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.