Category Archives: Texas

Jan. 16: Apache / Sky Vue, Tyler TX

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Apache Drive-In sign

photo by Don Lewis from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 16 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and this one was strange for several reasons. I visited Tyler TX, one of the few towns with two drive-ins, the Apache Drive-In and the Sky Vue Drive-In. The drive from Memphis to the Apache took over 400 miles and six hours, by far my longest trip so far. And the Apache, actually a few miles east of Tyler, is one of two in Texas that specializes in adult films.

My 2013 Apache story, which is really just a summary of two other sites’ stories, has been the most popular page on Carload for a few weeks this offseason. Why? No idea! Anyway, at the drive-in, one eyewitness claimed that the screen was lit by a projection TV. I’m not telling whether I watched anything there, tucked into the woods near the cell-phone tower, but if I did, I lost interest quickly and moved on.

The Sky Vue, 14 miles from the Apache and northwest of Tyler, was much more welcoming, tucked behind a field of storage units instead of trees. The small concession stand had reasonable prices and pizza. It just felt much cleaner.

The Sky Vue has only one screen, so I was stuck watching Assassin’s Creed again as the early movie in the double feature. At least it was better than what the Apache had.

Miles Today / Total:  406 + 14 / 1733 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Assassin’s Creed / 11

Nearby Restaurant: Since I was heading south the next day, I went back to Tyler where a cluster of hotels and restaurants sit at US 69 and Loop 323. The best-sounding name was Jumbo Seafood, and I’m glad I ordered the steak. And shrimp, just to stay on theme.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The low-price, decent accommodations leader in the 323-69 cluster was the Super 8. Really great price, decent little room, and just enough breakfast to get started.

Only in Tyler: According to Roadside America, the citizens of Tyler were particularly fond of a squirrel named Shorty, who lived outside the Smith County courthouse for 15 years. Despite a special pedestrian crossing and lower nearby speed limit, Shorty passed away in 1963. He was buried in a park across the street from the courthouse, marked by a headstone engraved with his likeness.

Next Stop: Showboat Drive-In, Hockley TX.

Blue Starlite needs help to move Austin drive-in

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Cars at a drive-in at twilight

The Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive In at its old location in Austin. Photo courtesy Blue Starlite.

It’s a commonly sad story. Development expands near a drive-in theater, and its landlord cuts off its lease. What gives that script a happy ending in Austin TX is that the Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive In already knows how to relocate, and it plans to reopen just south of town in February.

Blue Starlite owner Josh Frank has a fundraiser going on Kickstarter to improve the new location with a larger screen, “fancy” bathrooms, a 35mm projector, and much more. With 19 days to go, the drive still needed almost $10,000 more in pledges.

When the Austin American-Statesman wrote about the move, it mentioned a specific location on the outskirts of Buda with “a 10-year lease”. Frank told me that’s not so certain. “The exact address has NOT been officially announced,” he wrote, “we are still considering a lot of variables.”

What is certain is that the new location will be significantly south of Austin, albeit within 15 minutes or so. Frank told the Austin Eater, “our small business can not afford the incredible rent rates for 3 acres of land in Central Austin.”

The history of the Blue Starlite is a testament to flexibility in overcoming obstacles. It started seven years ago in an alley that fit only about a dozen cars. That was successful enough for a move to a larger lot, then again to an even larger lot next to the Austin Film Society. But the landlord now wants that spot to build condos, so the Blue Starlite will have to set up elsewhere after the first week of January. Fortunately, Frank has had enough warning to scout out alternative locations.

I asked Frank if a permanent location would change the Blue Starlite’s quirky culture. He said that the chance to offer more services would only improve it. “The Blue will always be a bootstrapped business, no matter what. That IS its charm and what I think people find endearing, But it is time to think about the future, to think about sustainability. Because in the end what people want most out of a business they love is that it will stick around forever, and that is what we are trying to do.”

There are some nice incentives on the Kickstarter page. If you want to support this unique drive-in vision, you ought to go check it out!

Coyote opens in Lewisville TX

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Coyote Drive-In marqueeIn the latest of this fall’s drive-in openings, this weekend the Coyote Drive-In chain added its third location, in Lewisville TX. This one has five screens and the usual Coyote mixture of restaurant, bar, and a modern movie experience.

I had hoped to add some local TV video of the grand opening or at least some newspaper coverage, but I couldn’t find any. There are plenty of stories leading up to it, including articles in the Lewisville Leader, the Denton Record-Chronicle, D Magazine, and even the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Since there’s nothing since, that should mean that all went well.

According to the Record-Chronicle, which also has a couple of nice photos, the Coyote folks have learned from their first location in Fort Worth. There, the bar and concession area are outdoors, but they’re inside a 10,000 square foot building in Lewisville. “The indoor area of the canteen is mainly to have an area where people can be comfortable in the heat,” said Steve Winn, the Coyote’s chief operating officer. “We’ll often have 3,000 or 4,000 people here on a Friday night, … and we needed to have a facility that could handle that kind of crowd and feed them dinner.”

There’s more information in all of those pre-opening articles, so to immerse yourself in this good news, you should go read ’em!