Agrotourism

Royal Gorge Country Welcomes Agrotourism

Agriculture is one of the top 3 leading industries in the State of Colorado. With tourism and recreation rating number one. Agritourism is not even in our dictionaries and yet it is one of the most recent industries added to tourism and recreation.

Agritourism is any activity, event, or service related to agriculture which connects consumers with the heritage, natural resource, or culinary experience that they value. Royal Gorge Country (Fremont County) offers all of the experiences considered for agritourism including farm tours, wine tasting, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, bird watching, hunting, fishing, and many more.

Fremont County's history is rooted in agriculture and mining. Vegetable farming was at its peak in the forties and fifties. Still today, there are farms operating in the fertile valley of the canyon. Orchards of apple and cherry trees gave Canon City the yearly Blossom Festival, which is still a main signature event in May. Fall apple harvests attract many "pick it yourself" enthusiasts who find it satisfying to gather their own food.

Today Fremont County boasts a new industry of viticulture and wine making. Each year more acreage of grapes are being planted and grown successfully, thus positioning this Front Range area into being a popular winery community. Already, harvest time brings visitors to the area to experience the grape harvests. A lucky selected few find themselves
helping to harvest these wine grapes and enjoying the fresh mountain Fall air. As in more popular wine growing regions, laborers are rewarded with a gourmet meal and plenty of wine to enhance the experience.

Cowboys can still be found in Fremont County. Royal Gorge Country boasted 11,000 head of cattle in 2006. Some beef and some milk cows. Dairies are an ongoing industry in this region. Some still owned by fourth generation operators processing natural milk that is hormone and by-product free.

There is an increasing appreciation of the natural environment and sustainable living that brings people into areas similar to the Royal Gorge Region for a glimpse of the agricultural industry that is still considered the backbone of our country.