Cordele Drive-In

105 Farmers Market Road,
Cordele, GA 31015

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50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on November 29, 2023 at 6:58 pm

The capacity of the second Cordele Drive-In looks a lot larger than the first Cordele Drive-In. The first Cordele Drive-In had 145 cars, while this one looks more like 300 (which represent an expenditure of some $100,000 according to a very small article on its construction in September 1965).

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on November 27, 2023 at 3:29 pm

Another address that works is 105 Farmers Market Rd, Cordele, GA 31015, and was the second out of two Cordele Drive-Ins in its history.

Martin Theatres opened this one in 1966 as a replacement of a smaller drive-in located south of Cordele on Highway 41 which closed that same year, also named Cordele Drive-In (it will have its own Cinema Treasures page soon).

cmwhite1994
cmwhite1994 on June 2, 2017 at 9:05 am

I used 2367 Georgia 90 on Google Maps to get there. Very overgrown (will upload photos soon). Screen looks like it is in good shape. No easy way to get onto the property and I chose not to trespass. Current owner is Harry Carter.

Kenmore
Kenmore on April 30, 2016 at 7:45 pm

Another address that works (at least on Google) is 2367 Georgia 90, Cordele, GA. The drive-in sits on the NE corner. http://tinyurl.com/z2anjxl

Drive-In 54
Drive-In 54 on April 30, 2016 at 4:45 pm

U.S. 41 & Farmers Market Rd, Cordele, GA 31015 is the correct address.

twisted181978
twisted181978 on March 29, 2013 at 6:27 pm

Just drove by this today, its a shame it hasn’t been preserved. It looks to be in a severe state of disrepair. I enjoyed seeing a piece of Georgia’s history though.

jwmovies
jwmovies on September 22, 2012 at 9:22 pm

Approx. address for this drive-in was 101 Farmers Market Rd.

AndyCallahanMajorMajor
AndyCallahanMajorMajor on March 29, 2012 at 1:08 pm

Here are my pictures of the Cordele Drive-in from March 2012.

This is one of the best theaters that I’ve ever come across. The drive-in is in excellent condition for being closed for about thirty years. The screen doesn’t appear to have any damage and the marquee has held up surprisingly well.

NYozoner
NYozoner on February 2, 2011 at 4:10 pm

U.S. 41 & Farmers Market Rd, Cordele, GA 31015

The above address will map accurately to the location of the drive-in, which is visible on Google Earth using historic aerial imagery.

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois
Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois on July 10, 2010 at 11:40 am

Yes interesting and I did notice MAVC (must be a lot more to that story). Lots of bases in Georgia.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on July 10, 2010 at 11:08 am

Did you notice the MAVC theatre I put on under newest theatres.It might be of interest to you. Yep I only have 70 or so drive-ins left.You have a much bigger task and I hope you do live long enough and then alot more to be able to enjoy the work. I have a flyer from Fort Gordon, Georgia on the movie “EXECUTIVE ACTION” i pick up as a kid out on the base one day.It had on it “FOR INSTALLATION DISTRIBUTION ONLY"Coming soon to your Army and Air Force Theatres.Admission at the theatre at Fort Gordon was $1.00 for adults and 50 cents for children.I remember they had a beautiful new theatre and later built a second screen,but smaller cinema.Ray Hutto who hand built SOUTHSIDE CINEMA {on CT] I think got the seats from that newer theatre for his South Augusta theatre.Interesting story.

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois
Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois on July 10, 2010 at 9:15 am

ONLY “plan on putting every drive-in from Georgia that is not already on CT on the Cinema Treasures site” is that all?

Here’s what I want to put on CT if they are not listed:

The about 180 foreign CINERAMA Theaters (all United States theaters
are listed except 2 that I only know the name and city, I’m not convinced they really existed).

All theaters that had those Mighty Theater Pipe Organs. WurlitTizer made 2,238 (most, but not all went into theaters) plus other companies such as Barton, Robert-Morton, Kimball etc.! I have the lists

All the theaters on existing and former military bases. I have working lists.

I hope I live a long time!

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on July 10, 2010 at 6:59 am

I guess I should slow down,but doggone it I can see how people get hooked on these dang computers.I wouldn’t even be on one now if it wasn’t for CT.I actually believed a couple of friends and myself would be the only ones ever have any interest in picking tics off of each other from exploring old DRive-ins.Or coughing our lungs out from sneaking into closed rotting downtown theatres. I plan on putting every DRive-in from Georgia that is not already on CT on the Cinema Treasures site,But for you I promise to slow down.But I just this morning put about 10 drive-ins on before reading this.

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois
Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois on July 10, 2010 at 6:41 am

Michael Coate, I like your idea of deleting the post after the mystery editor has corrected the mistake, it would get rid of a some of the garbage. I try to list the mistake so readers an see what it was.

Mike Rogers, I like your enthusiasm, so many theaters, so little time. I’m not so sure anyone bothers to look at your new theaters when you have so many put up at one time. Right now I have 36 theaters of yours that I have “checked” out and are ready to make comments on, but I only post two or three a day so as not to bore anyone. Two of the theaters I checked out are already listed on CT, so now they are now listed twice, so that sorta makes things messy! IMHO, you might just slow down just a bit, quality over quanity. What do you think?

How could you misspell “THE WATERMELON CAPITAL OF THE WORLD”?

I found the drive-in listed as being on Tremont Road?

Open 1960-1980?

I know it was open in 1967.

Owner 1975-1980 Martin Theaters of Georgia, Inc. in Columbus, Ga.?

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on June 29, 2010 at 4:29 pm

I love you Michael.

Coate
Coate on June 29, 2010 at 4:21 pm

Now that the mystery editor has corrected the misspellings, why not delete my comment where I mentioned the misspellings? At this point, retaining my comment will simply confuse anyone reading the page. Worse, readers may think I’m suggesting a correction to an item that doesn’t need correcting. An even better idea would be to introduce a date and time stamp for any revisions made to the intro details.

Now if we could just get Mike Rogers some writing lessons. :–)

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on June 29, 2010 at 3:59 pm

Yep, your right.It is Cordele,but i bet the majority of the folks there could care less.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on June 29, 2010 at 3:08 pm

You are right Silicon Sam,nothing but trees and the screen.

Coate
Coate on June 29, 2010 at 3:03 pm

The theater name at the top of the page is misspelled (as is the city name in the first sentence of the introduction).

Silicon Sam
Silicon Sam on June 29, 2010 at 12:56 pm

Bing maps actually show the screen in the satellite view:

View link

Silicon Sam
Silicon Sam on June 29, 2010 at 12:42 am

Looking at some old images, there was a drive-in at 41N and Farmers Market Rd.

View link

Street View shows what appears to be the screen back in the forest growing there…

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