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.

Jan. 15: Summer, Memphis TN

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It’s Day 15 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and I stopped in Memphis TN so my long drive to Texas tomorrow will be a little bit shorter. (The drive from Iuka MS took only about two hours.) This also gave me the chance to check out the Summer Drive-In on a Sunday night.

Thank goodness I broke my string of dark drive-ins. The “Summer Quartet” (as its web site calls its four screens) is open Friday through Sunday in winter. All four of the early movies were films I hadn’t seen yet – Patriot’s Day, The Bye Bye Man, Hidden Figures, and Sleepless. Given a choice, I’ll take the movie that seems the least like a drive-in movie, so I’ll be less likely to encounter it later in the week. Hidden Figures was the best bet.

A Summer Drive-In opened in 1948, but not this one. As well described in a Memphis Magazine article, a 670-car theater with red lights on the speaker poles stayed in business until 1966, when it was sold to land developers. The Malco Summer Twin opened farther east on Summer Avenue, also in 1966, and later expanded to four screens.

Miles Today / Total:  108 / 1313 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Hidden Figures / 10

Nearby Restaurant: The closest, best restaurant was Vietnamese Lotus Restaurant, where the portions were large for a single diner, but the fresh, authentic taste made the wait worth it.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There’s a cluster of motels just east of the Summer on I-40. From that group, the La Quinta Inn & Suites was the most highly recommended, so that’s what I chose. The price was reasonable, breakfast was solid, and I was ready to set out on one of the longest drives of this odyssey.

Only in Memphis: According to The Tennessean, state Attorney General Herbert Slatery told the Memphis city council in 2015 that it couldn’t subpoena investigative records of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation because of a missing comma. State law allows release of the records “only in compliance with a subpoena or an order of a court of record.” Without a comma after “subpoena,” only court-related subpoenas work, not those issued by any city council.

Next Stop: Sky Vue Drive-In / Apache Drive-In, Tyler TX.

Jan. 14: Iuka, Iuka MS

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drive-in concession stand and screen

photo from the Iuka Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 14 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, time to leave Alabama for a while and sneak in to Tishomingo County, which is the northeast corner of Mississippi, and its county seat of Iuka, home of the Iuka Drive-In. The drive only took about an hour and a half.

For the third straight day, I’m at a drive-in that’s closed for the season. I was congratulating myself for not scheduling my visit for tomorrow (it’s closed Sundays), but no luck. The Iuka’s phone recording promises that it will reopen this year with digital projection, although the opening date is still unknown. A story from the Corinth MS Daily Corinthian said it tends to be in April.

I don’t know how many drive-ins are as deeply forested as the Iuka. Its lone driveway winds through trees until you see the 100-car single-screen theater that looks as though it was cleared Field of Dreams-style. (The movie, not the Ohio drive-in.)

How old is the Iuka? It’s not among the 63 Mississippi drive-ins listed in the 1955 Theatre Catalog. According to CinemaTreasures, it opened “around 1957,” but the recording thanks patrons for 28 years of support, suggesting that something started or changed in 1988.

Miles Today / Total:  74 / 1205 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 9

Nearby Restaurant: The closest was Little Smokies, which was fortunate. Sometimes I just want a barbeque plate with meat and beans and fries and sauce. It makes up for the times I eat healthy.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Really not a lot of choices in Iuka, so I chose the Victorian Inn there. It’s an older place with some friendly people, and boy, was it cheap!

Only in Iuka: According to The New York Times, after spending $1.2 billion to begin construction on the Yellow Creek nuclear power plant just north of Iuka, the Tennessee Valley Authority stopped work in 1982 and officially cancelled the project in 1984. Then NASA decided to spend $1.5 billion to refurbish the 1200-acre campus to build solid rocket motors, but Congress killed its funding in 1993 when the site was 80 percent complete.

Next Stop: Summer Drive-In, Memphis TN.