In 1949, Jack Jones, Sr., Bernice Kiker Tilley, and W.H. Tilley, Jr. (known as “H” Tilley) purchased the Rialto and Royal Theatres, Blue Ridge, Ga. from Willard and Betty Mowbray. Shortly after the purchase, Bernice sold her interest to Jack and “H”. The Rialto Theatre had been built in 1946 and 1947 and shortly after it was completed, the old Royal Theatre was closed and movies were shown only at the new Rialto. Mr. Mowbray had come to Blue Ridge in the late twenties or early thirties and had started showing movies in the brick building located on West Main Street where the fire department is now located. Mowbray showed movies in this building until he built the Royal Theatre on East Main Street, this theatre was small and could only seat around 200 people, as the area grew the seating capacity was too small and the new Rialto was built that could seat 500 people. The Rialto was built on East Main Street in the same block the old Royal theatre was located. At the time Jack and “H” purchased the theatres the Royal had been closed and only the Rialto  was in operation. There was no television in Blue Ridge at this time and the movie going crowd was so large they opened the Royal Theatre again and showed movies at both places. The price of a ticket was .32 for adults and .15 for children. At the Saturday matinees, adult tickets were .25 and .10 for children.

In 1955 Jack and “H” built the Swan Drive In Theatre that is located on 651 Summit Street, Blue Ridge, Ga. Building this drive-in was a real challenge. Locating a piece of property large enough that was suitable for a drive-in theatre would turn into a big problem. The first property purchased for the drive-in was on E. First Street where Blue Ridge Supply and several other buildings are now located. They would be forced to build a tall fence on the street side of this property to keep the car lights from shining on the screen, they were advised by engineers that the property was not suitable. The City Of Blue Ridge owned a large area of property known as the Willingham Circle and they were able to lease several acres from the City, on which, to build a drive-in theatre. The property they leased had large gullies, hills and valleys that had to be graded. The grading was much more than had been expected and several times they almost gave up. They considered quitting as it was such a large job, after they started the grading they hit slate rock and dynamite was the only thing that could move it. The grading was done by Mr. Raleigh Hembree, a local man that was an expert at his work whom encouraged them to keep on trying. After the land was graded, wired for the  speakers, paved, the concession stand and the box office built, there was another LARGE problem. The screen tower would have to built on the ground and then raised in parts. There was not a crane any nearer than Atlanta that was big and tall enough to lift the screen tower. A crane large enough to lift it was found at Atlanta Steel Erectors, many of the construction workers and ‘lookers-on” held their breath as this job was completed. The cost of the crane was one hundred dollars. This drive in theatre was the beginning of the real growth of Blue Ridge. People came from miles around to see movies on a large screen.

WHY THE DRIVE-IN THEATRE WAS NAMED SWAN

During World War 11, Mr. Tilley was stationed in England part of the time before being sent into The Omaha Beach Landing in the Normandy Invasion, while in England he admired the Swans swimming on the lakes and ponds. They were so beautiful and peaceful he suggested this name “Swan” for the new drive-in. Mr. Jones also liked the name as it was short and would be easy to use a neon sign with. This is why the drive-in was named “SWAN”. Mr. Jones served in the Marines before World War 11. During the first part of the World War 11, he was stationed in Panama helping build an Air Force Base, next he helped in the construction of an Air Force Base in West Palm Beach Florida.

Jack Jones Sr. and W.H. Tilley, jr. operated these theatres until 1959 when Mr. Tilley sold to Mr. Jones. The Swan Drive-In is still operating and is one of five Drive-In theatres left in the state of Georgia. The old Royal Theatre is still standing on East Main St., Blue Ridge, Ga. and has been converted into Doctor’s Offices. the Rialto Theatre was partially burned in 1963 and has been re-built as a Retail store.

Jack Jones, Sr. passed away in 1980. W. H. Tilley is retired and still resides in the City of Blue Ridge, Georgia.

History page written by Blanch Tilley and approved by Mrs. Jack Jones.

The Swan is one of five drive-in theatres in the state of Georgia that is still operating. The locations of the other four are Atlanta, Jessup, Tiger and Dewey Rose, Georgia. The Swan operates year round with first run movies.

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Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

Our regular 4 hour, 26 mile round trip winds along the beautiful Toccoa River for one hour in vintage climate controlled or open air railcars.

The relaxing ride starts at the historic depot, built in 1905 in downtown Blue Ridge, then stops for a layover in the quaint sister towns of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee.

Copperhill/McCaysville is one town with two names because it is split by the GA/TN State Line, where visitors have a two hour layover (except 1.5 hours on Sunday); plenty of time to eat lunch, shop for unique crafts and antiques, snack on ice cream, or walk across the old bridge in town to view the river. Then, reboard the train for the one hour return trip.

Riding the Railroad

We love a good train ride and The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway qualifies as one of the best. Although the engines are diesel (steam was never used on this portion of the track), it doesn’t detract from the ride, which follows existing track along the Toccoa River from Blue Ridge, Georgia through the McCaysville Basin to the city of the same name.

Blue Ridge is a small town in north-central Georgia that, until 1998, was most famous for its growing antique shopping area. Then a group of north Georgia residents decided to resurrect the railroad. Using an all volunteer work force, and trains brought or leased from such well-known places as the Southeastern Railway Museum, Duluth, Georgia, and the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway opened a ticket office in the restored Blue Ridge depot in June, 1998.

An immediate success, the train carried more than 17,000 passengers during the first year of operation. Supported by the local businessmen and government, the train has dramatically increased business in the downtown areas of both Blue Ridge and McCaysville. The Historic High Country Travel Association considers it one of four “must see” attractions in the northwest corner of the state.

Riding the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad

Train schedules vary depending on the day and time of season. We rode the train on a Saturday in early September and it was beautiful. A light fog covered the mountains on the trip to McCaysville, occasionally opening for a dramatic view of the nearby Toccoa River. During the trip highlights are pointed out over a speaker system that runs through all the cars. The open car’s conductor enhanced the presentation with his own enjoyable narrative. You’ll see the “Two Sisters,” gardeners who gladly wave at the train as it passes, or the old mule who awaits his carrot as the train passes. In McCaysville, the train comes to a stop at the depot and you get 45 minutes to visit the town on the Tennessee border. Local ladies were selling snacks by the depot, and all the great local shops were open. While it is possible to eat during this break we would recommend against it. By the time we got our food we were rushed to make it back to the train on time.

There are many photographic opportunites, and some interesting shops in the area of the train depot.

 Blue Ridge, Georgia is home to some of the best antique shops in the state and is a gateway city to the North Georgia Mountains. Its central location, plentiful accommodations and reputation for abundant outdoor recreation activities make it a great place to spend a few days or a lifetime!

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