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.