Historic, culinary, ranch and farm activities are inviting travelers all over the state to get to know our roots — some of the reasons the state was chosen for Bravo’s Top Chef Season 15. 1 COME TO THE PARTY From strawberries to sage grouse, it doesn’t take much to convince Coloradans to throw a festival. Schedule stops in your trip to coincide with a super-Colorado-y celebration. A Few Favorites: Ute Mountain Birding Festival in Cortez (May) Leadville Boom Days (Aug.) Palisade Peach Festival (Aug.) Colorado State Fair in Pueblo (Sept.) Salida Fiber Festival (Sept.) More: COLORADO.com/ Events 2 GET CREATIVE Twenty-one Colorado Certified Creative Districts happen to coincide with 21 of the most charming areas in the state. Find them on page 46 or at COLORADO.com/ CreativeDistricts . 3 EXPERIENCE SEED TO SIP Colorado has a remark-able collection of 90-plus distilleries, more than 330 breweries, 140 winer-ies and a growing number of cideries. Each one has its own characteristics that will vie to make it your favorite. A Few Favorites: Woody Creek Distillers in Basalt Jack Rabbit Hill Farm Wines in Hotchkiss Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont Spring 44 Distilling in Loveland San Luis Valley Brewing in Alamosa Snow Capped Cider in Cedaredge More: COLORADO.com/ SeedToSip 4 SAVOR, SAMPLE & STAY Farms and ranches are opening their barn doors to travelers looking for genuine experiences that can include a range of activities from cheese-making to picking dinner’s veggies, taking a sausage-making class, enjoying a group picnic and shoeing horses to a (delicious and relaxing) bed-and-breakfast stay. A Few Favorites: Mesa Winds Farm & Winery in Hotchkiss Zapata Ranch in Mosca Gunnison River Farms in Austin Leroux Creek Inn 14 WAYS TO FIND COLORADO ROOTS 7 9 36 / COLORADO.COM THIS PAGE, FROM LEFT: VISTA VERDE RANCH; BEAN ACRES. OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ANIMAS FORKS GHOST TOWN NEAR SILVERTON, ERIC WUNROW; YA YA FARM & ORCHARD, O’HARA PHOTOGRAPHY; DENVER’S NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW PARADE, ERIC LINDBERG; PEACHES, ISTOCKPHOTO.
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2018: Page 36
