3 hours outside of Denver and 15 miles north of Del Norte, Mark Falcone, an art collector and former chair of the Board of Directors at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, has taken on an experimental project. The project: Take an old drive-in movie theater surrounded by the Great Dunes National Park that’s been out of operation for the past four decades and turn it into an arts and culture space called Frontier Drive-Inn. Movie screenings, performances, and collective gatherings will abound at Frontier, and what’s better, it will also operate as an inn, given there are lush yurts and hotel rooms on the premises.
The Frontier first opened in the 1950s and soon became a place for locals to come by, see a movie (one of the only theaters to offer Spanish-langauge films in the 60s and 70s) and after a 30-year run, the family closed the business in 1986.
In 2016, a family friend came forward with the idea of restoring the business and crafting it into an arts and culture space, and for the past 5 years they’ve been hard at work restoring the old sign and revitalizing the space.
Their film selection has been carefully curated and ranges from old silent films to contemporary movies and once you book your tickets you can see what they’re showing. Popcorn will be free, and one of the most unique aspects of the space is the fact that they have “kitchen boxes” or spaces where you can cook your own meals, thought to prioritize communal cooking. There will also be special weekends where guest chefs will be doing the cooking, if that sounds more your style.
Hotel rooms start at about $150 a night and can be booked on their website if you’re interested in making this a weekend long excursion.