Colorado agritourism is one of the best travel experiences in the country. After all, where else can you visit peach orchards, sample award-winning beer, try incredible produce and local dairy, and enjoy a litany of other recreation opportunities along the way?
If that first sentence confused you, let’s take a step back: agritourism is defined as “activities, events and services related to agriculture that take place on or off the farm or ranch, and that connect consumers with the heritage, natural resource or culinary experience they value.” To put it in simpler terms, that could include everything from touring a local vegetable farm to meeting some goats at a local ranch to even touring a brewery.
Needless to say, agritourism is very fun, which is why we put together this list of the best places to check out in and around Denver, from Colorado farm experiences to winter food tours to the best places to see craft beer being made.
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Colorado Agritourism Destinations Near Denver
Balistreri Vineyards
Denver
- Address: 1946 E. 66th Ave., Denver
- Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
- Pricing: Wine-tasting reservations start at $20 and include a complimentary tour.
- Best for: Lovers of natural wines and cozy spaces
Brewery tours in Denver are a dime a dozen, but if that’s not your speed, can we suggest all-natural wines? Balistreri Vineyards is family-owned and operated, and is centered around using Colorado-grown grapes to make delicious, all-natural wines. Each tasting includes sampling 15-20 different wines and a complimentary tour of the cellar.
High Balsam Farm
Lakewood
- Address: 720 Balsam St., Lakewood
- Hours: Vary, find events online
- Pricing: Depends on what you’re buying, but you can stay on the farm for $87 a night
- Best for: A farm experience only 15 minutes from Red Rocks and Downtown Denver
This one-acre mushroom farm in the heart of Lakewood is all about mushroom cultivation and permaculture. Visitors have the opportunity to see both indoor and outdoor mushroom growing systems (fungi are wild, by the way), as well as see the 1,300 square feet of growing space filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Each tour includes a special seasonal offering ranging from fresh bouquets to homegrown mushrooms. And, if the slower life on the farm is very much your speed, you can stay the night in the on-site camper or cabin.
Homestead in the Hood
Westminster
- Address: 7385 Wilson Ct., Westminster
- Hours: The latest tour dates and times are posted here.
- Pricing: $20 per person
- Best for: People curious about bees (and who isn’t, really?)
This local business, founded by a husband-and-wife duo, aims to show people the wonders of honeybees, and there’s no better way to learn about these incredible creatures than by experiencing them firsthand. Visitors get to put on their own bee suits and get up close and personal with their hives while they learn about why honey is made and how our ecosystem simply couldn’t exist without pollinators. It’s everything you want in a Colorado agritourism experience, without a long drive from Denver.
The Best Brewery Tours in Denver and Beyond
Coors Brewery Tour
Golden
- Address: 502 14th St., Golden
- Hours: Brewery is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., though tour times vary.
- Pricing: Full tour is $20 for adults, and visits to the “hospitality lounge” (i.e. the “short tour” centered around just trying the beer) are $10.
- Best for: Seeing a massive operation in action
No list of the best brewery tours in Denver would be complete without the OG. Make your way down to Golden and learn all about how this legend has thrived since it was founded in 1873. The 90-minute tour includes a look at malting, brewing, and packaging, as well as a trip down memory lane thanks to old photos, beer cans, and neon signs. Afterwards, snag a sample in the tasting room. For what it’s worth, if you aren’t up for a full tour, you can just visit the hospitality lounge and drink for $10 (nearby Colorado School of Mines students call it the “short tour”).
Left Hand Brewing Tour
Longmont
- Address: 1265 Boston Ave., Longmont
- Hours: Thursdays at 1 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m.
- Pricing: $10 (tours include a pint of beer)
- Best for: Learning all about the place that makes delicious Nitro Milk Stout!
This fun facility in Longmont offers some of the best brewery tours in the Denver metro area thanks to its unique history and epic lineup of beers. And, since it’s only 30 minutes, you can get the education out of the way quickly and get back to the most important part (drinking beer, obviously). The Lefthand tasting room in Longmont often has live music and fun events, so be sure to check out the calendar online.
New Belgium Brewery Tour
Fort Collins
- Address: 500 Linden St., Fort Collins
- Hours: Free tours at 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
- Pricing: Free for the New Belgium Tour, and $15 for the 1.5-mile production tour
- Best for: An in-depth look at one of the best breweries in the country (with lots of free samples)
This isn’t a Denver brewery tour, but the drive to Fort Collins — known as the Napa Valley of Beer — is always worth it. Also, it doesn’t hurt that the New Belgium brewery tour might just be one of the best in the country. Make your way to this whimsical facility and learn not just about how its beer is made, but also the science behind their sustainability efforts and what exactly makes this one of the best places to work in the country. Don’t worry, you get to try lots of samples, as well as check out the famous barrel room where New Belgium makes its unique sour beers.
Fun Colorado Winter Food Tours
The Art of Cheese
Longmont
- Address: 350 Terry St., Longmont
- Hours: The class schedule varies; find exact times for events here.
- Pricing: Classes start at $45
- Best for: Making one of the world’s most delicious foods in a venue where you can also tour a goat farm
Food always tastes better when you make it yourself, which means that homemade cheese might just be the most delicious thing ever. Sign up for one of the numerous classes at this cheesemaking mecca and become an expert at making your own mozzarella, burrata, and more. If that’s not heavenly enough, there’s an on-site goat farm, and many of the classes allow you to meet the animals.
Chocolate-Making Class at Bibamba
Edgewater
- Address: 5505 W. 20th Ave., Edgewater
- Hours: Shop open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. daily
- Pricing: Classes are $75.
- Best for: Anyone with a sweet tooth
Colorado agritourism doesn’t have to stop when the weather gets cold. That’s why you should make your way to the Edgewater Public Market to learn about the farm-to-table journey of the ingredients behind Bibamba’s famous chocolate. Take part in a hands-on truffle-making demonstration, and when you’re finished, you even get to take all the treats home! Colorado winter food tours don’t get any better than that.
Stranahan’s Distillery Tour
Denver
- Address: 200 S. Kalamath St., Denver
- Hours: Noon-8 p.m. Monday, noon-7 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday, noon-8 p.m. Thursday, noon-9 p.m. Friday through Sunday
- Pricing: Tours start at $22
- Best for: Anyone who wants to warm up with a little Colorado whiskey.
We get it, the headline says “food tours,” but anyone who’s ever encountered someone of even a slight Irish heritage knows that whiskey can definitely qualify as food — especially during the cold months. Like a Denver brewery tour, this experience includes lots of samples, but you can also learn all about the inner workings of Colorado’s first legal distillery since the Prohibition and the meticulous process and fine ingredients that make Stranahan’s such a treat.
Where to Visit a Farm in Colorado
Morning Fresh Dairy Farm
Bellvue
- Address: 5821 W. County Rd 54E, Bellvue
- Hours: Open during business hours; book your tour online ahead of time.
- Pricing: Tours are $60 per person and last for 60 to 90 minutes.
- Best for: Learning all about where milk comes from in a very scenic location
This family-run dairy farm in a gorgeous valley just north of Fort Collins has been at it for five generations, and they want to show the rest of the world why local farmers like them are so important. Bring the entire family for a tour to get a firsthand glimpse at where milk comes from. Along the way, you can pet an adorable calf and sample fresh milk and yogurt — easily making this one of the best spots for Colorado agritourism (or just a delightful afternoon).
Roost Farms
Wheat Ridge
- Address: 7395 W. 32nd Ave., Wheat Ridge
- Hours: Open farm hours vary; find the latest information here.
- Pricing: Varies; find the latest information here.
- Best for: Seeing adorable animals and sampling local produce
Who says Colorado farm tours have to be totally serious? Sure, this one does offer plenty of opportunities to learn about growing vegetables and raising animals, but young visitors can also try their hands on the zipline, make mud pies in the farm’s expansive sandbox, and climb up into a treehouse. If that’s not enough, you can even stay at the renovated train trolley and guest house on the property.
Palisade Peach Shack U-Tour Tour
Palisade
- Address: 451 Wine Valley Rd., Palisade
- Hours: Mid-June through September, with reservations available online.
- Pricing: $7 for adults and $4 for kids, with an extra cost for what you pick
- Best for: The ultimate experience in Colorado’s best orchard town
We would be remiss to write a list of Colorado farm tours without including Palisade, a community that’s basically the mecca of Colorado agritourism. This empirically fun experience on the Western Slope takes place at a scenic farmstand, and depending on when you visit, you’ll have the chance to pick everything from cherries to apricots to, as the grand finale, the region’s incredible peaches. This is one of those Colorado farm experiences that is well worth a road trip.
The Urban Farm
Denver
- Address: 10200 Smith Rd., Denver
- Hours: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, November through February
- Pricing: Admission is $5 per person
- Best for: An educational urban farm experience close to the city
There are lots of places where you can visit a farm in Colorado, but they’re not all super accessible, especially for families or those from marginalized communities. That’s where the Urban Farm comes in. This community farm and educational center gives visitors a hands-on taste of Colorado farm experiences without ever leaving the city. This includes opportunities to meet farm animals, as well as see gardens, beehives, and aquaponic and hydroponic systems.