My connection to, and affection for, drive-in theaters is well-known. I think I heard the "Let's all go to the lobby" jingle at the same instant that Mom and Dad's canoodling in their home behind the former Midway Drive-In in Tarpon Springs led to the blessed union of egg and sperm that led to me.

It sounds much more romantic when they tell the story.

Anyway, this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly suggests several summer-related Web sites to browse, including DriveInMovie.com, the most up-to-date online survey of U.S. outdoor theaters that I've seen. Just click on any state on the home page and you'll find a brisk history of drive-ins there, followed by a list of locations, most of them marked with the ominous distinction "dark" to show they're closed now.

I hear from people all the time that, with the current economic situation, piling the family into the car for a night under the stars watching movie stars would be a great escape. People should've thought of that sooner, before being seduced by megaplex creature comforts and home video setups that choked most of the life from drive-ins.

Here are a few of the "did you knows" that DriveInMovie.com tells us about the Sunshine State:

* Florida was one of the first states to have a drive-in, in Miami in 1938. The next year, another was built in Jacksonville and the rush was on.

* By 1955, Florida boasted more than 150 drive-in theaters.

* By 1979, that number had declined to around 115 drive-ins, a slower rate of attrition than most states.

* Currently 94 percent of those Florida drive-ins are closed for business. The site lists 10 across the state still in operation, including Tampa's Fun-Lan, the Ruskin D-I and the Joy Lan in Dade City (that my dad also operated in the early 1960s).

Good site, great memories.