10/07/2026
Historic Kenwood, Even St. Petersburg, FL had a Drive-In?!
It did! Tripplett's opened in 1946, it was located on Fifth Avenue North, directly south of St. Petersburg High School. That's no accident. Green Devils of St. Pete High were the customers. Instant pick-up of a burger lunch for Kenwood locals was a regular thing. Our history of remembering the local nightlife continues here with also covering the daytime. Trippletts was popular for many years!
It was also rare for it's time since there were car hop guys and gals hired for the job. "Curb Boys" and "Sandwich Girls" were the names Tripplett's used. They delivered dishes like baked beans, buttered bun cheeseburgers, fries and chicken in a basket to locals on roller skates for decades.
St. Petersburg had some other drive-ins including a church and a movie theatre once. Will Drive-ins come back besides? Time will tell. There's still many Drive-Thrus for independent, chain and local businesses all around St. Pete.
So what happened? It closed in the 1980s and the owner of it at the time would go on to become the Mayor! His wife was famous as "The First Lady of St. Pete." The old place is now home to coffee house and Kava bar called Bula. Wonder if they know what it used to be?
