Skyline Guest Ranch

This horse-drawn sleigh ride will stir up romantic images of days gone by. Handmade sleighs, pulled by beautiful draft horses, take you on a trail where you view 14,000 foot peaks of the San Juan mountain range. Hear about the history of the ranch, when it used to supply timber for the nearby mines.

After the sleigh ride, Skyline offers exceptionally fine dining in their rustic lodge. The chefs are trained by the California Culinary Academy and create a nightly menu which focuses on fresh ingredients, homemade soups and breads, savory sauces, and tempting desserts.

Dine Around in Town

Enjoy an evening of fine dining in Telluride's best restaurants. The towns of Telluride and Mountain Village are home to a diverse array of outstanding dining experiences. We have included sample menus in our Sample Programs section, and are happy to forward the full menus and wine lists.

Cocktail and appetizer receptions, escort staff, and decor suggestions are also available for dine arounds.

Alta Lakes Observatory

The frontier town of Alta was the site of the world's first alternating-current power plant, and today provides the backdrop for the Alta Lakes Observatory. This elegant and remote lodge was painstakingly hand-crafted from native logs and stone, and sits adjacent to one of the area's most stunning alpine lakes. Featured on catalog covers and photographed year-round, the Observatory is the perfect setting for a dinner event - snowmobile there in the winter, or enjoy a jeep tour that finishes at Alta in the summer!

Art Before Wine

A Gallery Reception, in one of Telluride or Mountain Village's impressive art galleries, is a great way to gather the group, before dispatching for a dine around in town.

Snowbiking to Dinner

Snowbiking? Yes, snowbiking. Telluride's latest European import is a combination of skiing, sledding, and bicycling on a specially- designed, gravity-powered vehicle that puts a new face to the words "mountain bike". Sure to be talked about long after the end of the program, this activity includes rental and instruction, and finishes at one of Mountain Village's fine restaraunts.

Gorrono Ranch

An upscale Western evening at Gorrono Ranch combines an elegant dinner with the rustic charm of an historic ranch.

In the winter, guests are escorted from their hotel to the sleigh reception area, where they can enjoy hot cider with Tuaca or hot chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps, before their journey (on a 40-passenger snowcat-pulled sleigh complete with wool blankets and campfire songs) to the historic Basque sheepherding ranch. In the summer, Suburbans, vans or mini-coaches transport guests directly from your lodging to the steps of Gorrono's vast deck.

Enjoy passed appetizers on the deck and the sounds of an acoustic country western trio before moving inside for dinner. Inside the ranch on the second level, the tables are set with a touch of western flair. Denim linens with white overlays, red bandana napkins and cowboy boot 'vases' filled with wildflowers, add to the western charm of lanterns, western antiques, and horseshoe candleholders. The beams and rafters are lit by wrought iron chandeliers and rows of chambray-colored pillar candles.

After a spectacular buffet dinner, the band steps it up a notch with electric rock and country favorites. Line dancing instructors help the crowd "get in step", and those less inclined retire to the saloon for cigars and cognac.

Rocky Mountain High

Guests are transported from the luxury of Telluride's finest lodging to the middle of the expansive beauty of Telluride's surrounding wilderness. The West Meadows, Schmid Ranch and Greyhead are some of the many outdoor options for a summer evening event. Rolling meadows, pastures and stands of aspen, fir and spruce, as well as historical buildings and stunning views are the backdrop for an elegant special event.

The evening begins with passed appetizers, regional microbrewed beers and local wines - civilization reaches new heights beneath the surrounding fourteen thousand foot peaks. Enter the dinner tent through an aspen wood arbor decorated with twinkle ligthts and wildflowers. Under the canopy, Colorado wildflower cenrterpieces accent the tables dressed with rich, forest green linens, and burlap overlays. The buffet menu features regional favorites and local delicacies, including venison, Rainbow Trout, Olathe corn, and McCullough beef.

Optional enhancements include a strolling guitar player, a naturalist for an herb walk, or an astronomer to point out all the stars the city folk have never seen. Horseshoes, custom cowboy hat steaming, or a quick pony ride will guarantee your guests will be talking about this event for years.