Mar. 21: Parkway Drive-In Theatre, Maryville TN

It’s Day 80 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took just a hour to drive from the Swingin’ Midway Drive-In to the Parkway Drive-In Theatre in Maryville TN.

According to Cinema Treasures, The Parkway Drive-In opened in 1950 and closed in 1984. Blue Moon Theatres group bought, refurbished, and reopened the Parkway in 1999. It has added digital projection equipment, and from all accounts, the Parkway is doing great in its second life.

Alas, the Parkway is closed until “Spring of 2017,” which literally began the day before I arrived. The most relevant takeaway was that it wasn’t showing movies while I was there. Oh well.

Miles Today / Total:  47 / 9600 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 43

Nearby Restaurant: It’s right next door in Alcoa, and I just had to try Hot Rods 50’s Diner. Not only is the place knee-deep in the time of drive-in theater mania, it serves really great burgers. And I really love being able to play pinball with or without a meal.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The Luxbury Inn in Maryville took care of me. Good strong wifi means a lot when I’m trying to keep the site updated. I didn’t stay long enough to take full advantage of the kitchenette, and the continental breakfast got me on my way again.

Only in Maryville: Maryville sits near one of the main entrances to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The GSMNP is ramping up for Aug. 21 this year when a solar eclipse will cover the western half of the park. Maryville is also along the path of the eclipse; I wonder if the Parkway will show anything while it’s dark at 2:30 in the afternoon.

Next Stop: Sparta Drive-In, Sparta TN.

Mar. 20: Swingin’ Midway Drive In, Athens TN

It’s Day 79 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took two and a half hours of driving through a couple of magnificent national forests to go from Tiger GA to the Swingin’ Midway Drive In about halfway between Etowah and Athens TN.

A 2012 article in the Chicago Daily Herald included a few quotes from Thomas Epps, who was then using a used, leased digital projector and trying to sell the Swingin’ Midway. Fortunately, by the time The Daily Post-Athenian checked in just a few months later, Epps had converted to “all-new” projection equipment.

The Post-Athenian article says the Midway Drive-In opened in 1960, and Epps took it over in 1978. My reference books didn’t notice until after 1969. (One of these days I need to write a post about such drive-ins that weren’t counted during the industry’s peak years. I think there were even more active theaters than most sources mention. But I digress.) When did the Midway add Swingin’? My references still call it the Midway as late as 1987, but news accounts from the current millennium always include Swingin’.

Alas, the Swingin’ Midway won’t open for the season until April 7. After getting to watch movies two nights in a row, this might be the start of another week of dark screens.

Miles Today / Total:  117 / 9553 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 43

Nearby Restaurant: I like a good chicken tortilla soup, and Don Armandos had me covered. That was the start of a fine lunch of authentic-tasting Tex-Mex served with large mugs of cold beer. Just one mug for me; I was still driving.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I didn’t care how much it cost (which was a good thing), but I had spent too many nights without a Hampton Inn, such as the place clinging to the interstate here. I’ve never had a bad Hampton experience, and this was another of the good ones. Solid wifi, a nice variety of choices at breakfast, and all the familiar Hampton signs and accoutrements. Ahh!

Only in Athens: The Mayfield Dairy Farm in Athens provides a nice one-hour tour to show how milk gets processed. What makes the place memorable are the cow-masked mascot and the cow statues, including a 14-foot high cow by its sign outside.

Next Stop: Parkway Drive-In Theatre, Maryville TN.

Mar. 19: Tiger Drive In Theatre, Tiger GA

It’s Day 78 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. US Highway 76 is twisty enough that it took about an ahour and a half to drive 65 miles between two classic drive-ins, from the Swan in Blue Ridge GA to the Tiger Drive In Theatre in Tiger.

The Tiger opened in April 1954 as a single-screen drive-in that could hold maybe 200 cars. It stayed alive for almost 30 years then went dormant for a couple of decades. Soon after someone offered to buy the lot to use as a cemetary, the daughter of the original owners reopened the Tiger in 2004. With such a small percentage of those original small-town drive-ins still in operation, it’s always nice to see one restored to its former glory.

This classic drive-in serves classic drive-in food plus a lot more. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Philly cheesesteak sandwich at a concession stand. I was so happy to see the drive-in open on a Sunday night that I didn’t mind watching the latest King Kong reboot for the second night in a row. It really does make a great drive-in movie!

Miles Today / Total:  65 / 9436 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Kong: Skull Island / 43

Nearby Restaurant: On a Sunday in March, the best choices in Tiger were closed, so I tried Clayton less than three miles away. I chose The Rusty Bike Cafe, which serves breakfast all day. After “The Roadster” country fried steak, eggs, grits, and a biscuit, I was ready to spend the rest of the day waiting for the drive-in to open.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There weren’t any hotels in Tiger, but I was fortunate enough to get one of the refurnished rooms at the Quality Inn in Clayon. There was a fridge and microwave in my room, the wifi worked, and there was enough breakfast in the morning to get me started on another day.

Only in Tiger: There’s this place called Goats on the Roof that has, well, you know. The goats roam from building to building over suspended bridges. Tourists can load feed in a cup on a chain drive, then pedal a bicycle to drive it up to the waiting, forever hungry goats. And there’s nitro ice cream, but only for the tourists.

Next Stop: Swingin’ Midway Drive In, Athens TN.