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Woodbridge Sunset Drive-In
Jefferson Davis Highway (US 1) south, Woodbridge, Va.
capacity: 516 cars
years of operation: 1963-77
currently: a 120-unit townhouse development

Woodbridge's first movie theatre, it opened July 17, 1963 with Breakfast At Tiffany's. It was set in a semi-secluded location a half-mile up a straight entranceway from Route 1, with a second entrance from adjacent Blackburn Road (the old Washington-Richmond Highway). The screen stood directly across from Rippon Middle School. Open year-round in its '60s, early '70s heyday. The management also ran several longtime businesses along that stretch of Route One, including the old Prince William Motel and a service station. After closing in '77, the drive-in was torn down around 1980, and townhouses were built there in the mid-'80s.
"Just found this web page. I grew up in Woodbridge. Lived near by and as a kid hung around the drive-in. Once cleaned the lot the day after the show for handfuls of candy. Great pay when you're 12. When I was 16 I worked at the Texaco then later the Sunoco station on Rt 1 at the corner by the drive-in. We would give a free movie pass when you got a fill-up of gas. So me and my buddies would go to the show on weekends. I remember many a night bringing dates there... I'm 41 now and I try to tell my kids how great the drive-ins were. One day we are going go to one before they are all gone..... Thanks for your time & the memories...." -- Mike

Click here for an interactive 1971 aerial photo of the Sunset (zoom in or out, or compare to older or newer photos of the same site).

Click here to see the 1983 USGS map depicting the drive-in and surrounding area.

Below: a photo of the marquee, from an ad in a 1970 Chamber of Commerce-produced guide to Prince William County.

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