Tri-City Drive-in Theatre (Closed)
Spindale, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The Tri-City Drive-in Theatre may have been closed, but there was still plenty to see. Overgrown with weeds and surrounded by trees, the old screen and concession stand remained standing, making this one of those forgotten roadside stops that was hard to pass by.
Named for Forest City, Spindale, and nearby Rutherfordton, the Tri-City entertained moviegoers for decades before closing around 1994. It even featured a go-kart track alongside the theater, giving families one more reason to stop in for the evening. The drive-in has since been demolished, and the remaining structures have been cleared from the property.
The Mid-Town Drive-in Theatre near Kingston, TN is one of the last few operating drive-ins here in East Tennessee. The drive-in operated as the Roane Drive-in between the 1950's and 1970's. After closing and partially demolishing, the Mid-Town had a rebirth in 1995. Many thanks to Doug Harvey for info. 08-06
Opened in 1949 as the Roane Drive-In, the property accommodated roughly 300 cars. It closed in 1980, and portions were dismantled before an unusual second chance arrived in 1995. Rebuilt and reopened as the Mid-Town, it brought outdoor movies back to a site that had already spent years without them.
UPDATE: Lack of crowds have put the fate of the Mid-Town Drive-in Theatre in jeopardy. According to VolunteerTV.com, the manager of the Mid-Town stated that the "crowds just aren't lining up like in past years". A for sale sign was put up at the site this past Friday. The Mid-Town Drive-in's season runs through Labor Day. 05-09
UPDATE: The Mid-Town Drive-in is still open for movies. They had a better season this year of 2010 then they did in 2009. The Mid-Town Drive-in is one of the two drive-ins operated by the Blue Moon Theatre company. The other drive-in is the Parkway Drive-in in Maryville TN. Many thanks to David Hughes for update. 12-10
Mid-Town Drive-in and entrance
Harriman, TN Photo property of Google
UPDATE : The Mid-Town Drive-In closed up in August of 2013 because the owner Doug Freeman won't spend the money to go digital for the Mid-Town location. However, he is spending the money to keep his other drive-in open called the Parkway Drive-in by complying with the film conversion to digital requirement for projection. According to their website, they are not going to go digital for next year. and are officially closed up now. However, they may run a limited schedule in 2014 if a few movie companies still distribute movies on film. Many thanks to David Hughes for update. 10-13
UPDATE: The revived theater closed in 2013, ending its second run. Theater records identify the property as subsequently demolished, although the exact clearance timeline is unclear. Its history includes both the loss of an original drive-in and a successful revival that extended moviegoing here for nearly two more decades. 11-26
State Line Drive-in Theatre
Elizabethton,
TN Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The State Line Drive-In Theatre offers a familiar invitation along U.S. 19E in Elizabethton: pull in, tune the radio, and enjoy a movie beneath the East Tennessee sky. Its roadside entrance marks a business that has entertained generations of local families, preserving an alternative to the indoor multiplex. 02-08
The theater traces its beginnings to 1947, according to its own history. Later opening advertisements document screenings by 1949, placing it firmly within the postwar drive-in boom. Radio sound has replaced the original window-speaker experience, but the concession stand, parked cars, and anticipation before darkness remain essential parts of the evening.
UPDATE: The State Line remains an operating, family-owned drive-in, with its season generally running from spring through fall. Movie schedules vary with the season. Good to see this longtime outdoor theater continuing to welcome audiences along one of the region’s older highway corridors. 11-26
The faded Cairo Drive-In Theatre marquee marked a former movie stop in Fuquay-Varina, south of Raleigh—not Roanoke Rapids, as the earlier heading indicated. Its weathered lettering remained an invitation to imagine the theater’s busier years, even after the screen and parked cars had disappeared. 08-08
Operating by 1950 as the Five Points Drive-In, the roughly 250-car theater became the Cairo in January 1954. New operators Mack Weeks and William Lipscomb announced renovations that included a marquee, restrooms, fencing, and landscaping. James M. Bullock acquired the business in 1960, adding another chapter to this smaller outdoor theater’s history.
UPDATE: The Cairo has been demolished, and residential development replaced the property. The Cinema Drive name recalls its former use. Accounts place final clearance around 2012, although the exact demolition date remains uncertain; the theater’s screen and roadside marquee no longer survive. 11-26
Here is the Gaston Drive-In Theatre in Roanoke Rapids, NC. This drive-in was in service at least until the mid 80’s. Check out what's remaining of the marquee and the screen in this overgrown lot. Many thanks to Tait Hilliard for info. 08-08
Construction began in 1952, and the theater opened on Easter Sunday in 1953 with admission advertised at one dollar per car. Roanoke Amusements developed the property, and Lyle M. Wilson oversaw its operation until retiring in 1986. The theater closed shortly afterward, placing its final working years later than some earlier accounts suggested.
By a 2017 historic survey, the entrance sign, large metal screen, and projection-house foundation remained. The screen measured an estimated 85 to 90 feet across and stood roughly three stories high. Those remnants retained enough historical significance for North Carolina preservation officials to find the property eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
UPDATE: The Gaston remains closed. Its surviving features were formally documented in 2017, although their present condition has not been confirmed. National Register eligibility recognized its importance to local drive-in history; it did not establish that the property had been listed or restored. 11-26
Mid-Town Drive-in (Demolished)
State Line Drive-in Theatre
Cairo Drive-in Theatre (Demolished)
Gaston Drive-in Theatre (Closed)
Gaston Drive-in Theatre (Closed)
