Hull's Drive In

Hull's Drive In is a drive-in movie theater in Lexington, Virginia, whose identity is closely associated with local preservation, community ownership efforts, and seasonal family entertainment. The theater opened on August 6, 1950, as the Lee Drive-In. Its original owner was Waddey C. Watkins of Roanoke. In August 1957, Sebert Hull of Buena Vista acquired the theater, and it was renamed Hull's Drive-In. Sebert Hull and his wife operated the venue for approximately four decades, establishing the Hull name as the theater's enduring local brand. Following Sebert Hull's death before the 1998 season, his wife sold the business to W. D. Goad, whose auto body shop was located next to the theater on Route 11 north of Lexington. Goad kept the theater operating during the 1998 summer season, preserving its established role as a regional outdoor cinema. The venue did not reopen for the 1999 season, however, because the cost of required technical improvements was too high for the new owner. The temporary closure created a preservation crisis: the property remained available, but the theater needed investment before it could resume screenings. A local nonprofit group called Hull's Angels formed during the 1999 closure with the explicit purpose of preserving Hull's Drive-In. By the fall of that year, the group had concluded that it should attempt to acquire and operate the theater itself. Hull's Angels formally organized as a nonprofit corporation and, by spring 2000, signed a lease with an option to buy over the following two years. It then conducted a $75,000 capital campaign. Contributions from approximately 600 donors funded urgent repairs and technical upgrades, allowing the theater to reopen in July 2000 for the remaining part of the summer season. The 2000 season represented the beginning of the theater's modern nonprofit era. Hull's Drive In subsequently became recognized as one of the very few nonprofit drive-in theaters in the United States, alongside Warner's Drive-In in nearby Franklin, West Virginia. Its operating model combines ticketed movie exhibition with community support and volunteer-oriented preservation rather than treating the venue solely as a conventional commercial cinema. The theater's continuing existence also reflects the broader rarity of drive-in theaters, especially in an era when many sites have closed or been redeveloped. Hull's Drive In has a stated capacity of 319 vehicles. It generally presents current, family-friendly films on weekends from Friday through Sunday during the operating season, which runs approximately from March through October. Its service is geographically focused on Lexington and nearby communities rather than being a national or multi-site entertainment chain. In 2014, TripAdvisor reviews placed it seventh in a national ranking of drive-in theaters on that platform, providing an indication of its visitor appeal beyond the immediate locality. The theater remains active as a seasonal outdoor cinema and as a community-preservation project.

Hull's Drive In began operation on August 6, 1950, under the name Lee Drive-In. The original proprietor was Waddey C. Watkins of Roanoke, Virginia. In August 1957, Sebert Hull of Buena Vista took ownership and renamed the venue Hull's Drive-In. Sebert Hull and his wife operated the theater for about forty years, making the Hull name central to the venue's local identity and continuity. Sebert Hull died before the 1998 season. His wife then sold the business to W. D. Goad, whose auto body shop stood beside the theater on Route 11 north of Lexington. Goad continued the operation during the 1998 summer, maintaining the theater's established programming and community role. The next season brought a major interruption. The theater remained closed in 1999 because the technical improvements required to continue operating were too expensive, while Goad sought a purchaser capable of financing the work and running the business. The closure prompted the creation of Hull's Angels, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the theater. During the summer of 1999, the group organized around preservation and by the autumn decided to pursue ownership or operational control itself. It incorporated as a nonprofit and signed a lease with an option to buy in spring 2000, structured over a two-year period. Hull's Angels then launched a $75,000 capital campaign. Approximately 600 donors contributed enough for urgent repairs and upgrades, enabling the theater to reopen in July 2000 for the remainder of that summer. The reopening marked the start of Hull's modern nonprofit-supported period. In 2010, the venue marked its tenth year as one of the few nonprofit drive-in theaters in the United States. It is identified as one of only two such theaters in the country in the cited reference, the other being Warner's in nearby Franklin, West Virginia. This operating identity distinguishes Hull's from ordinary commercial cinema chains: its survival depends not only on admission revenue and film programming but also on local fundraising and preservation support. The theater has 319 vehicle spaces and operates as a seasonal venue. Its regular schedule features current, family-friendly movies on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights between March and October. The programming and venue are directed primarily toward Lexington, Rockbridge County, and surrounding communities. In July 2014, TripAdvisor reviews placed Hull's Drive In seventh in a national ranking of drive-in theaters on that platform. The ranking helped document the theater's visitor reputation while its principal significance remained local: it preserved a mid-century drive-in format that had become uncommon across the United States. Hull's Drive In continues to function as an active outdoor cinema and community landmark. The available reference material does not establish a separate corporate parent, publicly traded ownership, or a named current executive team. Its modern institutional story is instead centered on Hull's Angels and the local donor campaign that restored the theater after its 1999 closure.

• 2014

  TripAdvisor recognition

  [1]Hull's Drive Inen.wikipedia.org

  TripAdvisor reviews placed Hull's Drive In seventh in a national ranking of drive-in theaters.

• 2010

  Tenth anniversary of the nonprofit era

  [1]Hull's Drive Inen.wikipedia.org

  Hull's Drive In marked ten years operating as one of the few nonprofit drive-in theaters in the United States.

• 2000

  Hull's Angels reopens the theater

  [1]Hull's Drive Inen.wikipedia.org

  The local nonprofit Hull's Angels signed a lease with an option to buy, raised $75,000 from approximately 600 donors, completed urgent work, and reopened the theater in July.

• 1999

  The theater closes temporarily

  [1]Hull's Drive Inen.wikipedia.org

  Required technical improvements and their cost prevented the theater from opening for the 1999 season, leading to a search for a new buyer and operator.

• 1998

  New ownership keeps the theater operating

  [1]Hull's Drive Inen.wikipedia.org

  After Mrs. Hull sold the business following Sebert Hull's death, W. D. Goad operated the theater during the 1998 season.

• 1957

  The theater becomes Hull's Drive-In

  [1]Hull's Drive Inen.wikipedia.org

  Sebert Hull of Buena Vista assumed ownership in August 1957 and renamed the venue Hull's Drive-In.

• 1950

  Lee Drive-In opens

  [1]Hull's Drive Inen.wikipedia.org

  The theater opened on August 6, 1950, in Lexington, Virginia, as the Lee Drive-In under the ownership of Waddey C. Watkins of Roanoke.

A community-preserved, nonprofit-supported drive-in theater offering current, family-friendly films in a traditional outdoor cinema setting.

• Cinema exhibition · 1950

  Seasonal drive-in film screenings

  Hull's core offering is admission to outdoor movie screenings viewed from parked vehicles. The theater presents current, family-friendly films on weekends, generally from Friday through Sunday, during a season running from March through October. The format combines a large outdoor screen, vehicle-based viewing, and the social experience associated with traditional American drive-ins.

• Drive-in theater · 1950

  Hull's Drive In venue

  The Lexington venue provides 319 vehicle spaces and serves as both a cinema and a preserved community landmark. Its principal value is the continuation of a drive-in format that began locally in 1950 and survived a major closure through nonprofit fundraising, repairs, and technical upgrades.

• 2000Hull's Angels capital campaign

  Lexington, Virginia · Rockbridge County and surrounding communities

  Hull's Angels conducted a $75,000 fundraising campaign to finance urgent repairs and technical improvements needed to restore Hull's Drive In after its 1999 closure. Approximately 600 donors contributed.

  Outcome. The campaign raised enough money for the theater to reopen in July 2000 for the remainder of the summer season.

  Source

• 1999

  Hull's Angels pursues nonprofit preservationStrategy

  Background

  The theater remained closed because the technical improvements required for reopening were too expensive for the then-owner, who was seeking a buyer able to fund the work.

  Action taken

  A local preservation group formed as Hull's Angels, incorporated as a nonprofit, and decided to pursue the theater's operation through a lease with an option to buy.

  Aftermath

  The group raised funds, completed urgent upgrades, and reopened Hull's Drive In in July 2000, establishing its nonprofit-supported operating model.

  Capital campaign. $75,000 raised (2000)

  Source

1. 1Hull's Drive Inen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hull's Drive In official websitehullsdrivein.com