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.

photo by Cragin Spring from the Carload Flickr Pool

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.