1. What’s up with the orange cones in some of the parking spots on the weekends (AKA - How do I get a reserved parking spot?)?

2. When is the movie information going to be updated on your website?

3. We’ve never been here before. What do we do?

4. Now that I've paid, do I get to stay for both movies?

5. What’s this flyer I got when I paid?

6. What’s the trash-bag for?

7. What do you mean by ’high-rise’ and ’low-rise’ vehicles?

8. Why do you care if my car is a ’high-rise’ or ’low-rise’ vehicle?

9. What’s up with the white poles and the orange poles?

10. May we bring our pets?

11. Do you take Debit or Credit cards?

12. May we bring our own food and drinks?

13. Does that include alcohol?

14. May we leave and go to Schnucks next door?

15. Wow, there’s a lot of space between these poles for us to really spread out!

16. There are two people at a card table in front of the box office building. What are they doing?

17. Why don’t we go through the side-gate anymore?

18. What happened to the guy out front that would sort the cars by size?

19. It’s raining! Do I get a rain check?

20. What about if there are severe storms, lightning, tornados, hail, extreme cold or heat?

21. Why is your staff telling me to move my car?

22. What if I don’t want to move?

23. Why isn’t the playground open during the intermission?

24. What if I want to see the first movie on one screen and the second movie on the other screen?

25. Do I need a car? Can I walk in?

26. Am I required to sit in my car?

27. What happened to the speakers?

28. Do I have to run my car for the radio to be on?

29. Isn’t running my radio going to drain my car’s battery?

30. The movies are over and now my battery is dead! What do I do?

31. I forgot my radio! Do you have any?

32. What is the best way to get to the Skyview from St. Louis?

33. How often do you show your movies a night?

34. Why hasn’t the movie started?

35. How often are you open?

36. Do you give Military/Student/Senior Citizen discounts?

37. Do you have any job openings?

38. Can you suggest any hotels nearby?

What’s up with the orange cones in some of the parking spots on the weekends (AKA - How do I get a reserved parking spot?)?

Skyview Drive-In is now offering its customers the opportunity to purchase up to a maximum of five (5) reserved spots per SCREEN, on Friday and Saturday nights for $10 each! Additional spots may be made available, depending upon crowd levels.

If you would like to book and purchase a reserved spot, you will need to send an email to skyviewdrivein@att.net as soon as the bookings have been finalized and posted on the website, Facebook, Google, or emails have been sent out. The following information must be included, or your request will be returned to you.

• The NIGHT (i.e., the date) you wish to attend.
• The TITLE of the movie you wish to see.
• The YEAR/MAKE/MODEL of your vehicle.

When is the movie information going to be updated on your website?

Our movie information is usually available and updated by the end of the business day on Monday nights for the upcoming Friday's schedule.  On most occasions, we do not have any information about NEW and upcoming films until that time.  The best way to keep up with the movies we are showing is to watch the website or sign up for our Facebook updates.  The webmaster does not have access to this information any faster than we do.

We’ve never been here before? What do we do?
The box office is at the end of the lane to the left of Schnucks. There you will tell the box office attendant what movie you wish to see and pay the admission fee. You should receive a ticket for every paid admission, a color-coded flyer and a trash bag. The attendant will direct you to the screen showing your movies and where to park when you get there.

Now that I've paid, do I get to stay for both movies?

Yes!  The drive-in is still one of the best deals around for movie entertainment.  You get to see TWO features for the price of one.

What’s this flyer I got when I paid?
That flyer is chock full of information necessary for survival at the Skyview. First, and foremost, the color of the flyer delineates what color pole you should park at (yes, you're in Southern Illinois, where we end our sentences with prepositions!).

White flyers mean you have a ’low-rise’ vehicle and should park at a white pole. An orange flyer means you have a ’high-rise’ vehicle and should park at an orange pole. The flyer also lists the FM radio station you will need to tune in to hear the film’s audio. There is also information about the playground and on the back is a map of the drive-in and where all of the white and orange poles are located (the orange poles are circled).

What’s the trash-bag for?
Trash. Rubbish. Refuse.
We ask that for the safety of our guests and staff that you take it with you and discard your trash at home until it has been determined that we have returned to normal health and safety standards as stated by the CDC.

What do you mean by ’high-rise’ and ’low-rise’ vehicles?
The definition used by the Skyview staff is: if your mode of transportation is shorter than the DRIVE-IN owner’s chin (in case you were wondering, he's just under 5'10" tall), you are a low-rise vehicle. Anything taller is a high-rise vehicle. Unfortunately the constant pull of gravity during his many years has caused this definition to shrink some; it currently stands at approximately five feet, five inches. Most vans, trucks, SUV’s and Urban Assault vehicles fall into the ’high-rise’ category. There are a few small trucks that will fall into the ’low-rise’ category and the current batches of ’cross-over’ vehicles are a real conundrum.

Why do you care if my car is a ’high-rise’ or ’low-rise’ vehicle?
It has to do with the geometry of the sight-lines. We want to ensure all patrons can see the movie from their cars, so we delineate where the different sized vehicles park. This keeps, for instance, a large conversion van from being in front of a Mini Cooper and completely blocking their view. Currently the theater is about 60%-40% high rise to low rise parking spaces. When the current screen was built in the early 80’s, not many people owned tall vehicles and those that did were relegated to the back of the theater. If it had been built only about 10 feet taller, there would be no issue. It wasn’t, so we have to restrict parking to ensure all patrons are able to clearly see the screen.

What’s up with the white poles and the orange poles?
The white poles are for the ’low-rise’ vehicles. The orange are for the ’high-rise’ vehicles. Please see the above definition for what a ’high-rise’ or ’low-rise’ vehicle means.

May we bring our pets?
Yes.  Pets must be on a leash and mind their manners.  Please clean up after them.  The Drive-In is mostly a rocky surface so you may want to bring a blanket or pad for them to lie on during the movie if they are not going to stay in your car.

Do you take Debit or Credit cards?
Box Office - NO. we are Cash ONLY

Concession Stand - Debit and/or Credit Cards

May we bring our own food and drinks?
Sure! Grills are not allowed (due to the fire hazard) so if a hot hamburger is the only thing to satisfy your hunger, we have a full menu in our concession stand.

Does that include alcohol?
Yes, consumption of alcohol by persons of legal drinking age is permitted on the property. We DO NOT sell alcoholic beverages. Please drink responsibly and have a designated driver. Any patron who gets unruly will be asked to leave by either Skyview Staff or the Belleville Police Department, depending on exactly how unruly you’ve become.

May we leave and go to Schnucks next door?
Yes, you may walk over to Schnucks.  Keep the ticket you were given when you paid our admission fee with you at all times and there will be no hassles getting back in.

Wow, there’s a lot of space between these poles for us to really spread out!
No, there is not.  The poles have adequate space between them for two vehicles to park in between each. Anyone taking up more than that will be asked to move their vehicle closer to one of the poles.

There are two people at a card table in front of the box office building. What are they doing?
Selling tickets. When we think we are going to be busy, we sell tickets from the card table as well as the box office shack. Having four people selling tickets allows us to get twice as many patrons in the same amount of time and hopefully keeps the line of cars off the Belt-line, which keeps the Belleville Police Department happy.

Why don’t we go through the side-gate anymore?
Progress. An off-season brainstorm led us to open the second ’box office’ at a card table in front of the box office shack. Now we have four people selling tickets instead of three when we used the side gate. Also, confusion is reduced as all patrons now go to the same location.

What happened to the guy out front that would sort the cars by size?
He was abducted by aliens and has yet to be returned. Until that time, drive down the lane to the box office shack and purchase your tickets there or the card table in front of the shack.

It’s raining!  Do I get a rain check?
No. Our policy is that as long as we can still play the movie, we will not give out rain-checks or refunds.  Patrons can still sit in their cars and watch the movie.  Should the weather cause an event that we can no longer play the first movie (i.e. power-failure) rain checks or refunds will be distributed.  No rain checks will be given out after the second movie has started.

What about if there are severe storms, lightning, tornados, hail, extreme cold or heat?
Patrons should check the weather forecast before coming to the Drive-In.  If there is severe weather predicted, you might want to visit us on a different night.  We’ll understand.  See the question above about rain-checks.

Why is your staff telling me to move my car?
You’ve either parked your tall vehicle at a short vehicle pole, your short vehicle at a tall vehicle pole or between the poles and are taking up two spaces. Please comply with the instructions of our staff.

What if I don’t want to move?
If a patron will not comply with the instructions of the Skyview Staff, we will be compelled to call the Belleville Police Department to mediate the situation or remove the offending patron.

Why isn’t the playground open during the intermission?
The playground is open from the opening of the box office until 5 minutes before the start of the first show.  The lights above Screen 1 are not lit during the intermission, so it would be unsafe for kids to play in the dark.  Anyone jumping the fence after the playground is closed will be ejected from the playground and possibly the theater.

What if I want to see the first movie on one screen and the second movie on the other screen?
Unfortunately, that is most likely not possible on Friday and Saturday; and, particularly during other nights around holidays, you will more than likely be unable to switch because the screen for the second show may be too full.

Also important to consider is making sure timing between the two screens is compatible. If your first movie runs considerably longer than the other screen’s first movie, you will definitely miss the first part of your second movie and also be rudely interrupting other patrons if you try to move your vehicle.

If your first movie is shorter, you will have to wait a while before your second movie begins.

Do I need a car? Can I walk in?
Buying a ticket and walking in is acceptable if you already have a party parked inside and plan to sit with them.  We do not have any areas for people without vehicles to sit.

Am I required to sit in my car?
No.  Many patrons, on good weather nights, bring chairs and blankets and sit in front of their vehicles.  We ask that you please only occupy the space in front of your vehicle as another party will probably be parked next to you and sitting in front of their car as well.

What happened to the speakers?
They were removed before the 2000 season.  We now broadcast the movie’s audio over FM radio.  You will need some form of FM receiver, whether it's your car’s stereo or some other portable radio.  Some MP3 players even have FM radio receivers.

Do I have to run my car for the radio to be on?
Check your owner’s manual.  Most cars have an auxiliary power position in the ignition that allows the vehicle’s electronics to operate without the engine running.  This is, of course, operating from the car’s battery power.

Isn’t running my radio going to drain my car’s battery?
Most car batteries provide more than sufficient juice to power a car stereo during the double feature and still start your car for the drive home. If you are concerned about the battery being drained too much, you may wish to bring a portable radio that uses a power source that is not your car battery.  We also do not supply outlets on our poles or sell batteries in the concession stand, so you will need to supply your own batteries if you bring a radio.

The movies are over and now my battery is dead! What do I do?
Don’t panic. It happens enough that we have a portable jump-pack in the office. Go to the concession stand and ask one of the staff for assistance. We will be happy to help at no charge.

I forgot my radio!  Do you have any?
No.  The Schnucks or the Walgreens in Country Club Shopping Center may have some, but we cannot guarantee it.

What is the best way to get to the Skyview from St. Louis?
Whatever bridge you come across, make your way to 255. Take exit 17A from 255 to Illinois Route 15 heading east. After passing Our Lady of the Snows shrine (Demazenod Drive), take the exit for Illinois Route 13, which is on the LEFT side of the highway.  Stay on that road as it changes into the Belt Line (Route 13 makes a right turn at the third stop-light, and you will want to stay on the Belt Line).  We are right after Country Club Plaza shopping plaza on the Belt Line, just past Schnucks.  Our address is 5700 N. Belt West.

How often do you show your movies a night?
Once each.  We play a double feature on each screen that easily runs for at least three hours or more.  Once a movie has played for the night, we will not show it again until the following night.

Why hasn’t the movie started?
It’s probably not dark enough.  It is usually not dark enough until 20 minutes or so after sunset.  During the height of the summer, this can get as late as 9pm.  The earliest we show our movies is 8:00pm, and that is only during the early spring or late fall.

How often are you open?
Our season typically runs from late March or early April until October or sometimes early November (RARELY).  We are only open on weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) from the start of the season until mid-May.  Then, we're open seven nights a week from mid-May until mid- to late August.  From that August date, we go back to weekends-only until we completely close for the season in early October.

Do you give Military/Student/Senior Citizen discounts?
No, sorry. The only discount we offer is for every paid admission, 1 child (ages 12 and under) gets in free.

Do you have any job openings?
Please inquire about all job opportunity offerings at our concession stand during normal operating hours.  No applications may be taken electronically or via e-mail at this time.

Can you suggest any hotels nearby?
Check with HotelsCombined.

If you don't see a question you'd like answered, please visit our Contact Us page and let us know so we can add it.