- Gets dark7:21 pm
- Google rating4.50123456789,012345678901234567890123456789reviews
- Screens4
- Outside foodNot allowed
- DogsOn a leash
- Sit outsideYes
- Car spots1000
- Opened2013
Coyote Drive-In is a four-screen outdoor movie theater in downtown Fort Worth.
It has a full-menu concession stand and bar, weekend live music and food trucks, and a playground for kids.
Location
Where is Coyote Drive-In Theater?
Coyote Drive-In Theater is at 223 NE 4th St, Fort Worth, TX 76164.
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Amenities
Food, restrooms and rules
- Radios to rent: $6 at the bar, debit or credit card only (no cash)
- Full kitchen
- You cannot bring your own food
- Restrooms in a building
- Playground
- You can bring your dog, on a leash
- You can sit outside your car
- Closing: Permanently closing after Labor Day weekend, Monday September 7, 2026, after 14 years; announced Aug 17, 2026. Land (owned by the Tarrant Regional Water District) reported by a reviewer to be turned into a park.
- Laser projection: Laser film projection (site's own claim, 'high definition bright lit experience').
- Live music: Live music and local food trucks on weekend nights.
- Food delivery app: In-car food delivery via the Coyote app so guests don't miss the show waiting in line.
- Grounds helpline: Text your parking spot to 817-901-0064 for jump starts, headlight help, hatchback tie-downs, or food delivery issues.
- Gift cards: Sold online via a formovietickets.com gift-card page linked from the site.
- Arcade: Old-school video game consoles on site (per a 2026-09 Google review).
- Military/civil service discount: Available, box office only, amount not published.
- Birthday exception to no-outside-food: cake or cupcakes allowed in for birthday celebrations.
- Hatchback rule: Hatchbacks/trucks may back in and sit in the truck bed, but the open hatch can't extend over the roofline and block the row behind; staff can tie it down.
- Smoking: cigarettes only, allowed in your own vehicle space, banned in the fenced pavilion area.
- Speed limit: 5 mph on the lot.
- No reserved/saved spots: first-come only; groups arriving in multiple cars must meet outside the gate and enter together.
- Large-vehicle running exception: engines may be left running for radio/AC/heat unless an aftermarket muffler, diesel engine, always-on headlights, or an unusually loud engine/fan.
- Also here: arcade, playground
Reviews
What visitors say about Coyote Drive-In Theater
From 5,655 visitor reviews, 4.5 stars.
Friendly, attentive staff
- The most repeated praise across reviews (188 mentions).
Nightly double feature on 4 screens
- 115 mentions of the double-feature format.
Food trucks and concessions
- 84 mentions of food trucks, plus praise for the full concession menu.
Screen visibility
- 51 mentions; a few older reviews call downtown light spill distracting, most call the screens bright and clear (laser projection).
Clean bathrooms
- 45 mentions of clean, building restrooms.
Bring your own lawn chairs
- 21 mentions of guests setting up chairs beside their cars.
Pet friendly
- 14 mentions of bringing dogs on a leash.
Before you go
Know before you go
- No sprinters, small buses, 18-wheeler cabs, RVs or campers typically allowed.
- Rain or shine, the movie plays
- Bring lawn chairs to sit outside the vehicle (front or back only, not the sides).
- Rent a portable radio for $6 at the bar (card only) if your car radio doesn't work.
- Arrive early; nightly double features on all 4 screens fill first-come parking spots.
History
The history of Coyote Drive-In Theater
Opened May 2013, founded by four Fort Worth hospitality entrepreneurs including Brady Wood (Green Room, Trees, Gypsy Tea Room) and Glenn Solomon, whose family once owned more than 50 drive-ins and hardtop theaters (Gulf States Theaters). Built as a partnership between Coyote Theatres, the Tarrant Regional Water District (landlord), the Trinity River Vision Authority and the City of Fort Worth.
Expanded from 3 to 4 screens by 2016. Sister locations in Lewisville, TX and Alabama both later closed; Fort Worth was the last Coyote location. Announced August 17, 2026 that it would permanently close after Labor Day weekend, Monday September 7, 2026. After the closing, one of its screens was sold to the Hi-Road Drive-In in Kenton, Ohio, which announced in October 2026 that it will rebuild it there as its new Screen 1.
Connected drive-ins: Hi-Road Drive-In Theater, Kenton, Ohio.
FAQ
Questions about Coyote Drive-In Theater, answered
How many screens does Coyote Drive-In have?
Coyote Drive-In has four screens. Each one shows a different film on the same night, so you choose which screen you want as you pull in and park facing it. Ask at the gate what is playing on each.
Can I rent a radio at Coyote Drive-In?
Coyote Drive-In rents radios at the counter: $6 at the bar, debit or credit card only (no cash). It is worth one if you plan to sit outside the car, or if running your stereo for four hours would flatten your battery. They go quickly on a busy night, so ask when you arrive rather than at the interval.
Can I bring my own food to Coyote Drive-In?
Coyote Drive-In does not allow outside food or drink. Everything you eat has to come from the counter, which is how a lot like this one keeps its gate price down. Eat before you go, or plan on buying dinner there.
Are dogs allowed at Coyote Drive-In?
Dogs are welcome at Coyote Drive-In as long as the leash stays on. Keep it short near other cars, bring water, and clean up afterwards. A nervous dog is worth leaving at home, because sound carries across a lot.
Nearby
Other drive-in theaters in Texas
- 35 miles awayBrazos Drive-InSee this theater
- 48 miles awayGalaxy Drive-InSee this theater
- 52 miles awayWayback Drive-InSee this theater
- 75 miles awayGraham Drive-InSee this theater