Free walking tours Fridays & during rodeo & Railroad Days
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
From June 2 to Sept 1 2023
True Grit walking tours are available free at 3pm each Friday.
In addition there are free pre-scheduled tours in conjunction with
the Ouray County Rodeo, Monday, Sept 4, 11am
and Railroad Days, Saturday, Sept 23, 12 noon, and 2pm.
Please arrive at the Gazebo in Hartwell Park 15 minutes early.
Custom guided tours
From June 2 to Sept 1 2023
True Grit walking tours are available free at 3pm each Friday.
In addition there are free pre-scheduled tours in conjunction with
the Ouray County Rodeo, Monday, Sept 4, 11am
and Railroad Days, Saturday, Sept 23, 12 noon, and 2pm.
Please arrive at the Gazebo in Hartwell Park 15 minutes early.
Custom guided tours are available at at $10 per adult. To schedule, email evebeckerdoyle@icloud.com.
Ridgway’s film history is conveyed by the downtown tour showing where True Grit was filmed, and the seven plaques that commemorate the nine filming sites. (Two plaques in Ouray—at the courthouse and The Outlaw—are not on the tour.)
In 2022, this tour was recognized nationally when it was named readers' choice for best historical town tour by True West magazine.
Walking tour pricing has changed this year. Most tours are now free, but attendees may make donations, if they wish, to help us cover advertising costs. In addition, the number of tours has increased, as well as times they are offered. See the EVENTS or NEWS section.
Events & Activities
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
This year we are featuring the True Grit walking tours (see NEWS). In addition, attendees may visit Ridgway locations used during the filming of the 1969 John Wayne movie True Grit, as well as Mattie's ranch west of town.
NEW FOR 2023 -
TRUE GRIT AUDIO WALKING TOUR
If the time of our guided tours is not convenient, the True Grit audio tour i
This year we are featuring the True Grit walking tours (see NEWS). In addition, attendees may visit Ridgway locations used during the filming of the 1969 John Wayne movie True Grit, as well as Mattie's ranch west of town.
NEW FOR 2023 -
TRUE GRIT AUDIO WALKING TOUR
If the time of our guided tours is not convenient, the True Grit audio tour is now available for $11.99. The audio file can be downloaded to your phone or other portable device. Ideally two people may listen to the recording, sharing a set of earbuds, as they stroll amongst the downtown filming locations. Take our walking tour at your own convenience.
Click here to purchase:
https://gesso.fm/collections/true-grit-walking-tour
The Ridgway Old West Fest booth on Saturday, Sept 23 from 12-3pm will be located between the Ranch History Museum and the Railroad Museum.
Festival partners include the Ouray County Ranch History Museum and the Ridgway Railroad Museum, both who are planning events for the same weekend. The Railroad Museum will be offering rides on the Galloping Goose and special tours of railroad cars.
Mission
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
Mission
The Ridgway Western Heritage Society celebrates Ridgway, Colorado's film, ranching and railroad heritage, and Western arts & culture.
The Society's primary goal for 2023 is to provide education about Ridgway's film history, increasing emphasis on the True Grit walking tour.
HISTORY
The first annual Ridgway Old West Fest in 2019 celebrated Ri
The Ridgway Western Heritage Society celebrates Ridgway, Colorado's film, ranching and railroad heritage, and Western arts & culture.
The Society's primary goal for 2023 is to provide education about Ridgway's film history, increasing emphasis on the True Grit walking tour.
HISTORY
The first annual Ridgway Old West Fest in 2019 celebrated Ridgway, Colorado's brief transformation into Fort Smith, Arkansas, for the filming of True Grit. 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the release of True Grit, for which John Wayne won his only Academy Award. The famous director Henry Hathaway brought the True Grit cast and crew to Ridgway & Ouray County in late summer of 1968.
Check out our Store page (see button at top of this page).
Our wonderful book,
True Grit: A 50-Year Tribute is sold out!
SCULPTURES WANTED Festival goers: Know of a John Wayne sculpture someone is trying to find a home for? We would love to have you donate it to the Ouray County Ranch History Museum. Contact Joan Chismire, 970.316.1085, JChismire@gmail.com.