Georgia Is Home To The Nation’s Second-Best Drive-In

The Swan Drive-In Theatre, in Blue Ridge, Georgia, is named the second best drive-in theater in the country, according to Trip Advisor.

“It’s the nostalgia.  Everything is so electronic.  I mean, yes, the drive-in does have all the latest sound and equipment and all that stuff.  But it’s still different that just going into a movie theater,” says co-owner Kathleen Setser.

Setser and her husband, Steve, have owned the business since 1989.

The theater has been airing movies for more than 50 years, and many of the attendees say they enjoy the relaxed atmosphere under the stars.

“You can come in your pajamas, I mean we do have a lot of people putting their kids in their pajamas and even adults.  I think people don’t come so much for the movies, it’s just for the experience,” says Setser.

And there’s also the food.

“Deep fried Oreos, popcorn, hot dogs, hamburgers….they claim to have the best hamburger in town,” says Jode Hanson, with the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce. 

Hanson has lived in the area for nearly eight years and has seen a number of movies at the Swan.

“Everybody’s outside.  They’re laughing, they’re talking … you know our tourists love it.  They come there and there’s just this happiness and you talk to everybody … your kids and playing with their kids,” she says.

Setser says 75 percent of her business comes from out-of-towners.

The theater is open on weekends and admission is $8.

The Skyway Drive-In Theatre in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, topped the list.