Category Archives: 2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey

This is the virtual tour that will imagine what it would be like to visit every North American drive-in theater in 2017 by visiting one or two every day. While the drive-ins, restaurants, and hotels are real, all the events in this section are fiction. But it’s fun to dream!

Jan. 23: Coyote Drive-In, Lewisville TX

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photo from the Coyote Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 23 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and I must confess that I almost missed this one. When I started planning this trip last fall, the Coyote Drive-In in Lewisville TX hadn’t opened. I almost zipped through the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex without checking it out! Instead I drove over an hour, through downtown Dallas, to get to one of the newest theaters I’ll visit this year.

The Lewisville location became the third Coyote drive-in when it opened in late October 2016. The second was in Leeds AL, which I visited just a couple of weeks ago. The first was in Fort Worth, and that’s where I’ll stop tomorrow night.

I’ve got to love any concession stand where half the menu is made up of alcoholic beverages and the caution, “Taxis are available.” Considering that a “small” fountain soft drink is $5.50, a $5 can of craft beer looked like a real bargain. Add a footlong corn dog, and I had everything that I needed.

The movie choice I made the night before paid off. Of the five early movies available, two were creepy, two were movies I’d already seen, and the fifth was xXx: Return of Xander Cage. So now I’ve seen that once, and I wonder how many more viewings I’ll get.

Miles Today / Total:  56 / 2901 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: xXx: Return of Xander Cage / 17

Nearby Restaurant: Lewisville Lake is a lot closer to the Coyote than any decent restaurant. Fortunately, Tierney’s Cafe and Tavern was the closest I could reach without getting on the tollway. Since the weather outside was in the 60s, I enjoyed the patio of the remodeled house while eating meatloaf. It felt like someone’s mom would come out at any minute and ask how I was doing.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Although it’s a little pricey compared to its neighbors, I treated myself to the Hilton Garden Inn in Lewisville. Since I’m a Hilton HHonors gold-level member, I get the excellent HGI breakfast buffet for free.

Only in Lewisville: According to The Lewisville Texan Journal, the City of Lewisville jumped in with both feet on the Pokemon Go craze last year, co-sponsoring two free rallies at Wayne Ferguson Plaza with Freaks and Geeks of Denton. The Texan Journal wrote, “Attendees will be able to chase, capture and potentially train Pokémon.” Fergson, a former mayor and city council member, was credited as the man behind the 121 Bypass.

Next Stop: Coyote Drive-In, Fort Worth TX.

Jan. 22: Galaxy Drive-In, Ennis TX

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It’s Day 22 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, starting with another two-hour slog from Gatesville to the Galaxy Drive-In Movie Theatre of Ennis TX. I’m starting to get nostalgic for the 30-minute hops in Florida.

The Galaxy is one of those renaissance drive-ins. It opened in December 2004 with three screens, then expanded to four, then five, and now seven screens. It’s one of the few drive-ins with two snack bars. It’s sort of in the middle of nowhere, just a few miles north of Ennis, but it’s a half-hour drive from Dallas, so it must be able to pull some patrons from the DFW metroplex.

How many drive-in concessions stands will sell you a fresh garden salad? The Galaxy did, which made me feel much healthier about also eating sausage on a stick. And Texas Size popcorn. It was because I burned so many calories playing mini golf. Don’t you agree that every drive-in really ought to have a mini golf course? They’re pretty cheap to build and operate, and they encourage moviegoers to get there earlier. All the better to sell them more sausage on a stick.

It was sure glad to find so many movies to choose from. Since the Vin Diesel xXx movie is a perfect drive-in flick, I figured that I’ll face that as my only choice somewhere down the road. At the Galaxy, I watched Live By Night, which was okay but not as good as its trailer looked.

Miles Today / Total:  116 / 2845 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Live By Night / 16

Nearby Restaurant: I always prefer authentic local fare, and the best treats of this Czech-heritage city are kolaches, specifically from the Kolache Depot Cafe & Bakery. They’re a little like donuts, but with fruit or meat instead of a hole in the middle. Really, kolaches are much better than my description, as the lines at the counter attest.

Where I Virtually Stayed: For being so close to Dallas, it’s a little surprising what a good deal I got at the La Quinta Inn & Suites. Comfy and quiet with a nice breakfast.

Only in Ennis: Every year, Ennis hosts the Bluebonnet Trails Festival. The state legislature designated the place as the Official Bluebonnet City of Texas. If you’ve never seen a field of bluebonnets, I feel sorry for you. (You can get a glimpse here.) Like standing among mountains, seeing blue flowers in every direction is a breathtaking experience that can’t be captured in a photo.

Next Stop: Coyote Drive-In, Lewisville TX.

Jan. 21: The Last Drive-In Picture Show, Gatesville TX

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It’s Day 21 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, with another medium drive, almost exactly 100 miles from Austin to The Last Drive-In Picture Show of Gatesville TX.

There has been a drive-in at this location since 1950. My 1952 Theatre Catalog lists it as the Circle S, and later it was known as the Town & Country. I’m guessing it was renamed after The Last Picture Show, a 1971 classic film about a Texas town that’s fading away. Hopefully it was renamed ironically.

The Last Drive-In Picture Show is a great deal, with a double feature for just $10 a carload and reasonable concession prices. If the weather had been bad, I could have visited the attached indoor theater to watch the latest xXx installment (Vin Diesel, not Sorority Cheerleaders). But it was a perfect night, clear and about 60 degrees.

Thank goodness that the one outdoor screen, though it didn’t have a new release, was at least showing something worth seeing again. The early movie was Moana, which I hadn’t seen in over two weeks, followed by Rogue One.

Miles Today / Total:  100 / 2729 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Moana / 15

Nearby Restaurant: Just north of the Last Drive-In Picture Show is Rancher’s Steak House and Grill, serving pretty much a little bit of everything. I was grateful for the fine salad bar, and I just had to try the pecan pie for dessert.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The Holiday Inn Express is practically next door to the drive-in, and it’s brand new. (You can see it under construction in the Google Street View from October 2015.) It was a solid HIE experience that still had that new car smell. And warm cinnamon rolls at breakfast.

Only in Gatesville: The Coryell Museum and Historical Center in Gatesville is home to the Mitchell Spur Collection. Former Gatesville High School coach Lloyd Mitchell amassed thousands of spurs, donated to the museum upon his death. In 2001, the Texas Legislature designated Gatesville the “Spur Capital of the Texas.”

Next Stop: Galaxy Drive-In Movie Theatre, Ennis TX.