Beaufort’s iconic drive-in theater sold. Here’s what will change, and what won’t
Jake Higgins, the new owner of Beaufort’s drive-in theater, is planning improvements at the iconic outdoor entertainment venue just northwest of downtown.
But he promises not to fix what is not broken.
“We’re not going to mess with that retro feel,” Higgins told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet, “because there’s a lot of history there.”
On May 1, Higgins purchased the 44-year-old Highway 21 Drive-In at 55 Parker Drive from Joe and Bonnie Barth, the owners since 2003.
Several hundred people have already called or sent messages to Higgins about their cherished recollections of the drive-in. It may be the place you had a first date with somebody — or a final date with somebody, Higgins notes.
“It’s part of a lot of people’s lives,” Higgins said, “and we are not going to mess with that.”
The goal of buying the drive-in, which Higgins says calls family entertainment, wasn’t to make a lot of money, but rather “the memories.”
“I like to take things that are part of people’s memories or childhood and bring them back and bring them back better,” Higgins said. “And I think the drive-in has the ability to create memories with the current generation.”
Higgins is a trooper with the South Carolina Highway Patrol in Beaufort and Jasper counties, but he’s also experienced in the business world. He owns Which Wich, Kilwin’s, Dairy Queen and Bluffton Pizza Company in Bluffton; Coastal Sunset car washes in Bluffton and Beaufort; Coastal Sunset Property Services, a cleaning company, on Hilton Head; and Security Now USA, which offers security services in all 50 states. He recently opened The Olde Schoolhouse Restaurant in Port Royal.
The drive-in just northwest of downtown Beaufort off Highway 21 is 1.5 miles from the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. The Air Station has already booked a portion of the drive-in May 26 for a viewing of the new Top Gun movie, which features fighter jets similar to those based at the Air Station.
The permit for the property allows a drive-in, flea markets and 14 special events.
Higgins is planning to introduce a “true flea market” to the property. It will be open on weekends year-round and bring quality, affordable products closer to residents north of the Broad River, he says.
The flea markets, Higgins said, will not be a “circus,” he promises, or a just a farmers market. Vendors, Higgins says, will be selected by their residency, with Beaufort County, and then Jasper County, first in line to sell their wares.
“Because I don’t want other people coming from all over the place and making all the money,” Higgins said. “I want the money to stay in Beaufort and Jasper counties because our people need the help.”
Concerts will be added, too at some point, Higgins said, but they will be acoustic and small — maybe 500 to 700 people.
Improvements also are planned to make the concessions look more like a diner setting.
Movies are now being shown on three screens as opposed to two, another change since Higgins purchased the drive-in. The third screen already had been added by the Barths before Higgins brought the property but was not in use.
With 549 drive-ins nationally, they are rare compared to indoor screens, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners, which number 40,000. The Beaufort drive-in, which opened in 1978, is among the best, at least according to Travel Channel, which, in 2017, included it on a national list of 10 classic drive-ins. It’s one of three in South Carolina. The others are in Monetta and Greenwood.
This story was originally published May 14, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
