Hob Nob Drive-in Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack
Florida is home to some amazing roadside eateries, some of which can
be found at Roadside Peek'sDrive-in Eateries Florida.
Sugar n Spice Drive-in
Spartanburg, SC Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack
The Sugar N' Spice Drive In opened in 1961. Although it did not
appear they still serve you at your car, a very funky teal and white car
port serves as the parking area for the restaurant. Many thanks to Steve/Back on Tack for info.
That wavy teal-and-white canopy is enough to make you hit the brakes. Sugar-n-Spice Drive-In has been turning heads in Spartanburg since 1961, and even though the carhops are gone, the covered parking area still gives the place that unmistakable drive-in look. Add in the flashing neon arrow out front, and you've got one of the city's best roadside landmarks.
Back when it opened, you could pull in and order right from your car. A remodeling in the 1970s added a larger dining room and brought an end to true drive-in service, but plenty of the original personality stayed behind. Today you'll need to head inside, where locals still line up for burgers, hot dogs, souvlaki, and the restaurant's famous "A-Plenty" meals piled high with fries and onion rings.
UPDATE: Sugar-n-Spice is still serving customers today, and the classic neon sign and distinctive drive-in canopy continue to make it one of Spartanburg's most recognizable roadside stops. 08-26
The Varsity
Atlanta, GA Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf
Open since 1928, The Varsity is a good greasy spoon of a drive-in eatery in the Atlanta, GA area. Located
near the Georgia Tech campus, The Varsity and its neon front entrance
is a welcome sight to many a hungry belly.
Once you step inside, don't be surprised to hear the famous greeting, "What'll ya have? What'll ya have?" The Varsity has its own language, from Heavy Dogs to Frosted Oranges, and generations of students, families, and road-trippers have become part of the tradition. What started as a small hot dog stand has grown into the world's largest drive-in restaurant, but it still feels like one of America's great roadside stops.
UPDATE: The Varsity continues serving hungry customers beneath its famous neon, and the giant red "V" remains one of Atlanta's best-known roadside landmarks. 08-26
Parkette Drive-in (Demolished)
Lexington, KY Photo courtesy Tony Craig
Some roadside signs advertise a restaurant. Others become landmarks all by themselves. The giant marquee at Parkette Drive-In belonged in that second category. Towering above New Circle Road with glowing neon, animated automobiles, chasing lights, and a smiling carhop, it was the kind of sign that made you slow down for a better look. Even if you weren't planning to stop, the Parkette had a way of changing your mind. 10-05
When the drive-in opened in 1951, America was in the middle of its love affair with the automobile, and the Parkette fit right in. Pull beneath the broad canopy and a carhop would soon be taking your order while the kitchen turned out burgers, fried chicken, milkshakes, and the restaurant's famous "Poor Boy" sandwich. It quickly became one of Lexington's favorite gathering places, welcoming families, college students, and travelers looking for a classic drive-in meal.
Parkette Drive-in Close-up
Lexington, KY Photo courtesy Devil Doll
Of course, the sign usually stole the show. Rising nearly forty feet into the air, the wedge-shaped marquee was packed with neon from top to bottom. The glowing cars seemed to race across the sign, the border lights chased one another around the edges, and the smiling carhop welcomed motorists day and night. It wasn't just one of Kentucky's best drive-in signs. It was one of those roadside landmarks you remembered long after the trip was over.
The Parkette remained a familiar sight as Lexington grew around it. New shopping centers appeared, traffic increased, and national chains came and went, but the drive-in kept doing what it had always done. For generations, a stop at the Parkette became part of visiting Lexington. Some people came for the food. Others simply wanted to see that incredible marquee glowing beside the highway.
Parkette Drive-in Detail of Car
Lexington, KY Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The Parkette was one of those places I always meant to visit again. Seeing that sign in person left quite an impression, and it seemed like the kind of roadside landmark that would always be there waiting on the next trip through Kentucky. Hearing that the restaurant had quietly closed in 2022 was genuinely disappointing. I had been looking forward to making the Parkette one of those regular stops whenever I found myself back in Lexington.
Before long, the restaurant and its familiar canopy were demolished as the property was redeveloped. Thankfully, the one thing that defined the Parkette more than anything else was spared. The towering marquee was protected as a local landmark and carefully restored, allowing it to remain exactly where it has greeted motorists for decades.
Parkette Drive-in Detail of Carhop
Lexington, KY Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Today, the sign still rises above New Circle Road, glowing much as it did when hungry travelers first spotted it in the 1950s. The burgers and carhops may be gone, but the marquee continues doing what it has always done best: catching the eye of passing motorists and reminding them that one of Kentucky's greatest roadside landmarks once stood beneath it.
UPDATE: Here are a couple of detail pictures from the Parkette Drive-in. Many thanks to Dave van Hulsteyn for update. 02-08
UPDATE: The Parkette Drive-In closed in 2022, and the restaurant was later demolished. Its magnificent neon marquee remains protected as a Lexington landmark and continues to light up New Circle Road. 08-26
Sugar n Spice Drive-in
