photo by bbrown1 via Cinema Treasures

It’s Day 70 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took almost two hours to drive south from Calvert City KY to my next stop, the Birdsong Drive-In Theater in Camden TN.

The Birdsong is Camden’s second drive-in theater. The first was the Midway, which opened in the early 1960s and continued operating at least into the late 1980s. The Birdsong opened in July 2007 and added a second screen in 2011.

This place feels really remote, carved from the forest, accessible only by leaving Birdsong Road (aka Hoghway 191) and traveling down lonely Shiloh Church Road (which ends at Shiloh United Methodist Church).

It turned out that I was one week early for the Birdsong, which opens next Friday, March 17, with Beauty and the Beast.

Miles Today / Total:  83 / 9037 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 39

Nearby Restaurant: It had been a while since I’d eaten a good pizza, but Craig’s Pizza took care of that problem. I really enjoy a thin crust like Craig’s, and I like the place’s “less dough, more topping” philosophy.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The Best Western Home Place Inn was the obvious choice for Camden, and it delivered. I always like having a mini-fridge in my room. The hot breakfast with waffles and eggs were welcome, and the cinammon rolls were a guilty pleasure.

Only in Camden: The freshwater pearl is Tennessee’s Official State Gem, and Birdsong Creek is the only place where they can be grown. The Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum was lost in a fire in December 2016, but the farm is intact, and they’re busy rebuilding for visitors as I type.

Next Stop: Hi-way 50 Drive in, Lewisburg TN.