there early on a summer weekend, pick a side, and stick with it. Your ticket only covers that one.
Featured in: Are there still drive-in theaters in Montana?
Why It's Still Old School
Five miles an hour on the lot, sound on the FM dial, a concession stand that came from an older drive-in near Deer Lodge, and two screens since 1980.
Photos
Coming soon. Know something that belongs here?
Still There.
- Address
- 119024 German Gulch Rd., Butte, MT, 59750
- Phone
- 406-782-8095
Sources
Got a Story About This Place?
You're Old School Montana if... you got the tandem swings at Columbia Gardens going so high your mother couldn't watch
You're Old School Montana if... spring didn't count until the drive-in west of town opened for the season
You're Old School Montana if... you can still smell the popcorn from the one-screen theater downtown
What do you say?
While You're Here
Gone, Not Forgotten · Butte · '70s
Remember This? Columbia Gardens, Where Nobody Paid at the Gate
Butte's amusement park never charged admission. It opened in 1899, closed on Labor Day 1973, and burned that November. People are still talking about the swings.
Then & Now · Butte · '20s
Then & Now: Butte's Counters, Two Comebacks and a Closed Sign
The M&M burned and reopened next door. Matt's Place went dark and came back on Placer. Pekin closed in 2026 and stayed closed. That's Butte, then and now.
Gone, Not Forgotten · Butte · '20s
Remember This? Pekin Noodle Parlor, a Century and Change Up One Flight of Stairs
Since 1911, the best seats in Uptown Butte were up a flight of stairs. Pekin Noodle Parlor, often called the country's oldest family-owned Chinese restaurant, served its last noodles in April 2026.
Still Kicking
Hotel Finlen
A hotel that's still a hotel. In Uptown Butte, that counts.
Somehow Still Here
Matt's Place
An empty drive-in is a sad thing. This one's not empty.
Somehow Still Here
M&M Bar and Cafe
After 130-some years, it moved exactly as far as it had to.