photo by Brent Moore from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 82 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took just about an hour for me to drive from the Sparta Drive-In in Sparta to the Moonlite Drive-In in Woodbury TN.

The Moonlite is one of the newest drive-ins in Tennessee, built from scratch in 2005. The Murfreesboro Post had an excellent long article in 2013 that was all about how the Moonlite came to be.

According to the Post, Jimmy Higgins, then 62 years old, was inspired to open the drive-in after going to the Sparta with his wife. “We came home, and I started looking around at other drive-ins,” he said. “We drew our blueprint on a napkin and that’s how we built it, with no specs or nothing.” He erected the two screens (70- and 60-feet wide) with just the help of his sons to save expenses, and hired a couple of local carpenters to build the concession stand.

The Moonlite’s web page says it’ll be ready to open for the season next Friday. So this was another Thuirsday night of looking for something interesting on the hotel TV.

Miles Today / Total:  43 / 9733 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 43

Nearby Restaurant: It’s not a fancy place, but DJ’s Pizza & Steak House will serve you some very fine, you know, pizza and steak. It had been long enough since I’d had a good pizza with a homemade crust that I was glad that I stopped at DJ’s.

Where I Virtually Stayed: They say that if you’re staying in Woodbury, you’ve got to stay at the Cannon Inn. It’s a charming little place, but big enough to get its name and logo on those mini shampoo bottles in the bathroom. The Cannon Inn also just happens to be directly across the highway from the Moonlite.

Only in Woodbury: The town, incorporated in 1838, was named for Levi Woodbury, who was US Treasury Secretary at the time. Woodbury later became a US Senator (from New Hampshire) and an associate US Supreme Court justice, becoming one of three Senators to have also served in both of the other branches of government. Woodbury was also the first Supreme Court justice to have had attended law school.

Next Stop: Stardust Drive In Theatre, Watertown TN.

photo from the Sparta Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 81 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. II drove two hours’ worth of twisty highways from the Parkway Drive-In Theatre in Maryville TN to the Sparta Drive-In in Sparta.

The Sparta is one of the oldest operating drive-ins, but how old? Back in 2013, ABC News had a quote from Tommy Brown, who owned the place, saying the Sparta was built in 1943, so that’s probably the answer. It operated until at least the mid-1980s, and then it closed. I wonder when that was; when I asked, they told me “the early 1980s.” That’s why DriveInMovie.com wrote in 2000 that “For years, the only feature visible here had been the often seen Ravages of Neglect.” The Sparta was heavily renovated and reopened in 2002.

The Sparta has been getting lots of maintenance and care since then. In a 2013 USA Today article, Brown said he was worried about the cost of converting to digital projection, but by the following February, the new projector had arrived. Just last month, they were repainting the marquee sign.

The good news is the Sparta is open for the season, but the bad news is that it’s only showing movies on weekends. So this was another Wednesday night of looking for something interesting on the hotel TV.

Miles Today / Total:  90 / 9690 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 43

Nearby Restaurant: They told me that Yanni’s Grille was the best restaurant in Sparta, and maybe they’re right. I hadn’t expect to find such nice Greek cuisine in a small town in Tennessee, but Yanni’s Grecian Shish-Kabob was worth searching out.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Nudged away from Sparta by some TripAdvisor reviews, I investigated Cookeville just up the road. That’s where I tried the Country Inn & Suites, which was a great stay at a great price. Everything was clean, and the breakfast was overflowing with good choices.

Only in Sparta: The Sparta Rock House State Historic Site is an 1830s stone building that once served as a rest stop and tollhouse on a wagon road between Knoxville and Nashville. Andrew Jackson often stopped by on trips to Washington. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 for its architecture and its historical role as an important rest stop.

Next Stop: Moonlite Drive-In, Woodbury TN.

photo by Earl Leatherberry from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 80 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took just a hour to drive from the Swingin’ Midway Drive-In to the Parkway Drive-In Theatre in Maryville TN.

According to Cinema Treasures, The Parkway Drive-In opened in 1950 and closed in 1984. Blue Moon Theatres group bought, refurbished, and reopened the Parkway in 1999. It has added digital projection equipment, and from all accounts, the Parkway is doing great in its second life.

Alas, the Parkway is closed until “Spring of 2017,” which literally began the day before I arrived. The most relevant takeaway was that it wasn’t showing movies while I was there. Oh well.

Miles Today / Total:  47 / 9600 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 43

Nearby Restaurant: It’s right next door in Alcoa, and I just had to try Hot Rods 50’s Diner. Not only is the place knee-deep in the time of drive-in theater mania, it serves really great burgers. And I really love being able to play pinball with or without a meal.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The Luxbury Inn in Maryville took care of me. Good strong wifi means a lot when I’m trying to keep the site updated. I didn’t stay long enough to take full advantage of the kitchenette, and the continental breakfast got me on my way again.

Only in Maryville: Maryville sits near one of the main entrances to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The GSMNP is ramping up for Aug. 21 this year when a solar eclipse will cover the western half of the park. Maryville is also along the path of the eclipse; I wonder if the Parkway will show anything while it’s dark at 2:30 in the afternoon.

Next Stop: Sparta Drive-In, Sparta TN.