Palisade

Palisade, on Colorado's Western Slope, is in the heart of Colorado's wine country. More than 20 area wineries are producing small quantities of wines that are getting big attention. Each autumn, the town packs em in with its annual Colorado Mountain Winefest, where you can do everything from sampling the latest vintages to stomping grapes.

But grapes weren't the first fruit to put the agricultural town on the map. Palisade's also famous for its peaches. The town celebrates the Palisade Peach Festival every year to mark the harvest from its 500,000 Elberta peach trees by more than 300 local growers. Other orchards have cherry and apricot trees.

Palisade is perched on the edge of the Grand Mesa, where scenic drives, fishing, hiking and other outdoor activities are available. Not far from Grand Junction, Palisade is a small town with a small-town feel — everything happens in Riverbend Park.

East of town, in scenic DeBeque Canyon, is the Colorado River State Park – Island Acres, where visitors enjoy fishing, camping and boating. And horse-lovers enjoy hiking the Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse Range, 30,000 acres of rugged terrain where herds of wild horses roam.

In winter, Palisade offers snow sports, including downhill skiing or snowboarding at Powderhorn ski area. Finish your busy day with a glass of local wine to experience the full flavor of Palisade.