Category Archives: Kentucky

Mar. 28: 27 Drive-In, Somerset KY

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It’s Day 87 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took took two hours on the Cumberland Parkway to drive from Lafayette TN to the 27 Drive-In in Somerset KY.

According to Cinema Treasures, the 27 Drive-In opened in 1967 as a single screen drive-in. It added a second screen in 1980.

In a 2011 article by the Lexington Herald-Leader, Harry Roaden, the 27’s owner, said that the general drive-in downturn started in 1984 when cable TV news stations started broadcasting news reports during prime time, keeping people at home instead of at the drive-ins. “TV has stolen two hours of our prime time,” he said. “If they would never have done that, there would be a drive-in with maybe 10 screens.”

The 27 started to bounce back in 1991. “We probably grossed about $20,000 that year,” Then in 2000, the drive-in began showing only first-run movies. “It was a new era for the drive-in theaters,'” Roaden said. “Now, if a movie does big, we do big. If it don’t do as much, we don’t do much either.”

This is also another of the drive-ins that has its own annual Fourth of July fireworks display. I love those.

The 27 only shows movies Fridays and Saturdays this time of year, so no movie for me on a Tuesday night.

Miles Today / Total:  120 / 9978 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 44

Nearby Restaurant: I’ll admit that I came to Culver’s at least partly for the frozen custard, but the rest of the meal was also great. A good old ButterBurger with all the trimmings, plus a salad, because I’m eating healthy. And the frozen custard flavor of the day was Turtle, like the chocolate nut candy, not the terrapin.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There are a plethora of choices considering Somerset’s size, but I rarely turn down the opportunity to spend the night at a Hampton Inn. A nice sized room, good wifi, and a solid continental breakfast in a familiar setting make the rest of the day easier.

Only in Somerset: Somerset is home to the Somernites Cruise classic car events. No “motorcycles, semis or lawnmowers” are allowed.

Next Stop: Skyline Drive-In, Greensburg KY.

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.

May 10: Calvert Drive In, Calvert City KY

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It’s Day 69 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I knew I had a bit of a haul again, driving just over five hours from Mountain View AR to Calvert City KY. But I knew this would be worth it, getting a chance to actually watch a movie for the first time in a week, this time at the Calvert Drive In. Coming in from the west on I-24, I had to pass the Calvert, hit a cloverleaf, and then drive an extra couple of miles to get to its entrance on state highway 95. Its sign has improved a bit since the photo I’ve got on this post.

According to a story in The Christian Chronicle, Paul and Evelyn Harrington opened the Calvert in 1953. Drive-in Theatre. Now grandson John Harrington runs the place with his wife, Paula. They’re proud of their family atmosphere and the absence of R-rated movies on its screen. And of the great prices and food at the concession stand. “Granny’s hamburger has always been something people came out to get, and we sell a lot of hamburgers to people who don’t even stay for the movie,” John Harrington said. “The hamburger saved the drive-in.”

One thing I found most impressive about the Calvert sounds simple – the Upcoming Movies page on their web site. Most drive-ins barely know what movies they’re going to get week to week. The Calvert has every film planned for over three months. Some of them include a “subject to change” note, but that’s still handy and cool.

For a classic Friday night at the drive-in, I finally got around to seeing Rock Dog. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I don’t think the creators of this film need to work on their Oscar acceptance speeches.

Miles Today / Total:  274 / 8954 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Rock Dog / 39

Nearby Restaurant: Okay, I ate at the Cracker Barrel. I admit it. I’ve always been a sucker for this place, with its aggressively homespun gift shop and warm helpings of comfort food in the dining room. There aren’t a whole lot of choices in Calvert City, and although I eyed the Waffle House, I’ve found the experience at the Cracker Barrel to be even more dependable.

Where I Virtually Stayed: As I’ve written before, when the Super 8 is the best place in town, that means there’s not much competition or that particular location is really great. In Calvery City, it was a little of both. I always appreciate the mini-fridge in the room, and the hot breakfast was better than the average Super 8. And the only other place I saw was a Days Inn.

Only in Calvert City: Just a few miles away from the Calvert Drive-In, on the west side of Calvert City, you’ll find the Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland along US 68. This place is in the dictionary under “quirky.” Lots of found art, reshaped into such pun-inspiring objects as the “Valley of Lost Soles.” A shed full of a visual cacaphony of vintage toys. And it’s all free, but they’d love it if you dropped a little something into the donation can.

Next Stop: Birdsong Drive-In Theater, Camden TN.