The Bandit Run is a re-enactment of the road travelled in the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit.
Understand
The 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit tells the story of running a semi-trailer full of Coors beer from Texarkana in Texas (the furthest east it could then be legally bought) to Atlanta, Georgia, with a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am as a blocking vehicle.
The film remains as a classic, and a contemporary depiction of the late golden age of trucking, American muscle cars, and citizen-band radio, as well as the rebellious spirit of the 1970s.
The Bandit Run is a reenactment of the journey portrayed in the 1977 film, Smokey and the Bandit. The reenactment first took place on May 15, 2007 as a 30-year commemoration of the film which has become an annual event since. Participants, also known as Bandit Runners, made this journey with the 1970s version of the Pontiac Trans Am which was the car the main character, Bo "Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds), drove in to make the journey.
Prepare
See also: Driving in the United States
Get in
Go
The film displays the westward journey from Atlanta to Texarkana in a short montage. Most of the plot takes place during the return trip. The 2007 Bandit Run went east from Texarkana to Atlanta.
- Texarkana, Texas, 33.4250°, -94.0428°.
- Four States Car Museum (formerly the Classic Car Museum), 217 Laurel St, Texarkana AR (Along Laurel St between E 3rd & Broad St), +1 870 772-2886. Sa 10AM-4PM & Su 1PM-4PM. The send off location from Texarkana towards Atlanta. 2019-12-17
- Tupelo, Mississippi, 34.2574°, -88.7034°. The 2007 participants came into town to take an overnight break.
- Tupelo Auto Museum, 1 Otis Blvd, +1 662 842-4242. M–Sa 9AM–4:30PM, Su Noon–4:30PM. The next send-off location of the Bandit Run when the 2007 Bandit Runners leave town (Tupelo). $10 for adults, $5 for children 5–12 2018-07-01
- Birmingham, Alabama, 33.524°, -86.812°.
- Talladega Speedway (Alabama International Motor Speedway), 3366 Speedway Blvd, Talladega AL 35160 (48.5mi east of Birmingham via I-20 in the city/town of Talladega), +1 877 462-3342. The 2007 Bandit Runners were given a tour of the race track facilities, museum, a group photo and lunch. Then, a short drive brought them to their destination, the Year One Facility, for the annual Year One Experience, a three-day event. 2019-12-17
- Atlanta, Georgia, 33.75003°, -84.39113°.
The main filming locations of the Smokey and the Bandit film trilogy
The filming locations differ from the places mentioned in the Bandit Run itinerary and in the script of the film. For example, the scenes from Texarkana were filmed in Jonesboro GA instead.