18-04-2025
One of the nation's last drive-ins is just 30 minutes from Richmond
John Heidel didn't set out in life to run a drive-in theater.
Why it matters: Now he owns one of the few hundred still around nationwide, just 30 minutes west of Richmond.
The big picture: The idea for the Goochland Drive-In, which is only weeks into the 2025 season, began 16 years ago — when all Heidel and his wife wanted to do was go to the movies with their two young children, and stay through the full showing.
That, he tells Axios, was impossible. The family would grab tickets for a show at Regal Short Pump, their go-to theater, and inevitably, one parent would spend most of the film in the parking lot with their youngest.
So he decided to open a retro, family-friendly movie option: a drive-in, which most banks he talked to did not think was a sound business idea.
But he persevered, and in 2009, the drive-in opened to a sold-out crowd.
Zoom in: The Goochland Drive-in sits midway between Richmond and Charlottesville and shows movies Friday and Saturday nights when kids are in school (then has expanded hours for when they're not).
Today, it boasts two screens: the main one, which is a traditional drive-in set up, and a smaller screen on "The Grove," where families or couples can watch on the lawn.
The flicks are usually first-run, like "Minecraft" and "Snow White" or fun-themed nights, like an all-night Monster Movie Marathon around Halloween.
The drive-in is designed with families in mind, Heidel tells Axios. To him, that means offering extras, like a kids playground and being pet-friendly.
Affordability is also key, which is why the drive-in is priced by the car-load, or $30 for up to seven people.
The food menu is known for being budget and family-friendly. Most items are $5 or less, sodas top out at $3 with refills available for $1, and there are vegan and gluten-free options.
"It's not quite as cheap as a Costco hot dog, but we try to keep things priced low," he tells Axios.
If you go: Both screens are having special double features this weekend, including "Minecraft" and "The King of Kings." That's two movies for the price of one.
