Google Earth is a free program available from Google, which allows the user to view aerial satelite imagery from anyplace on the planet, while placing the entire world's geographic information at your fingertips.

To use Google Earth, you must first download the free software on your computer. A broadband internet connection is highly recommended if you will be using this program. After Google Earth has been installed, download the file doc.kml to your computer, following the instructions below.

The Google Earth Map for New York State Drive-in Theatres includes placemarks of the precise locations for all 183 confirmed drive-in theatre sites known to have existed in New York state. The placemarks are color coded into three categories.

Green placemarks are used for the drive-ins which are currently open.

Red placemarks are used for the drive-ins which are closed and have been demolished.

Yellow placemarks are used for the drive-in sites which are closed, but still have their screen towers standing.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Download and install the Google Earth program using the link below. Create a Shortcut Icon for Google Earth on your Desktop to make it easier to start the program for future uses.

http://earth.google.com/

2. Download the New York State Drive-in Theatres Map by clicking on this link, then save the folder to your desktop. The file name inside the folder is doc.kml.

3. Open the kml file by double-clicking on the kml file icon, which will automatically open Google Earth and load the map. After the file is loaded, you should see a cluster of placemarks representing the 183 individual drive-in theatres all across New York State. Click on each placemark to zoom-in and view the location for any drive-in theatre.

4. After the file has been opened and installed, make sure to save the kml file in the Google Earth folder by clicking the File menu in the upper left corner inside Google Earth, then clicking Save My Places. Once you have done this, the doc.kml file on your desktop can be deleted, since the file will already have be saved in the Google Earth program.

4. To improve your viewing experience, make sure that the Google Earth program is set up to view certain mapping layers, such as "Roads" and "Borders and Labels."

All 183 drive-ins have been thoroughly researched and placemarked as accurately as possible. If you know of a New York Drive-in which has been overlooked or has an inaccurate placemark, please email with any useful information.

The kml file was last updated on December 4, 2009.