Category Archives: Georgia

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.

Mar. 17: Wilderness Outdoor Movie Theater, Trenton GA

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Double rainbow over drive-in screen

photo from the Wilderness Outdoor Movie Theater Facebook page

It’s Day 76 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Snce it was St. Patrick’s Day, I got on the road before anyone needed to come home after drinking green beer. It took just about 40 minutes to drive up I-59 from Henagar to the Wilderness Outdoor Movie Theater in Trenton GA.

According to Cinema Treasures, the Wilderness was built in 2005 as a single-screen theater, then added a second screen a few years later. It converted to digital projection by 2014. Reviews for this modern facility often mention how clean the rest rooms are, and last year its concession stand got a perfect score from restaurant inspectors.

If it had been the Fourth of July, I could have enjoyed the drive-in’s fireworks display. (Even when a drive-in doesn’t have its own fireworks, I like to make a point to go that night because I can watch displays in the distance. And the movie.) But it’s just St. Patrick’s Day and the Wilderness won’t be opening until April 7. At least I didn’t have to worry about driving back to my hotel room; I was able to settle in for some basketball and green stuff within walking distance.

Miles Today / Total:  38 / 9275 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 41

Nearby Restaurant: Not only did I get a chance to eat at Larry’s Buffet, I happened to time my visit for during the special Friday dinner buffet. Not only were all the typically filling buffet items available, there was also catfish and chicken wings and stuffed crab and so much more. They call it “The Best Buffet in the South,” and right now I can’t argue with that.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I got a great price at the only hotel in Trenton, the Days Inn. The sheets were clean, the wifi worked, and the continental breakfast in the morning got me moving forward.

Only in Trenton: The city of the Trenton is the only incorporated municipality in Dade County, so it’s the county seat. A 2015 article in the Chattanooga (TN) Times Free Press included a popular local fable about Dade County’s secession from the Union before Georgia left. The story goes that in 1860, the county’s representative told the state Senate, “If Georgia does not vote to secede immediately from the Union, Dade County will secede from the state and become the independent state of Dade.” He then stormed out, and the county later sent a notice to Washington that it had seceded on its own. It’s a fun story to tell, but the Times Free Press article documents that it never really happened.

Next Stop: Swan Drive In Theatre, Blue Ridge GA.