Welcome to the Tri-City Drive-In between Forest City and Spindale. The third city is, of course, nearby Rutherfordton, giving the theater its fitting name. By the time this photo was taken, the movies had long since stopped, but it was a real treat to come across a drive-in that was still standing instead of being replaced by another shopping center or subdivision.

Tri-City Drive-in Theatre
Spindale, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

The old screen tower still rose above the trees, the concession stand remained in place, and the winding rows of parking ramps could still be followed through the tall grass. It felt less like an abandoned business and more like someone had simply forgotten to unlock the gates for the night's show.

Long before multiplexes took over, places like this were a destination on warm summer evenings. Families packed the station wagon, kids wore their pajamas so they could sleep on the ride home, and the speaker hanging on the car window became part of the movie experience. The Tri-City served moviegoers from Forest City, Spindale, Rutherfordton, and the surrounding countryside for decades before showing its final films around 1994.

Tri-City Drive-in Theatre marquee
Spindale, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

What made this drive-in especially memorable was how much of it survived after closing. While countless theaters across the Southeast disappeared beneath bulldozers almost as soon as the projectors went dark, the Tri-City simply sat quietly beside the highway. Nature slowly took over, wrapping vines around the buildings and letting trees fill the empty parking field, but the layout remained surprisingly easy to recognize. You could still picture the ticket booth welcoming the evening crowd, the concession stand serving popcorn and cold drinks between features, and rows of cars stretching toward the giant screen.

Tri-City Drive-in Theatre
Spindale, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Standing here, it wasn't difficult to imagine what a Saturday night must have been like during the drive-in's heyday. The glow from the screen would have reflected off polished hoods, children would have been chasing each other across the gravel before the movie started, and late arrivals would have been searching for the perfect parking spot. Even in silence, the place seemed full of memories.

Finding old drive-ins like this is one of the real pleasures of wandering America's back roads. They remind us that some of the best roadside discoveries aren't always the brightest or the busiest. Sometimes it's the quiet places, slowly fading into the landscape, that make you pull over, grab the camera, and stay a little longer.

Tri-City Drive-in Theatre
Spindale, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

UPDATE: The Tri-City Drive-In has since been demolished. The screen tower, concession stand, entrance, and remaining structures have all been cleared from the property. 08-26

Tri-City Drive-in Screen Tower
Spindale, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

The photos show the overgrown road at the entrance and ticket booth and a few of the screen. The trees give the impression this drive in had been closed for at least 25 years, maybe more.

Go-kart Sign
Spindale, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Tri-City also had a go-kart track that too has not been used in a very long time. Check out the sign advertising folks to go check out the go-karts and purchase tickets inside. Hard to resist an advertisement like this. Pretty nice to have go-karts in addition to drive-in movies.

Tri-City Drive-in Theatre trees
Spindale, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

To the left is a view that appears as though it was taken in the woods. It is in fact a view looking parallel to the screen where rows of cars once parked.

Tri-City concession stand
Spindale, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here are a few pictures of the concession stand, not much in here and the insulation and ceiling panels have fallen down making for a dingy scene.

Who knows, nostalgia being what it is maybe one day the Tri-City will live again....

Google Street View Image

Back to more Lost Treasures from the Southeast