Back to our regularly schedule programming…
Here’s my photo from 2007 the same year that Java J’s opened in Bristol, TN:
Around 2012, the place became Bristol BBQ – but I’m glad they kept the giant cup:
Bush’s Baked Beans are produced in Chestnut Hill. This giant can on a trailer is installed in front of their Visitor Center:
These three gorillas are installed in front of Gorilla Fireworks in Sevierville:
This 3-D billboard with a shark and octopus is also in Sevierville. The shark’s tail and the other side of the octopus are on the other side:
This Dolly Parton statue is also in Sevierville:
This former Pure Oil gas station is in Greeneville:
This former Buick dealer and gas station is in Newport:
This facade is all that remains of the former Pan-Am gas station in Strawberry Plains:
This canopy entrance is at the Sevier County High School in Sevierville:
The Moonlite Drive-in is in Abingdon, VA. They’ve done a great job of fixing up the signs at the entrance and on the back of the screentower. I can almost forgive them for using LED instead of neon:
Here’s my photo the Jewel Box in Bristol, VA from 2003:
I believe the sign is still there behind the current sign:
and its wonderful vitrolite storefront is still there:
… and just two doors east is another nice vitrolite storefront:
This sign is also in Bristol, VA:
The Riverside Truck Stop in Del Rio, TN has been closed for decades but this sign remains:
This sad-looking sign is installed in Newport:
It originally advertised for the Family Inns of America chain — an example of an intact sign from a postcard of the Rowland, NC location:
Surprisingly, this Mobile, AL location is still open. I think it’s the last one and it still has the same sign — from Google StreetView:
This long-closed restaurant sign is in Knoxville:
This bowling alley in Johnson City is still operating:
This sign is in Dandridge:
This vacuum-form plastic sign is in Bristol, TN:
Lastly, this beautiful sign is in Johnson City:
I’ll be back soon with lots more Tennessee. About 14 more days’ worth of photos to crop/tweak & add to the website from this trip left to go. Then, I start planning for next summer’s trip (IA, MN, and MI).
Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs
