When the first drive-in — the Camden Theater in Pennsauken, New Jersey — opened in 1933, movies with sound had only been around for six years. The popularity of these open-air cinemas spread slowly, but by the late 1950s there were more than 4,000 outdoor screens across the country.

Photo courtesy of Frontier Drive-Inn

It was in this heyday that a gentleman named Herbert Gumper brought the trend to Southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley, opening the 320-vehicle Frontier Drive In on May 14, 1955 with a showing of the 1951 Western Warpath. The cinema served the residents of Center for 31 years before closing permanently and sitting abandoned for 30 more. In 2016, Denver developer (and frequent visitor to the valley) Mark Falcone purchased the derelict drive-in and began renovations. The covered wagon neon sign and 80 x 40-foot screen were refurbished, the snack bar retrofitted with a large communal kitchen. After six years of work, the projector flickered once more in the summer of 2022.

Photo courtesy of Frontier Drive-Inn

But that’s not the biggest change for this spot. The drive-in is now a drive-INN, where weekend movies are screened for guests and locals, who congregate on blankets spread on the lawn or watch from the patios in front of their lodgings. The real draw is the chic-but-rustic glamping, providing the perfect base for exploring the surrounding area. Four Steelmaster sheds and 10 made-in-Colorado yurts provide eclectic but elegant comfort. The sheds feature ensuite baths with spacious showers, heated floors, and private decks, while the yurts have cozy pellet stoves and skylights, share a luxurious bathhouse, and are clustered in neighborly groups of five around welcoming firepits. All 14 accommodations are decked out with high-end linens and Pendleton blankets.

Photo courtesy of Frontier Drive-Inn

The Pioneer is a Falcone family endeavor — son Luke and daughter Sonya are intimately involved — and the vision is for the site to expand and play host to artistic, cultural and culinary innovations that will benefit the community living in one of the state’s poorest regions. Former Denver gallery owner Adam Gildar helms the artistic programming, while University of California, Berkeley architecture professor (and seventh-generation valley resident) Ron Rael — who designed the iconic Marfa Prada — is behind the Pioneer’s first structural commission. Dubbed “skylos,” these potato-esque adobe cylinders are constructed courtesy of 3-D printers, which spin out the open-air structures…perfect for taking in the valley’s famously dark skies and echoing the acres of lush potato fields that surround the Pioneer site.

Beyond the films and the featherbeds, the outdoors beckons. Located about three hours south of Denver on Highway 285, the San Luis is the world’s largest alpine valley, stretching 65 miles between the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountain ranges. Guests can explore three national wildlife refuges, explore Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve or take to the slopes at Wolf Creek Ski Resort — because in addition to the movies, Colorado’s natural beauty is always the star of the show.