A popular Texas drive-in with an underground speakeasy is on the market for $4 million.
Doc’s Drive-in is outside of Buda, a booming suburb about 18 miles south of Austin. It’s advertised as “Film Acres” — possibly a reference to the 1960s rural sitcom Green Acres — and consists of 8 scrubby acres, two movie screens, a handful of movie-themed casitas suitable for short-term rental, and an underground night club.
The sale includes “proprietary elements and income of business to be disclosed to inquiring buyers,” according to the listing.
Opened in 2018, Doc’s was able to take advantage of a couple of COVID-related trends. One was the population migration from densely populated cities to sparser rural and suburban spots. The other was a spike in the popularity of drive-ins and other outdoor entertainment venues, which were able to open and operate more quickly after pandemic shutdowns and continue to be sought-after due to now-routine wellness concerns.
Michael Reisor and Ezra Cruz of Douglas Elliman Texas listed the property.
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Buda is one of several cities in the Austin area where development and real estate values have taken off in the past decade. Its population nearly doubled — from 7,300 to more than 15,000 — between 2010 and 2020.
Master-planned communities in the works nearby include a 775-acre project with 2,500 houses costing $350,000, and up by MileStone Community Builders and Prairie Lakes, a 1,000-acre development by D.R. Horton with 2,000 planned single-family and multifamily homes.