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!

Mar. 27: Macon Drive-In, Lafayette TN

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It’s Day 86 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took only about 45 minutes of driving through the Tennessee hills to get from Franklin KY just north of the border to the Macon Drive-In northwest of Lafayette TN.

The Macon opened in 1950, according to a few references I trust, and it has operated every year since. (Its For Sale listing says it was built in 1965, but it’s listed in the 1955 Theatre Catalog.) Every description of the place includes “rural.” As the great photo embedded here suggests, the lack of light pollution makes it very easy to see the screen.

According to an old Project Honda press release, the Macon has been owned by four families, including GW and Paulette Warner as of 2013. “The Macon Drive-In was declared a historical landmark in our community on June 23, 2003,” said Paulette Warner.

The good news is that the Macon is still operating, having opened for the 2017 season just this past Friday. The bad news is that it’s for sale. The fact that it only shows movies Fridays through Sundays is only a little unfortunate compared to that.

Miles Today / Total:  35 / 9978 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 44

Nearby Restaurant: It’s amazing to me how any meal gets better when it starts with chips and salsa. That works for me at Chili’s, and it worked at the Agave Grill and Cantina. Even though it’s supposed to be an appetizer, the fresh fried rabbit and those chips had me plenty full by the time I left.

Where I Virtually Stayed: They told me that if I was staying in Lafayette, I needed to stay at the Hearthstone Inn, and they were right. My room had a mini fridge and microwave with water and popcorn provided – wasn’t that nice! There was danish and coffee waiting for me in the morning, and I was ready to move on.

Only in Lafayette: The city of Lafayette was founded in 1843 as a county seat for the newly created Macon County. It was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, of Revolutionary War fame. Then-President George W. Bush visited Lafayette on February 8, 2008 to tour areas that had been damaged by tornadoes a few days earlier.

Next Stop: 27 Drive-In, Somerset KY.

Mar. 26: Franklin Drive-In, Franklin KY

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It’s Day 85 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. With interstates available most of the way, it took me just an hour and a half to drive 89 miles from the Pink Cadillac Drive In just northeast of Centerville TN, through Nashville again, and just barely across the border to the Franklin Drive-In in Franklin KY.

The Franklin is a literal stone’s throw from Tennessee and less than 40 miles away from Nashville. It has been family owned and operated since 1969, currently by the Prices and their families. This Franklin began its life as the 31W or 31 West Drive-In, since that’s the highway that it’s on, and changed its name to the Franklin some time after the demise of the original Franklin Drive-In, which operated on Russellville Road from 1960 until some time around 1980.

The Franklin’s web site is down, but its Facebook page assured me that it’s only temporary. The drive-in only shows movies on Fridays and Saturdays this time of year, darn it, so I was out of luck again. I’m going to need some steady weeks of movies to catch up to my goal of 200 movies this year.

Miles Today / Total:  89 / 9943 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 44

Nearby Restaurant: I was hoping to try the Wildfire BBQ joint, but it was closed on Sunday. So I settled for TripAdvisor’s only Certificate of Excellence award winner in Franklin, the Cracker Barrel. The comfort food and cozy ambiance make every location in this chain a guilty pleasure for me.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Since I was relying on TripAdvisor awards, I went with the greenest hotel in Franklin, the Super 8. I got the usual amazingly low price, plus wifi and a mini-fridge in the room. Breakfast was a little spartan, but I could spend just a little of the money I saved by visiting the Waffle House next door.

Only in Franklin: The line between Kentucky and Tennessee was supposed to be straight, but the imperfect surveying available in the late 18th century turned the border into a scissor cut. Franklin sits in a particularly obvious triangular flaw known as the Simpson County Offset. For example, the entrance to the Franklin Drive-In is both 1500 feet due east of Tennessee and 1850 feet due west of Tennessee.

Next Stop: Macon Drive-In, Lafayette TN.

Mar. 25: Pink Cadillac Drive In, Centerville TN

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It’s Day 84 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I had postponed my visit to the Pink Cadillac Drive In, just northeast of Centerville TN, to grab a live movie viewing elsewhere on a weekend night. Now for a Saturday night, I drove less than two hours from Watertown past Nashville to get here.

The Pink Cadillac used to have its own web site, and here’s what it said in 2009, before it was abandoned: Ed Worley built the drive-in in the late 1950s and named it the Bel Air. Clement and Mary Warren operated it until the mid-80s. Lisa and Donald Forrester purchased the Bel Air in 1992. The Forresters built a new screen, replaced the projection equipment, and installed FM radio sound. Finally, they made it all pink and gave the drive-in its new name. In 2000, the Forresters sold the Pink Cadillac to Leslie and Melissa Curtis.

Having said all that, the Bel Air is in the 1952 Theatre Catalog (with Charles Fussell as the movie booking agent in Nashville), so it probably opened closer to Cinema Treasures‘ date of 1950. The old Pink Cadillac site also claimed that there were only 19 active Tennessee drive-ins by 1987, but my Motion Picture Almanac for that year lists about 60, so it’s best to read all histories with a grain of salt.

The Pink Cadillac doesn’t typically open until April, and this weekend was no exception.

Miles Today / Total:  94 / 9852 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 44

Nearby Restaurant: Everyone said I needed to make sure to try the fresh Tennessee River catfish at Fish Camp Restaurant, and I’m glad I did. I picked the all you can eat fillet meal with hush puppies and slaw and was absolutely stuffed when I left.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The only hotel in Centerville is necessarily the best, and the Quality Inn there lives up to that title. The lobby and breakfast area were newly renovated, my room was large enough, and everything worked out great.

Only in Centerville: In April 2016, a Centerville man ran a Kickstarter campaign to fund a chicken-wire statue of Minnie Pearl, arguably the best-known Centerville native. (She often referred to her upbringing in Grinder’s Switch, a railroad spur near Centerville.) Unfortunately, of the $10,000 goal, the campaign raised just $231.

Next Stop: Franklin Drive-In, Franklin KY.