Sightseeing in Fruita

Before taking lessons in a one-room schoolhouse, a visitor hops aboard a stagecoach, interviews a worker at a uranium mine, examines authentic adobe pottery, and heads inside a saloon. Such is the scene at Museum of the West, one of the three campuses of the Museum of Western Colorado where curators eschew the notion of “look, but don’t touch.” From the interactive labs at the Dinosaur Journey Museum to the live demonstrations of early 20th-century life at the Cross Orchards Historic Site—whose buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places—the staff encourages its guests to get up close and personal with the region’s past.

Nostalgia Ballooning puts heads in the clouds, accompanied by licensed pilots soaring giant, kaleidoscopically colored hot air balloons. Packages include private and group voyages over mountainous landscapes and include memorable touches such as champagne toasts. For those left enthralled with the skies, Nostalgia Ballooning also offers introductory piloting lessons, prepping the airborne for a life amid the birds.

The professional guides at Red River Adventures expose adventurous individuals to the rugged and untamed splendor of Utah's rocks, rivers, and canyons with trips designed for all skill levels. The Fisher Towers whitewater-rafting trips pair smaller, intimate groups of four to six paddlers (40 lbs. or more) with a licensed Utah river guide for a 14-mile adventure along Onion Creek, Professor Creek, Cloudburst, and Ida Gulch. Before provoking the Class III wrath of Poseidon, the guides will review safety procedures and outfit swashbucklers with U.S. Coast Guard–approved lifejackets. From the safety of the river-faring craft, paddlers absorb a soaring view of the Fisher Towers, as well as canyon walls that line the waterway and enable time-bending communication with ancient yodelers.

Castle Creek Winery rests on the Red Cliffs Adventure Lodge ranch, tucked between the rolling rapids of the Colorado River and high-rising red rock cliffs. The winery’s lush vineyards cut stark green rows through the rugged Western landscape that surrounds them. With the fruits of these vines, Castle Creek produces more than 30 wines—approximately 8,000 cases each year—all of which are filled, labeled, and kissed goodbye at the winery. Tour guides usher visitors throughout the production facility, elucidating the process by which grapes travel from vine to bottle. At the tasting room, wine experts pour complimentary sips while enlightening visitors on the notes, pairings, and complexities of each varietal. The facility opens up to a 4,000-square-foot hospitality area that adjoins a deck with views of the river.