56 Drive-In
Highway 56 and Fairground Road,
Swainsboro,
GA
30401
Highway 56 and Fairground Road,
Swainsboro,
GA
30401
2 people
favorited this theater
Like a lot of drive-ins, the 56 Drive-In was a family operation from day one. The Bellamy’s opened the drive-in on Christmas day according to Tommy Bellamy. It was a thrill for his brother Tony to have a picture show right next to the house. They were just far enough away from Augusta, Georgia that this Swainsboro drive-in had a chance and for a couple of strong decades the drive-in did fine. Only illness from the boys parents closed the drive-in. However, by the late-1980’s they were back on the screen with what they hoped would last and it did for a few years.
Ray Hutto, theatre owner of the Southside said when he went out to shoot video the brothers were so happy. The old carbon arcs with a white hot light hit that screen with"The Rocketeer" in 1991, along with what they wanted Family films. They did play some R-rated action films for the rural crowd. One time a car caught on fire driving to the 56 Drive-in. The owner walked home got another car and came to the show. That is one of those theatre stories Tommy and Tony would tell.
Sadly, by the early-1990’s it was over with. The crowds quit coming and this time the Bellamy family called it quits. Ray Hutto remembered when he talked to Tony he said the screen is down and I have about 400 drive-in speakers boxed up with no home to go. I would be willing to bet those speakers are still out by the old concession in that tall Georgia grass.
Contributed by
Mike Rogers
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Recent comments (view all 20 comments)
Thanks Mike for sharing out Drive-in and it’s stories! This little drive-in was my dad’s passion. He passed away last week!!! Everything still sits as it was, except for the screen. I did store the speakers for fear of theft. I spent a major part of my life there, and it was wonderful!!! NOTHING can compare to a DRIVE-IN THEATER!!!
LAST I heard the screen was still standing, someone told me the show AMERICAN PICKERS visited there.
The above does not map correctly. If you use Google Maps, Hwy 56 & Fair Ground Rd will get you closer. The ramps are still visible about ¼ mile south of this intersection.
It’s for sale!
A quick check of Google Maps shows that the screen is no longer there.
I don’t remember the tv show American Pickers going there!!
the projectors/concessions booth still stand along with the marquee and ramps!
I’m not seeing how this can be re-opened since the entrance road is now a driveway for a home that sits on the north side. It would take some major renovation, including a new screen and widening the existing access, to reopen this drive-in.
yes they visited the house of someone who is full of drive-in memorabilia it was in someones barn i can only assume this is where it came from!
Still intact in the 1993 aerial view but looks vacant. As of 2026, most of the faded traces and the projection/concession building are still present. The marquee sign was gone during the early-2010s with its poles still standing today.