Author Archives: mrdrivein

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.

Mar. 25: Pink Cadillac Drive In, Centerville TN

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It’s Day 84 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I had postponed my visit to the Pink Cadillac Drive In, just northeast of Centerville TN, to grab a live movie viewing elsewhere on a weekend night. Now for a Saturday night, I drove less than two hours from Watertown past Nashville to get here.

The Pink Cadillac used to have its own web site, and here’s what it said in 2009, before it was abandoned: Ed Worley built the drive-in in the late 1950s and named it the Bel Air. Clement and Mary Warren operated it until the mid-80s. Lisa and Donald Forrester purchased the Bel Air in 1992. The Forresters built a new screen, replaced the projection equipment, and installed FM radio sound. Finally, they made it all pink and gave the drive-in its new name. In 2000, the Forresters sold the Pink Cadillac to Leslie and Melissa Curtis.

Having said all that, the Bel Air is in the 1952 Theatre Catalog (with Charles Fussell as the movie booking agent in Nashville), so it probably opened closer to Cinema Treasures‘ date of 1950. The old Pink Cadillac site also claimed that there were only 19 active Tennessee drive-ins by 1987, but my Motion Picture Almanac for that year lists about 60, so it’s best to read all histories with a grain of salt.

The Pink Cadillac doesn’t typically open until April, and this weekend was no exception.

Miles Today / Total:  94 / 9852 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 44

Nearby Restaurant: Everyone said I needed to make sure to try the fresh Tennessee River catfish at Fish Camp Restaurant, and I’m glad I did. I picked the all you can eat fillet meal with hush puppies and slaw and was absolutely stuffed when I left.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The only hotel in Centerville is necessarily the best, and the Quality Inn there lives up to that title. The lobby and breakfast area were newly renovated, my room was large enough, and everything worked out great.

Only in Centerville: In April 2016, a Centerville man ran a Kickstarter campaign to fund a chicken-wire statue of Minnie Pearl, arguably the best-known Centerville native. (She often referred to her upbringing in Grinder’s Switch, a railroad spur near Centerville.) Unfortunately, of the $10,000 goal, the campaign raised just $231.

Next Stop: Franklin Drive-In, Franklin KY.

Mar. 24: Stardust Drive In Theatre, Watertown TN

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It’s Day 83 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It only needed a short trip north to get from Woodbury TN to the Stardust Drive In Theatre in Watertown TN. It was so great to be back at a drive-in fired up for a Friday night.

The Stardust is another of those new drive-ins. According to a great article in Wilson Living Magazine, Stardust owners Barry and Dawn Floyd came up with the idea while watching the final weekend of the Gallatin’s Sumner Drive-In, which closed in 1999. They learned the technical aspects of the business, then ran into Not-In-My-Backyard resistance at a couple of sites. The TV reports reached the mayor of Watertown, who realized what an asset a new drive-in would be for the town. The Stardust opened in 2003 and added a second screen the following year.

The Stardust holds an annual Retro Classics Weekend when one of the screens gets a double feature typically from the 80s. That must be a really fun time!

It sounds like a small thing, but I really appreciate the popcorn prices at the Stardust. A small box is $2, and the sizes go up to the unreasonably huge tub at just $5. As I continued by sampling of all unusual concession stand fare, I also had a grilled ham and swiss Big Jim sandwich and some fried pickles.

Miles Today / Total:  25 / 9758 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Beauty and the Beast / 44

Nearby Restaurant: I had read an article about the place, so I made sure to stop for lunch at the Nona Lisa Pizzeria. The pizza is great, but there are plenty of places to find great pizza. I don’t know anywhere else that serves Nona Bread, an appetizer of a folded crust with garlic, butter and cheese. That description doesn’t do it justice.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There’s a bed and breakfast but not any hotels in Watertown. The closest ones to the Stardust are about 10 miles away in Lebanon. I picked the Comfort Suites for a comfortable stay in a large room, followed by a breakfast with real eggs and hot multigrain waffles.

Only in Watertown: The Tennessee Central Railway Museum in Nashville runs several excursion trains annually to Watertown. The next two are the Easter Bunny Trip on April 15, followed by the town’s Spring Mile Long Yard Sale on April 22. Maybe that’s how Justin Bieber found the place; he shot his 2009 music video for One Less Lonely Girl at the Watertown square.

Next Stop: Pink Cadillac Drive In, Centerville TN.