Skyway Drive-In

480 Tennessee 62,
Oak Ridge, TN 37830

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According to drive-ins.com, the Skyway Drive-In opened in 1944 and closed in 1983, and had space for 500 cars.

I went there once, in the mid-1970’s, and saw the horror double feature of “Schlock” and “The Baby”. I remember it being very large, with a very big screen. It was on the left side of the old Oak Ridge Highway, just at the edge of Oak Ridge if you were coming from Knoxville (which I was).

Contributed by Bob Brown

Recent comments (view all 8 comments)

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen
Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen on January 14, 2011 at 11:00 am

PLEASE CHANGE ADDRESS TO:

480 TENNESSEE 62

That’s a better address than Oak Ridge Highway.

More info and photos are always welcome.

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on January 14, 2011 at 1:25 pm

There is a picture of this drive-in on its gallery page at Drive-ins.com: http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/tntskyw

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on January 14, 2011 at 2:37 pm

Skyway drive-in I have in my 1956 Motion picture Almanac parks 175 cars.Which is WAY off the 500 mentioned above. It was owned by W.J.Hatfield. Playing Sept. 18 1967 was Roddy McDowell and Susanne Pleshette in “THE ADVENTURE OF BULLWHIP GRIFFIN” one show only at 8:15.Most all the other Knoxville area drive-ins were running Two movies.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on January 14, 2011 at 2:41 pm

Sept 24 1967 and the Skyway has James Caan in “REDLINE 7000” and David Janssen in"WARNING SHOT" starting that Wednesday was “THE WAR WAGON” and “FLUFFY”. The Skyway Drive in was one mile North of Fountain City,Tn.

bbrown1
bbrown1 on January 14, 2011 at 8:25 pm

Those are two different Skyway Drive-In’s, Mike. 175 cars sounds about right for Knoxville’s Skyway, but Oak Ridge’s Skyway was huge.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on January 17, 2011 at 7:56 pm

Thanks bbrown1 I later noticed two Skyways in the Knoxville area.Can’t believe Newport ,Tn. only 4 – plex closed.Nothing in that town now.

bbrown1
bbrown1 on January 20, 2011 at 9:26 pm

According to an article in “The Oak Ridger”, the Skyway actually opened on April 4, 1946. The Sagebrush Restaurant and a Kroger parking lot occupy the space today.

Chuck1231
Chuck1231 on January 21, 2011 at 12:07 am

The address 480 Tennessee 62 (S. Illinois Ave.) maps to a Ford Dealer (Dean Stallings Ford). The Kroger Store maps to 370 S. Illinois Ave. with a K Mart next door. Doing an address search the Kroger address is the 370 S. Illinois ave. So in tying in with the article that bbrown mentions the drive-in would have been located at the 370 S. Illinois Ave.

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