Author Archives: mrdrivein

Mar. 20: Swingin’ Midway Drive In, Athens TN

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It’s Day 79 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took two and a half hours of driving through a couple of magnificent national forests to go from Tiger GA to the Swingin’ Midway Drive In about halfway between Etowah and Athens TN.

A 2012 article in the Chicago Daily Herald included a few quotes from Thomas Epps, who was then using a used, leased digital projector and trying to sell the Swingin’ Midway. Fortunately, by the time The Daily Post-Athenian checked in just a few months later, Epps had converted to “all-new” projection equipment.

The Post-Athenian article says the Midway Drive-In opened in 1960, and Epps took it over in 1978. My reference books didn’t notice until after 1969. (One of these days I need to write a post about such drive-ins that weren’t counted during the industry’s peak years. I think there were even more active theaters than most sources mention. But I digress.) When did the Midway add Swingin’? My references still call it the Midway as late as 1987, but news accounts from the current millennium always include Swingin’.

Alas, the Swingin’ Midway won’t open for the season until April 7. After getting to watch movies two nights in a row, this might be the start of another week of dark screens.

Miles Today / Total:  117 / 9553 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 43

Nearby Restaurant: I like a good chicken tortilla soup, and Don Armandos had me covered. That was the start of a fine lunch of authentic-tasting Tex-Mex served with large mugs of cold beer. Just one mug for me; I was still driving.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I didn’t care how much it cost (which was a good thing), but I had spent too many nights without a Hampton Inn, such as the place clinging to the interstate here. I’ve never had a bad Hampton experience, and this was another of the good ones. Solid wifi, a nice variety of choices at breakfast, and all the familiar Hampton signs and accoutrements. Ahh!

Only in Athens: The Mayfield Dairy Farm in Athens provides a nice one-hour tour to show how milk gets processed. What makes the place memorable are the cow-masked mascot and the cow statues, including a 14-foot high cow by its sign outside.

Next Stop: Parkway Drive-In Theatre, Maryville TN.

Mar. 19: Tiger Drive In Theatre, Tiger GA

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It’s Day 78 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. US Highway 76 is twisty enough that it took about an ahour and a half to drive 65 miles between two classic drive-ins, from the Swan in Blue Ridge GA to the Tiger Drive In Theatre in Tiger.

The Tiger opened in April 1954 as a single-screen drive-in that could hold maybe 200 cars. It stayed alive for almost 30 years then went dormant for a couple of decades. Soon after someone offered to buy the lot to use as a cemetary, the daughter of the original owners reopened the Tiger in 2004. With such a small percentage of those original small-town drive-ins still in operation, it’s always nice to see one restored to its former glory.

This classic drive-in serves classic drive-in food plus a lot more. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Philly cheesesteak sandwich at a concession stand. I was so happy to see the drive-in open on a Sunday night that I didn’t mind watching the latest King Kong reboot for the second night in a row. It really does make a great drive-in movie!

Miles Today / Total:  65 / 9436 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Kong: Skull Island / 43

Nearby Restaurant: On a Sunday in March, the best choices in Tiger were closed, so I tried Clayton less than three miles away. I chose The Rusty Bike Cafe, which serves breakfast all day. After “The Roadster” country fried steak, eggs, grits, and a biscuit, I was ready to spend the rest of the day waiting for the drive-in to open.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There weren’t any hotels in Tiger, but I was fortunate enough to get one of the refurnished rooms at the Quality Inn in Clayon. There was a fridge and microwave in my room, the wifi worked, and there was enough breakfast in the morning to get me started on another day.

Only in Tiger: There’s this place called Goats on the Roof that has, well, you know. The goats roam from building to building over suspended bridges. Tourists can load feed in a cup on a chain drive, then pedal a bicycle to drive it up to the waiting, forever hungry goats. And there’s nitro ice cream, but only for the tourists.

Next Stop: Swingin’ Midway Drive In, Athens TN.

Mar. 18: Swan Drive In Theatre, Blue Ridge GA

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It’s Day 77 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. After a two-hour drive through Chattanooga TN, I made it from Trenton GA back down to the Swan Drive In Theatre in Blue Ridge GA.

According to the Swan’s history page, the drive-in was built in 1955 on land leased from the city of Blue Ridge. The story of the surprising effort it took to grade the land and find a crane to raise the screen tower is more than I can summarize here, so you really ought to go read it.

On the other hand, I can tell you how it was named the Swan. There were two partners in the drive-in. One was stationed in England during World War II and admired the beautiful, peaceful swans swimming on the lakes and ponds there. His partner liked the name because it was short.

Not only was the Swan open for me in mid-March, it was showing a movie I hadn’t seen yet. The latest King Kong reboot makes a great drive-in movie! It went great with my popcorn and deep-fried Oreos.

Miles Today / Total:  96 / 9371 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Kong: Skull Island / 42

Nearby Restaurant: The Blue Ridge Brewery had me at “brewery.” I didn’t know it had live music on Saturdays too. I expected burgers and bar food, but it also had steaks, including my perfectly prepared rib eye. And plenty of varieties of fresh beer, which is why it had me at “brewery.”

Where I Virtually Stayed: The Douglas Inn looks like one of those 1950s style motels with a couple dozen rooms facing an outdoor pool. But they tell me it was built in 2000 and renovated a couple of years ago, and its modernity shows when you look closely. Everything was clean, the staff was great, I had a nice little continental breakfast, and the price was better than the chain hotels.

Only in Blue Ridge: Free Time Hobbies, a “hobby super store” in Blue Ridge, has a particularly interesting muffler man out front holding a model airplane. According to Roadside America, “Mr. Hobby” began his life as “Mr. Bendo” atop Ced’s Muffler Shop in Chicago, which he guarded for about 50 years. After a harsh storm in 2010, Mr. Bendo’s top half broke off. Free Time purchased the pieces in 2014 and restored him. Sounds like it was a great hobby project!

Next Stop: Tiger Drive In Theatre, Tiger GA.