The Star Drive-In was opened in 1955, and a few years later, the outdoor theater's owner, George Kelloff Sr., realized its potential.
He built a small lodge on the neighboring empty plot with 14 hotel rooms facing the large screen.
So visitors could have the option to watch their favorite movie from the comfort of their beds, while car drivers could still come and enjoy a traditional drive-in theater experience.
Monte Vista (Spanish for 'mountain view') is a sleepy town in Colorado. With a population of about only 4,100 people, there is little activity here except for one thing. Movie nights!
The Star Drive-In theater plays Hollywood blockbuster movies and cartoons from mid-May to mid-September. Tickets cost $9/adult and $4/child, but it's free if you stay at the Best Western Movie Manor.
The two-story hotel was renovated in 2011 into a unique motel and expanded the original number of rooms from 14 to 59.
Today, you can book Queen and King rooms with either one or two beds, and there are mobility-accessible and pet-friendly rooms too.
There are two big screens; one for the drive-ins and one for some of the rooms. If you watch the movie in your room, you can set the volume through an adjustable speaker.
The large screen faces the Rocky Mountains so that you will have a beautiful mountainous silhouette as a backdrop for the film.
If you are not one of the lucky ones to have a screen-facing room, then Best Western offers to watch the movies free of charge.
They also provide chairs and a table, so you don't have to get your car or sit in the grass. Plus, there is a snack bar if you get hungry.
So what if you are not into movies but real-life adventures? Great Sand Dunes National Park and the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge are within relatively close driving distance, and both are amazing for nature lovers!
The first is famous for its huge and beautiful dunes, while the latter is for its thriving wildlife along the banks of the Rio Grande.
And once you return from your adventure, you can check our list of hotels that appeared in movies, and you can stay at them today.
2830 US-160, Monte Vista, CO 81144
