Cherokee Ranch & Castle
World Class Venue
The Cherokee Ranch & Castle Foundation is committed to preserving the natural environment, enhancing cultural life in Colorado, and providing educational opportunities devoted to western heritage, wildlife, and the arts.
Located in the heart of Douglas County, in Sedalia, Colorado, this hidden gem has been serving as a community cultural resource since 1996. Cherokee Castle is a rare example of a 15th century Scottish castle. Built over100 years ago, this historic castle houses a collection of world-class art, antiques and rare books. Cherokee Ranch embodies our western heritage while serving as headquarters for the Santa Gertrudis breed of cattle, first introduced to Colorado by Mildred Montague Genevieve “Tweet” Kimball, who purchased the property in 1954. Both venues serve as public host for an array of cultural, scientific, heritage and civic events.
Preserving History.
Protecting Open Space.
Inspiring Generations.
Because of supporters like you, this Colorado landmark continues to inspire, educate, and connect our community.
Discover the enchantment of Cherokee Ranch & Castle, ...
where you can embrace the tranquility of nature and explore the wonders of the Castle.
We are a community cultural resource, hosting thousands annually. Enjoy concerts featuring a variety of local and international musicians, theatricals, lectures, and other unique events.
The Castle provides an awe-inspiring backdrop for your ceremony and reception. Our skilled, personable and professional team is here to help you craft the perfect wedding experience.
Create unforgettable memories by joining us for our special Holidays at the Castle events. With celebrations throughout the year, there’s always a festive occasion for you to enjoy with us.
Our monthly princess parties are an unforgettable adventure for young and young at heart guests. Reserve your place in a fairy tale at the castle today!
Cultural Events
We are a community cultural resource, hosting thousands annually. Enjoy concerts featuring a variety of local and international musicians, plays, theatrical presentations, and other unique events.
Weddings
The Castle provides an awe-inspiring backdrop for your ceremony and reception. Our skilled and adaptable team is here to help you craft the perfect wedding experience.
Holiday's
at The Castle
Create unforgettable holiday memories by joining us for our special Holidays at the Castle events. With celebrations throughout the year, there’s always a festive occasion for you to enjoy with us.
Youth Events
Our monthly princess parties are an unforgettable adventure for young and young at heart guests. Reserve your place in a fairy tale at the castle today!
Cultural Events
We are a community cultural resource, hosting thousands annually. Enjoy concerts featuring a variety of local and international musicians, plays, theatrical presentations, and other unique events.
Weddings
The Castle provides an awe-inspiring backdrop for your ceremony and reception. Our skilled and adaptable team is here to help you craft the perfect wedding experience.
Holiday's
at The Castle
Create unforgettable holiday memories by joining us for our special Holidays at the Castle events. With celebrations throughout the year, there’s always a festive occasion for you to enjoy with us.
Youth Events
Our monthly princess parties are an unforgettable adventure for young and young at heart guests. Reserve your place in a fairy tale at the castle today!
What People Are Saying....
I can’t begin to tell you how fantastic this place is. As I approached the castle I was immediately impressed. Once I entered I was blown away by the amount of historical artifacts and rare pieces of art work they have. A true museum of treasures. The volunteers were all so friendly and extremely knowledgeable. The way the tour was set up in different groups ran so efficiently that even this added to the wonderful charm of the castle. Schedule tea and a tour, you will be delighted that you did.
The whole crew and views on the land tour at the Cherokee Ranch and Castle were spectacular! Rafael told so many wonderful stories of Tweet, while John and Sheri kept us on our toes with enriching tips along the way. Looking forward to doing this again and again, as each one will likely be better and better!
The Ranch
When Tweet Kimball introduced the Santa Getrudis cattle breed to Douglas County, cattle ranching in Colorado was forever changed. Her legacy lives on today as part of the Cherokee Ranch and Castle Foundation commitment.
The Arts & Culture
Cherokee Castle continues to evolve as a house museum and a focal point in the community. CRCF has an immense collection of world-class masterworks of fine art including furnishings and art from as far back as the 1500’s. Outside of the castle there are also artifacts dating back to 1100 B.C. to marvel at. Patrons enjoy our signature tours and teas, wine and whiskey tastings, and more for a remarkable and inspiring venue experience.
The Science Institute
The Cherokee Ranch Science Institute works in collaboration with various citizen scientists, professionals, academics, researchers, and others. They have published several professional papers including a wealth of information regarding the geology, archeology and paleontology learned from their discoveries on the 3,441-acre Cherokee Ranch. This scientific research conducted on the ranch is shared with the public and the greater scientific community.
Sponsor, Donate & Volunteer
Your support helps our Foundation deliver on our mission to preserve the natural environment, enhance the cultural life in Colorado and provide educational opportunities devoted to wildlife, western heritage and the arts. We are grateful to all that support our mission.
A Special Thank You to our Generous Sponsors:
The History
Discover the rich history of Cherokee Ranch & Castle from the1890’s to the present and learn how our beloved benefactor Tweet Kimball worked to develop her dream that Cherokee Ranch & Castle will remain in perpetuity through the establishment of a Conservation Easement for all to enjoy.
Be in theKnow
Interested in the events and happenings at Cherokee Ranch & Castle? Be the first to know when you subscribe to our weekly email.
Accessibility
The History ... The Ranch... The Events... The Venue...
Welcome to
Cherokee Ranch & Castle
A World Class Entertainment & Venue
In the heart of Douglas County, this hidden gem offers a wide variety of events, experiences, and an unique venue to make your wedding and private events extra special.
From Teas & Tours to Whiskey & Wine Tasting, and Concerts, that is only a glimpse of what the Cherokee Ranch and Castle has to offer. It also is host to Child and Youth Programs, Science Investigation, educational opportunities of western heritage, nature preserve, hiking, and a ranching legacy that is continued in Tweet Kimball’s honor.
A ShepTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I went to a John Denver tribute concert at This castle Dan VanderhorstTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Wonderful experience! We had the holiday high tea. The strong was beautiful, waitstaff wads attentive and the eats were great. Quantity exceeded our appetite so we took some home. There gluten free option was a good or better. The castle tour was interesting and informative. Highly recommended! DavidTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very fun. Kind of the only game in town for what they provide like murder mystery shows. Vicki HarimonTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. One of the best tea parties I have experienced: a variety of delicious food and tea; so welcoming by the staff and volunteers; the ambience is spectacular. It will not be my last experience there!! Lady's Adventure TimeTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Fun museum, this Castle has a tour and it was fun to celebrate a birthday here with their high tea time. With the tour you can learn the history of the Castle and the pervious owners. Jackie NewtonTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 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. Maggi PritchardTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The Princess Parties are WONDERFUL!! The buffet is always delicious and plentiful. Prince and princesses, small and big, always have an amazing experience! The parties always sell out so make your reservations early!Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 648 reviews,showing our latest reviews