Archive for the ‘The Holidays’ Category
December 13th, 2011 by Kim @ The DRA
Instead of ringing in the new year in a crowded street, escape to a western dude ranch.
December 08, 2011 ) CODY, Wyo.- This year instead of watching the ball drop in Times Square, escape to a dude ranch where you can indulge on gourmet treats, have an adventure, or just enjoy the tranquility of the west. The Dude Ranchers Association has nearly 100 member ranches of the highest quality across the western U.S. and Canada. Here are just a few of the ways ranches will be saying goodbye to 2011:
• Vista V
erde Ranch in Steamboat, Colorado has a progressive New Years Eve dinner, traveling by skis or sleigh to each course, ending with a dessert extravaganza and boot drop in time to ring in the New Year.
• Historic Rancho de la Osa, just outside Tucson, Arizona, will be treating guests to a special gourmet 4-course meal after a day of riding, hiking, or relaxing in the hot tub. The New Year kicks off with brunch followed by a New Year Dudeo.
• At Hidden 
Meadow Ranch, in Arizona’s White Mountains, guest will spend the day horseback riding through the snow, snowshoeing, skiing, or maybe even ice fishing. As the clock counts down a few special surprises will top off an evening of tasty treats.
Contact the DRA to find additional ranch specials this holiday season and throughout the year.
Tags: all-inclusive, Holidays on the Ranch
Posted in Choosing a Ranch, Dude Ranch, The Holidays | Comments Off
August 25th, 2011 by Kim @ The DRA
CODY, Wyo.- Deck the holidays, Cowboy style this year. Dude ranches, the original all-inclusive destination, take care of the holiday chores while providing seasonal adventures.
Winter ranches from Colorado to Canada provide everything for a classic, carol-worthy white Christmas. In British
Columbia, Echo Valley Ranch and Spa has put together a Cariboo Christmas package with all the trimmings. This includes a welcoming glass of mulled wine, visit from Santa (with presents for everyone), traditional Christmas dinner and entertainment, Boxing Day champagne breakfast, and a cookie jar that’s always stocked.
Ranches across the southwest, such as Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson, offer warm alternatives to northern snows. Southwestern ranch guests can spend the days mountain biking and horseback riding desert 
mountain trails or relaxing by the outdoor pool. At night five-star dining, live entertainment, and extensive wine lists provide a relaxing evening to a day of playing in the sun.
Whether heading north or south, travelers can look to the Dude Ranchers Association to help pick the perfect ranch fit. The DRA has over 100 member ranches across the western U.S. and Canada. This holiday-season try a Cowboy Christmas.
Media Contact: Amy Shadell, 970-568-7423, Amy@adventuremedianews.com Photos Available. View Dude Ranchers Association media kit.
Tags: Holidays on the Ranch, Winter escapes
Posted in Dude Ranch, The Holidays | Comments Off
June 29th, 2011 by Colleen @ The DRA
What a great privilege it is to be an American. Thank you to our troops who are now serving and to those who have served in the past…
Below are some favorite 4th of July Quotes.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Where liberty dwells, there is my country.
- Benjamin Franklin
Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.
- Abraham Lincoln
Happy Trails,
The Dude Ranchers Office
Tags: Family Vacations
Posted in Association News, Choosing a Ranch, Family Vacations, The Holidays | Comments Off
May 12th, 2011 by Colleen @ The DRA
Easier.com 9th May 2011
For over a hundred years Colorado has been welcoming visitors to experience one of the oldest western traditions of ranching.
This legacy has been passed down from generation to generation with carefully cherished rituals that are shared with privileged visitors to the state.
Over the years the ranching holiday experience has evolved depending on your requirements; the authentic experiences can start with a 5am wakeup call with a hard morning’s work herding up the cattle, doctoring and branding; or alternatively enjoy a restful lie in before hitting the spa and tucking into the gourmet fresh lunch buffet produced by the onsite chef. Read More
Tags: colorado dude ranch, dude Ranch History, vacation
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November 16th, 2009 by Kim @ The DRA
The Christmas holiday is a magical time spent with friends and family celebrating a season of cheer! A dude ranch makes a perfect location for making special holiday memories. Here are just a few highlights from a few of our ranches that offer some fun filled holiday cheer!
Vista Verde is a dude ranch near Steamboat Springs that welcomes families in winter as well as summer, and especially puts out the welcome mat during the holidays. Accommodation includes lodge rooms with private balcony, and luxury log cabins with woodstove and hot tub. Winter activities include: cross-country skiing and snowshoeing; horse riding and sleigh-rides; programs for kids and teens; off-ranch activities such as dog-sledding, or skiing at top-rated Steamboat ski resort. Many activities are included in packages, as are three meals daily. For the Christmas holidays, special activities include: going out on cross country skis to cut a Christmas tree, making homemade decorations, taking the horse drawn sleigh (with lots of sleigh bells!) to go caroling at the neighbor’s house, and of course a Christmas Day Feast. And after that– a “Progressive Dinner” around the ranch, on skis and sleigh. Visit the Vista Verde Ranch site for more infomation.
Ho, Ho, Holidays! Hidden Meadow Ranch is getting out the twinkle lights and searching for the perfect Christmas tree for the Ranch House (though some of us have been removed from the selection committee due to extreme “Charlie Brown” tree incidents)! We have done our snow dance, and Santa is planning his visit to bring loads of gifts. And our staff is polishing its annual performance of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” which gets better every year! New Year’s Eve will rev it up with live entertainment and fabulous cuisine, as usual. Don’t miss the best, most family-oriented get-together spot in the West for those holiday memories!
At the Home Ranch, sleigh rides, horseback riding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing and adventures in Steamboat Springs await those willing to brave the crowds and come west for a dude ranch vacation at Christmas. The Home Ranch has a long history of hosting families for Christmas and New Years and this year is no exception. The Home Ranch will open for the winter December 18, 2009. During the holiday season we ask for a five night stay. Most folks typically return home after Christmas on the 26th or 27th. This allow new folks to join us for the New Year beginning the 26th or 27th and stay through the 2nd of January.
Tags: Activities, Arizona Dude Ranch, colorado dude ranch, Holidays on the Ranch, Winter escapes
Posted in Choosing a Ranch, Family Vacations, Resort Ranch, Specialty Weeks, The Holidays | Comments Off
November 12th, 2009 by Kim @ The DRA
Avoid the cold weather this winter season and spend Thanksgiving at one of these great Arizona Dude Ranches…Here is what just a few of our ranches offer for the Holiday season!
Crisp mountain air and a gourmet Thanksgiving dinner – that’s what it’s all about at Hidden Meadow Ranch. Our culinary team is cooking up a real feast, including:
• Cider-glazed turkey with applewood-smoked bacon
• Maple bourbon-glazed ham
• Cornbread and sage dressing
• Roasted butternut squash soup
• Homemade pumpkin pie
• And much, much more.
You’ll just gobble it up! And if you’re staying at the Ranch, don’t forget our famous “Leftovers in the Loft.” It’s a great evening social gathering with football and those creative leftovers you usually only get at home … in our living room without the dishes!
Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday here at Rancho De La Osa. Good food, great wine and the opportunity to see old friends and make new ones is always a pleasure. In fact, we have a few seats left at our Thanksgiving feast. Pack up the family, invite your friends and spend your holiday with us! Don’t forget to ask for our Thanksgiving Special –Book 4 Nights and receive the 5th Night Free. Rancho De La Osa was established as a guest ranch on Thanksgiving Day 1923. We will be celebrating our 86th Season on Thanksgiving!
At Grapevine Canyon Ranch we kick off the holiday season a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner, with tasty slices being carved off the turkeys, and all the traditional trimming – pies and cakes and over-eating. Christmas brings a festively decorated lodge, with stockings hanging off the fireplace mantel, a big Christmas tree inside, and a Christmas tree fashioned from a decorated century plant loaded with baskets of bird seed for the feathered friends outside. And along with all that eating? Great horseback rides in fabulous mountain country, the long ago haunt of the Chiricahua Apaches, through the trails of history and romance. Come visit us! e-mail info@gcranch.com
Tags: all-inclusive, Arizona Dude Ranch, Holidays on the Ranch, Winter escapes
Posted in Choosing a Ranch, The Holidays | 2 Comments »
October 30th, 2009 by Kim @ The DRA
Experience old-fashioned holidays at Sylvan Dale Ranch! Hop on a horse-drawn hayride, then relax & feast on a traditional Thanksgiving Day buffet, served by “pilgrims.” Have a family reunion with their “More Than Just Pumpkin Pie Weekend Special,” including meals, lodging, horseback riding, hoe-down, sing-along, butter-making, game room, & hot tub! Get into the Christmas spirit with “Candlelight & Carols” on December 23rd, featuring sumptuous buffet, home-baked desserts, and festive music by Loveland Chorale Society.
www.SylvanDale.com
ranch@sylvandale.com
Toll-free 877-667-3999
Tags: colorado dude ranch, Holidays on the Ranch, Winter escapes
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