The old-fashioned 1950’s drive-in is an iconic summer experience. Roll the windows back, press a button and let the carhops do the heavy lifting while you and your kids enjoy standard American favorites like burgers, hot dogs, and fries. Don’t forget – it’s not summer without ice cream! Many locations have outdoor seating, so you don’t have to get crumbs in the car (unless you want to.) Forget the drive-thru and instead drive-in to relive a bygone era. Check out these Lake County gems for a blast from the past!
Shirl’s Drive-In, 2132 N. Lewis Avenue, Waukegan
A 1960’s style drive-in open since 1987 serving ice cream, sandwiches and burgers. They are open year round, 7-days a week and are open late (until 1 am) on Fridays and Saturdays. Follow them on Facebook for coupons and specials.
Dairy Dream Drive-In, 1229 West Park Avenue, Libertyville
Independent, family-owned store serving 28 flavors of soft-serve ice cream, burgers, Italian Beef, Hot Dogs and more. Serving Libertyville since 1961. Follow them on Facebook.
Superdawg Drive-In, 333 S. Milwaukee Avenue, Wheeling
The legendary Chicago landmark with the giant boy and girl hot dogs on the roof has a second location in the suburbs. Get a genuine Chicago-style Superdawg (NO ketchup of course!) or one of their other trademark sandwiches like the Whoopskidawg or a Whoopercheesie.
Dogs ‘n Suds, 454 Center Street, Grayslake
Check out their Happy Hour or Wednesday and Thursday night specials in honor of this location’s 50th anniversary. Find out how you can win a 50th Anniversary T-Shirt in their monthly raffle. A great place to stop for a bite after hitting the Grayslake Spray Park.
Miller’s Dog ‘n Suds, 517 Washington Street, Ingleside
Celebrating 47 years of service and known for their Saturday night tradition of Cruise Night. They remain family owned and operated since 1967. You can also find them on Facebook.
The Freeze, 131 Hawley, Grayslake
Formerly Tastee-Freez, this staple in Downtown Grayslake is now simply known as “The Freeze.” It’s become a family tradition for area families. This walk-up stand has plenty of outdoor seating. Make it a meal with fast food fare along with your soft-serve cone.
Do you have a favorite Drive-In in Lake County that we missed? Tell us about it in the comments!
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