Outdoor movies across the Lowcountry this fall

October evenings are made for a film outside. The light turns low and gold, the air cools off after dark, and a blanket on the grass feels like the right place to be. Across the Lowcountry this fall, that can mean a free family film on a lawn in the middle of Charleston, a Saturday double feature at a drive-in outside Beaufort, or an evening on the village green at the edge of Kiawah.

These are easy evenings. There is no dressing up and no tickets to juggle, and children can run around on the grass until the film starts. It is the kind of night out that gets everyone off their phones for a couple of hours and sitting side by side. After one of the Thursday screenings in Charleston this fall, a visitor posted that it was "perfect for a date night, family night, or just a reason to get out of the house."

The sun sets a little after seven in early October and around a quarter past five by late November, so the films start earlier as the season goes on. Bring a blanket or a low folding chair, and a layer for later in the evening.

Charleston: American Gardens

American Gardens is nearly an acre of green in the middle of King Street: a wide lawn framed by live oaks, two fountains, and an avenue of crepe myrtles running down the center, planted with native Lowcountry flowers. It is open to everyone from seven in the morning until nine at night. Through the week it hosts morning qigong, a coffee cart from Wednesday to Sunday, and books on the lawn. On Thursday evenings this fall it becomes an outdoor cinema.

Movie Night in the Park is free. Local vendors set up with snacks and drinks at 5:30, there are games and activities for children, and the film starts at six, so families are home at a sensible hour. The October films are all ones the whole family can watch together: Monsters, Inc. on October 8, E.T. on October 15, Back to the Future on October 22, and Hocus Pocus to close the series on October 29, two days before Halloween. Arrive early for a spot on the lawn near the fountains, and pick up dinner on King Street on the way.

174 King Street, Charleston · Thursdays, October 8 to 29 · snacks from 5:30pm, film at 6pm · free

Kiawah and the Islands: Freshfields Village

Freshfields Village, the shopping and dining center at the gateway to Kiawah and Seabrook, shows Coco on its Village Green on Saturday, October 17, from 7 to 9pm. It is free, and snacks are sold on the green. Bring beach chairs or a blanket.

The film comes at the end of a full fall week on the same green, so it is easy to make a weekend of it. Freshfields' fall calendar has an art walk on October 9, the Lowcountry Smoke & Shuck on October 10, and a Fall Fiesta of tacos, tequila and live music on the evening of October 16, the night before the film.

165 Village Green Lane · Saturday, October 17, 7 to 9pm · free

Beaufort: Hwy 21 Drive-In

The Hwy 21 Drive-In outside Beaufort runs the old way. There are three screens in a field ringed by pines. Pull in, pick a screen, and tune the car radio to its station. As one regular put it in a review, "the only concession to the 21st century is you get the soundtrack through your FM radio." When the film begins, the staff make sure the headlights along the rows are off.

It is open Thursday to Sunday every week of the year, so it carries on right through the winter. Friday and Saturday are double features, two films for one admission, which makes a Saturday night there a whole evening out. Thursday and Sunday show a single film, and admission starts at $11. The snack bar serves proper drive-in food, and reviewers single out the old-fashioned fried cheese sticks. Travelers in RVs are welcome, and some weekends the field hosts flea markets and community gatherings as well as films. The week's films for each screen are posted on the drive-in's website.

55 Parker Drive, Beaufort · (843) 846-4500 · Thursday to Sunday, all year · double features Friday and Saturday · from $11

Bluffton at Christmas

Bluffton starts the holidays with a tree lighting at Martin Family Park, followed by Santa's Workshop and a family film under the stars. Last year it fell on the first Friday of December, with the tree lit at 5:30 and the film to follow. This year's date goes up on the Town of Bluffton's calendar in the weeks before, and it is an evening worth holding.

Martin Family Park, 68 Boundary Street, Bluffton · early December · free

Savannah and Hilton Head Next Summer

Two summer series are worth marking on next year's calendar. In Savannah, the rooftop Pendant Terrace at The Drayton Hotel turns into a Sunset Cinema on Sunday and Monday nights at nine from June into August, facing the gold dome of City Hall. A visitor who went this summer described The Princess Bride on the screen, cocktails themed to the film and popcorn, and called it "my new favorite date night in downtown Savannah." It is a working bar and kitchen, so make an evening of dinner and a film.

On Hilton Head, Shelter Cove Community Park shows free family films on Thursday evenings from mid-June to mid-August, with the marsh behind the lawn. Dogs are welcome, and the restaurants of Shelter Cove Towne Centre are a few steps away for takeout. Summerville and Bluffton run park films of their own in spring and summer, posted on each town's parks and recreation page.

Dates This Fall

Date	Film	Where
Thursday to Sunday	Weekly films, double features Friday and Saturday	Hwy 21 Drive-In, Beaufort
Thu Oct 8, 6pm	Monsters, Inc.	American Gardens, Charleston
Thu Oct 15, 6pm	E.T.	American Gardens, Charleston
Sat Oct 17, 7pm	Coco	Freshfields Village, Kiawah
Thu Oct 22, 6pm	Back to the Future	American Gardens, Charleston
Thu Oct 29, 6pm	Hocus Pocus	American Gardens, Charleston
Early December	Tree lighting and a family film	Martin Family Park, Bluffton