photo by Jeff Vaillancourt, from the Carload Flickr pool
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.