Cherokee Ranch and Castle

We have been to many tea's before so we tried to find one we hadn't tried yet and this one came up! You do need to book in advance online. We chose the tea and castle tour package. It is at 1pm. Once you arrived, you checked in outside the front door and they showed you to your table. The docents and employees here are all very lovely and welcoming. They have a large hall with probably about 20 or so tables, they have a popout side room with a table, and then they have the dining room with a large dining table. All together there were probably 60 people total there. We were super lucky since we had a group of 7 that we were given the dining room which is an offshoot room from the main hall. The main hall seemed a little tight and loud. But when we checked in right at 1pm, the other people already had their food and tea, so the earlier you get there, the earlier they can start your service. So those people probably got an extra 15 minutes to enjoy their tea and food than we did. There were 3 tea's to choose from and you could try as many as you want. Of course they had cream, sugar, and honey for your tea. We were given the pre set menu so we could refer to what our tower had on it. There was one of each per person on the tower for you to try. On the bottom tier there were 3 mini sandwiches. For the next tier there were two scones and two muffins. They also had jam and clotted cream for the scones. The muffins were blueberry and banana pecan. The final tier had 3 desserts. We were also given a small little box with some after dinner mints, a chocolate, and a tea bag. Most of the portions were the little tea sample size, but the croissant, the scones, and the chee cake were large portions. We were all super stuffed at the end and couldn't finish everything! They did offer us boxes to take with us what we didn't eat which was lovely. We even asked for more clotted cream and jam to go and they obliged. The staff was super friendly. The tea was lovely and we enjoyed everything. At 2pm is when the tour starts. So if you do arrive at 1pm, you have one hour to enjoy the tea aspect. You get a little history of the castle and who built it and who lived in it until when and what the foundation is about now. Then you move from room to room and see some interesting things about either how the castle was built, or what was collected in the castle such as artwork. For our tour we saw the main room, the dining room, the side pop out room, the library, the mother suite, the princess suite, the king suite, and the cattle ranching room. All of that took 1 hour. So the whole experience is 2 hours. The tour is led by a docent. It was cool to see the style of the castle and hear the stories. Be aware this one hour part of the tour is mostly standing with a little bit of walking up and down skinny spiral stairs. There are some rooms with a few places to sit but that's it. Also know this tour is for the people who are interested in the castle history and what the rooms look like, so for some others and maybe children, this part of the experience would not be engaging. There were some children at tea but it was mostly adults. The children wanted to touch and sit on everything and there are signs saying do not touch and do not sit. They got restless and bored and the mom left the tour with the kids after the second or third room. There were also a few people who decided to forgo the tour and stay seated at their table to continue to enjoy the food and the company, so that is clearly an option as well. After the tour was over, we went back to our seats to get our leftover boxes. There are also only 3 restrooms on property so time your restroom use accordingly with the other 53 people. Overall we enjoyed our time here and rank it high up on our list of comparing other tea's that we have done. They also host other events here besides tea such as just a whole tour of the castle (more rooms that we didn't see), wine tasting, bourbon tasting, murder mystery, and musicians. Check the website for all of the information.

Great Experience with awesome Audience involvement. Castle tour was extremely fun znd educational. It is great to see such a great historical location preserved in Colorado. I will definitely return. Come dressed up for the 20's is encouraged but not required. Marilyn was a great coordinator for our party. Love it! Good to see our money go to preserving history.

Fabulous place for afternoon tea. The location cannot be beat and the tea was delicious. Such a great selection of sandwiches, scones, pastries and cups of tea. Following the tea we had a docent led tour of the castle. Amazing views of the mountains and surrounding area. Other events are offered here too!

My husband and I had our wedding ceremony and reception at Cherokee Ranch & Castle a few weeks ago and it was the perfect setting for a truly magical day! From our very first visit/tour, we knew it was the spot for us. Immaculate views, Colorado beauty that speaks for itself, rich history to share with all our guests, and an exceptional support team including Haley, Donna, and all their dedicated docents who shared their passion through tours during our cocktail hour. We loved the numerous photo spots, logistical flexibility, and dedicated care most. Highly recommend for any event, wedding, or even just a tour!

Experienced a group hike and it was great. Conscientious and knowledgeable guides. Interesting geological area, wildlife all around, great views and a very interesting place with history to visit both inside and out. Book a tour and you will be pleasantly surprised.