Cherokee Ranch & Castle

Incredible. There are tours, hikes, wine tasting, whiskey tasting. There are children’s programs, mid evil tours, Downington Abbey teas with actors. We rented it for my fathers birthday party.
The food was delicious, the service impeccable and it’s hard to describe how impressive this castle is.

I’ve been looking for a venue to have my wedding and this was by far my first choice. I e-​mailed them to let them know I was interested and never received a response. I decided to try calling instead and I spoke to someone who told me that she would have someone else call with information. That never happened so I e-​mailed again. It’s been over 2 weeks and still no response! Definitely not going to give them any business in the future.

I had very high expectations when I came to Cherokee Ranch and Castle for a wedding, but I was very disappointed. I personally believe that the place is very poorly managed. The wedding was in a tent outside and the cake was inside the castle… the employees locked the castle and left during the wedding, thus making the cake inaccessible. The bartenders weren’t even at the bar the entire time. The food was just okay… the bread was hard and the pasta was cold and overcooked. I got locked in the bathroom twice. Other guests were locked in there as well, which resulted in a police officer being permanently stationed outside the door. The views are, of course, nothing short of amazing, but there’s really only one place to stand where you can experience them and that is on the back porch, which again, was locked during the wedding.

It is a beautiful place, which remains a working 3,400 acre cattle/​hay ranch. The castle, fashioned in 15^th century Scottish style is truly awesome. We had a lovely afternoon tea in beautiful surroundings and an extremely enjoyable, informative tour afterward. Our guide had been the butler to the beloved lady of the house, Tweet Kimball, for 21 years prior to her death. Beautiful European antiques fill the house. It is a lovely way to spend an afternoon and would be a beautiful setting for a wedding. Photos can be taken but not w/​flash.

Awesome tour!
I have driven by here for twenty years and always wanted to go see the view from the castle itself. I finally was able to squeeze into my schedule the 1 ½ hour tour (only $ 15!). This castle was built by the Johnson family but Tweet Kimball made it what it is today.
We were lucky enough to meet Tweet’s last butler and chef before our tour started (John and Meg I believe). They have a cookbook in the gift shop.
Susan was our tour guide and she readily admits it’s hard to see everything in such a short amount of time. Tweet Kimball was a headstrong, brilliant, go getter with an appreciation of great artworks of all kinds and connections with everyone including Poe. She was a single mother raising two boys at a time when it was unheard of, and she got into cattle.
The artifacts throughout the house are everywhere and truly a pleasure to see. The view from up top? Breathtaking.
Check out their website. They do tours, teas, weddings, photography hikes, concerts and more. Gorgeous place. Thanks, Tweet for being so ahead of your time!

2−14−15 Valentine Tea — one of the nicest teas we’ve attended — amazing menu catered by Gourmet — strawberry fig & diced apple scones ~ fresh ginger and raspberry cream filled beignets — Assorted tea sandwiches — canapés, cab poached pear skewers, petite pickup pastries and a chocolate dessert bar of course various teas. Warm hospitality by docents and volunteers — knowledgable speakers on the tour. Oh — not to mention champagne and a long stem rose.

Have been here for tea before and it was fine. So decided to spend some money for their Christmas Brass show with dinner. When our party of 4 arrived we found out «oops» there isnt any dinner. Just appetizers. well for that price there should have been more. Or at the very least we could have eaten ahead of time! well they did admit that whoever was in charge of the website messed up but no offers of compensation. Oh well. The music was fine. service was mediocre as people were diving for any food that came out of the kitchen and it was gone in a flash.
however, the biggest oops was the fact that we had had 4 tickets for months in advance. About 10 days before, my husband grew very ill and had gall bladder surgery scheduled. we called to get a refund on his ticket and free it up for someone else to use as this event was sold out. we were told not to worry. keep the ticket in case he feels like coming and to let them know and they would refund the $ 80. Turns out my husband could not attend. At check in they recognized the name and said” oh you are the people for the refund”. So of course we expected them to take care of it. Now one month later, numerous phones calls later, still no refund. every time we call we get a different story. «we dont give refunds: «oh yes, you should get it shortly» The employees do no follow up and are not on the same page.
I have sent numerous people here for tea and other things but if we dont get a refund for the one ticket that was promised, I will never come here again nor will I ever recommend it. This place is terribly run which is a shame for such a beautiful location.

Never having heard of this place but then hearing about it from KUVO garnered interest. Although we knew that admission to the property was required for a tour, we went anyway and found the main gate open with no obvious sign of what we would find. Upon arriving at the property itself we were able to admire some of the vistas and were greeted by an employee who was very pleasant and indicated that although the facility was closed we were welcome to look around and take some pictures and that we needed a reservation. We spent a total of about 10 minutes and upon nearing our vehicle to leave we were approached by an unwelcoming female employee who told us we could not remain on the property. No problem, we won’t return and the single star is the lowest allowed hence that.

They cancelled a concert with 1 days notice — very unprofessional! Not likely to ever consider going to any events here!

After I posted a review for the last visit and the lack luster catering I called today and asked if they were making a concession for the fact that only half of the show arrived and only hazel miller performed and Jake wasn’t in attendance.
I spoke to a manager and she offered a 50% refund and apology…
BUT thats not it.
Then Karen the director got on the line and proceeded to berate me for such a request and belittle me .
I BIT MY TONGUE!!!
then Tara refunded me on my card???
REALLY? do you think that the foun

Highly recommended. The grounds, view, and castle are stunning from the outside (haven’t taken the Castle tour, yet). I’ve attended the summer bird walk and amazing HawkQuest presentation — excellent events here.

Know before you go-​you can’t take pictures inside of the Castle, Definite downside as the property is easily, as others have mentioned, the crown jewel (castle pun unintended) of the experience. Along those lines, the views are breathtaking and the porches are plenty, so this property may best be experienced in the summer.
My husband and I went for a Valentine’s tea. The tea itself was delicious-​we sampled a chocolate red velvet, a chocolate with strawberries, and a vanilla almond tea (as well as a more standard Earl Grey that the hubs favored). The pastries and small finger foods were also delectable-​my favorites were the butterscotch scones and the almond cookies, but everything was tasty. The volunteers/​docents that work the event came around and asked if we wanted seconds, and both of us sampled some more. It was a little awkward that tea was self-​serve, particularly for the $ 90 price tag (for 2), but a pretty minor complaint overall.
I found the hour long tour to be interesting, but I am a fan of history, (in this case Denver and European) 16^th and 7^th century art and getting a glimpse into the lives of Denverites at the turn if the century, but I could tell that the children and many other folks on the tour weren’t quite as captivated.
The crowd itself is mostly middle-​aged and mothers with children, so be prepared to be on your best behavior and dress a little more nicely than you might to run errands or dash about town if you want to blend in.

Well, this place is beautiful, the location and the view alone earn it 5 stars. I brought my mom for a holiday tea, and I suppose we should have dressed up a bit more. For the price of admission I have to say the tea wasn’t really what I was expecting. They had a large variety of food but I dunno it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. I guess in this case I was mostly paying for a tour of the place.
The tour was extensive and given by the former owner’s butler who proceeded at the end to try and sell us a cookbook he had written with his wife which contained some of the recipes the former owner entertained with. IMO the tour was entirely too long and both my mom and I were miserable at the end when the guide decided to stand in the hottest room of the house for the last 30 minutes.
There is a lot of art because the previous owner was a big collector, but to me, none of it was really that interesting. It was mostly portaits of dead British royalty. Didn’t get to see any of the animals when we were there, they wouldn’t let us onto the terrace because of ice and snow danger. The building itself is very beautiful, and the kind of place I think any Colorado girl would love to get married at. You can’t take pictures inside though, bummer!

This is a spectacular place! It has magical views and wonderful programs. I have had the good fortune to experience a beautiful Christmas Party hosted at this venue as well as a glamorous high tea and even a storybook wedding on the veranda. This place has old world elegance in a pristine wildlife corridor. You must go!

i was given free tickets to their first concert – Poco and Firefall. It was a benefit for the foundation.
I am not keen on hot summer days in the sun or either of these bands but I took a couple of friends anyway and we had a great time. I am hoping this place books some more outside concerts.
My only complaint was that the full info was not on the tickets: they asked if all three of us were 21 bec they sold beer but didn’t card to get in (different pass bracelets I think) and they charged ten bucks for parking. Beware also of directions from on line. It’s easier to take Happy Canyon from I-​25 if you come that way, than wander up and over Castle pines to Daniels then down to Sante Fe again. It’s really right on Sante fe, and not accessible by the Daniels park (upper west side).
The second parking attendent was not responsive to a request about handicapped issues but once we got to the seating area we were directed to a very good spot and later offered extra premium seats that were empty. I was with a two people with disabilities – one had a visual impairment and both were mobility impaired but not in wheelchairs.
It was a great atmosphere for both singles, couples, familiies. I’d definitely go again.

A must-​see venue. Lovely and historic. They will be hosting some upcoming performances — a perfect opportunity to visit.

This just may be the best view in the Front Range. We didn’t get a view of the elk herd that shares the ranch. We were told by the castle guide that there are some 400+ head of elk there. The guides were very knowledgeable about the history, art, and the flora of the ranch.
We had a corporate meeting there today and it was a great site for the event. Kudos to the boss for picking it.

REALLY COOL place! The history is great. I worked a wedding there and it was so cool. The garage floor is vintage 1920’s and everything has been preserved in the house. It is a VERY far drive and the driveway is VERY long so if you go to a wedding there (or sip on your flask during high tea) be sure to be VERY sober on the drive down.
It really is a must visit for Coloradans. Be sure to get the run down on the history of the place. It is a gorgeous location for a wedding (if you are at about 50 guests or under) but be sure to be nice to the catering staff because it is a really hard job to work (think 10 — 20 tables… carrying them down a hill and 50 –60 chairs… then carrying all the food down the hill then back up… then tables and chairs back up… you get the idea. Great workout)!!
Take tea or just a tour, check it out!

The Cherokee Ranch offers high tea during special occasions, like Christmas. Over the holidays, the ladies and I headed to Sedalia for high tea. The tea itself was good but buffet style; after piling cucumber sandwiches and scones on plates, the limited number of guests sat around in the Castle’s great room and the Mother-in-law’s sitting room. After a quick nosh, you are gathered together for a tour of the Castle. It is a great tour and I particularly liked it as Tweet Kimball has been a heroine of mine for years. She brought the first Santa Gertrudis cattle to Colorado, was an accomplished equestrian, and divorced really well (the Castle was part of her settlement if she stayed on this side of the Mississippi). You also find out that Tweet is buried on the property and had died at the age of 84 after an ATV flipped over on her while she was working cattle; you have got to admire that woman. Definitely worth the trip.

Colorado has a castle? Who knew?
It’s not your typical castle by any means, but still very castle like. It holds special events. I attended a wedding there, and it was unbelievably gorgeous. During the cocktail hour they gave tours, and the place has a lot of neat history. They’ll be preserving the acres for years to come, which is neat because the place is definitely a sanctuary for wildlife. If you’re at all into cultural events, the orchestra plays there sometimes.
Also, get prepared that the driveway is two miles long. I almost hit a fox on the way out.