Background Statement
The Colorado Chautauqua is the social, educational and recreational centerpiece of Colorado’s front range. Now in its second century, the Colorado Chautauqua and its 40+ miles of adjacent hiking trails and thousands of acres of open space, attracts over 2.4 million visitors each year while remaining committed to its historic purpose. Chautauqua continues to use its 82 historic buildings (cottages, auditorium, dining hall, general store, outdoor café, community house and academic hall) for their original purposes and to exemplify their original values: lifelong learning, love of nature, voluntary simplicity, music, oration and the arts.
The Colorado Chautauqua means many things to its visitors, guests, patrons, members and donors. It has survived and thrived for nearly 125 years because of the devotion and active support of people who value what it stands for and the many different opportunities it offers to "Discover What Matters."