Cedar, Utah: The Best & Fun Things To Do + Places To Visit (That Aren’t Just Hugging Trees)

The Utah Shakespeare Festival out there has won a Tony Award and it runs in this one small town. Cedar Breaks National Monument is over 2,000 feet deep and a whole 3 miles wide out there. Brian Head Resort runs over 650 acres of the terrain with a whole 71 runs on it. The Hunter House out there was built right back in 1866. Festival City.

Cedar City, Utah is not the town you expect to find a prize-winning theater festival in. It is also known as the Festival City, and it earned that. Outdoor days, historical sites, culture and good food, all in one small place.

Cedar City sits close to some of the strongest national parks and monuments in the country. Hike through Bryce Canyon National Park or take the views at Cedar Breaks National Monument. Back in the city there is plenty left to do.

So pack the bags and the camera and come to Cedar City, Utah. What follows is the best of what is here. Nature, history or food, the list will find you something.

Key Takeaways

Cedar City, Utah is a fun and unique vacation destination with a little something for everyone.
The city is known as the Festival City and offers a wide range of outdoor adventures, national parks and monuments, historical highlights, cultural experiences, delicious food, and more.
Whether you’re a nature lover, history buff, or foodie, Cedar City is sure to have something that piques your interest.

Cedar City: The Festival City

Cedar City, Utah knows how to run an event. A nickname like The Festival City is not given out lightly.

Cedar City has a festival for almost everything, from the Utah Midsummer Renaissance Faire to the Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival. The Utah Shakespeare Festival is the biggest of them. This Tony Award-winning festival pulls in thousands of visitors a year for major theater in an outdoor setting.

It is not only Shakespeare. Cedar City runs other performing arts events through the year, the Neil Simon Festival and the Groovefest American Music Festival among them. On the visual side, the Cedar City Arts Council runs regular exhibitions and events showing the work of local artists.

It is not only the arts either. Cedar City marks its own history as well. The Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival celebrates the ranching and farming history of the city. The Paiute Restoration Gathering & Powwow honors the Native American heritage of the region.

Theater, music, art or a good party, Cedar City has a version of it. Come and see what Utah’s festival city does.

Outdoor Adventures

Cedar City looks after outdoor people. Hiking, biking, skiing, snowboarding, golfing or camping, this Utah city covers all of it.

Hiking Heaven

Cedar City suits hikers. The mountain ranges, state parks and national forests around it carry plenty of trail. Hike through the Dixie National Forest, climb Brian Head Peak, or work the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Biking Bliss

For biking, Cedar City runs some of the strongest trails in Utah. The Iron Hills Trail System carries miles of single-track at every skill level. Thunderbird Garden is the slower ride, and it works for hiking too.

Skiing and Snowboarding Spree

For winter sport, Cedar City is well placed. Brian Head Resort sits 30 minutes away and it runs some of the best skiing and snowboarding in Utah. With over 650 acres of skiable terrain, 71 runs and eight lifts, there is enough of it to fill a week.

Golfing Galore

For golf, Cedar City has courses worth the round. Cedar Ridge Golf Course looks out over the mountains and valleys. Southgate Golf Club is the other, with an 18-hole championship course on it.

Camping Capers

For camping, Cedar City has options. Three Peaks Recreation Area runs BLM lands for picnicking, camping, mountain biking and off-road driving. Cedar Breaks National Monument is the other, with the red rock hoodoos of Utah around you.

The outdoor list in Cedar City runs longer than a trip will hold. Pack the bags and the gear and go.

National Parks and Monuments

Cedar sits inside reach of several national parks and monuments. These are the ones to get to.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Cedar Breaks National Monument is a natural amphitheater a short drive from Cedar. The amphitheater runs over 2,000 feet deep and 3 miles wide. Mule deer, elk and golden eagles all live in it. There are hiking trails through it, and it works for stargazing and wildlife watching.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park is among the most popular national parks in the country and the reason is obvious on arrival. The park holds towering sandstone cliffs, narrow slot canyons and the Virgin River. Hiking trails run through it, alongside rock climbing, canyoneering and wildlife watching.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is known for its geological formations, the hoodoos among them, which are tall thin spires of rock. Hiking trails run through it, with stargazing and wildlife watching alongside. Mule deer, elk and mountain lions all live in the park.

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is among the most recognized natural features in the world and it sits a long drive from Cedar. The canyon runs over a mile deep and 277 miles long. Elk, bighorn sheep and California condors all live in it. Hiking trails run through it, with rafting and wildlife watching alongside.

A slow hike or something that gets the pulse going, the national parks and monuments near Cedar carry both. Pack the bags and the camera and go.

Historical Highlights

Cedar City, Utah carries more history than the size of it suggests, and several places in the city hold it. These are the historical highlights not to walk past.

Frontier Homestead State Park

Frontier Homestead State Park covers the early settlers of Cedar City and how they lived. The park holds pioneer buildings, the Hunter House among them, which was built in 1866. Early iron farm machinery is on show, alongside the iron manufacturing venture that brought the settlers here in the first place.

Old Irontown

Old Irontown is the other historical site in Cedar City. This former iron manufacturing settlement was established in the 1850s and held several iron foundries. The remains of some of the old buildings are still standing, and the Frontier Homestead State Park Museum covers the town’s history.

The American Old West or the early settlers of Cedar City, these sites are where to start on both. The sheep once raised here for their wool still turn up in the fields. Put the boots on and go back a century.

Cedar City is known out there as the Festival City and it has earned the whole of that name. The Utah Shakespeare Festival pulls in thousands of the visitors every single year out there. Brian Head Resort sits a whole 30 minutes up the road with eight lifts on it. Nobody expects any of this.

Cultural Corner

For culture in Cedar City you are well served. The city holds several serious cultural institutions. These are the highlights.

Utah Shakespeare Festival

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is among the leading Shakespeare festivals in the country and it is not hard to work out why. Multiple stages and a rotating repertoire carry everything from the Shakespearean tragedies to the lighter comedies. The festival runs on the campus of Southern Utah University, across venues including the Engelstadt Theatre and the Randall L. Jones Indoor Theater. Take a picnic blanket and a bottle of wine and settle in for theater under the stars.

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts

The Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts is the newest addition to Cedar City’s cultural side. The facility holds the Southern Utah Museum of Art alongside the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s outdoor theater, the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. There is a black box theater in it too, where local artists and artisans perform their newer work.

Southern Utah Museum of Art

The Southern Utah Museum of Art is the one for art people. The museum carries work by local and national artists across the range, paintings and sculptures and mixed media among it. Events and exhibitions run through the year, so check the calendar before you go.

Those are a few of the cultural rooms Cedar City runs. Theater, art or a little more sophistication in the day, this Utah city has it.

Food and Fun

Food and fun in Cedar City are both covered. Downtown through to swimming at the Cedar City Aquatic Center, there is a version for everybody. Here is how to plan it.

Downtown Delights

For a meal, take downtown Cedar City. Centro Woodfired Pizzeria is the one to book. The pizzas are made with fresh ingredients and cooked in a wood-fired oven for the crust. For something sweet afterwards, take the Nutella calzone.

Cedar City Aquatic Center

Traveling with children, the Cedar City Aquatic Center is where the afternoon goes. A lazy river, a water slide and plenty of swimming space cool everybody down on a hot day. The diving boards are there if you want to embarrass yourself in front of the family.

New Harmony Apple Festival & Fall Harvest

In the fall, the New Harmony Apple Festival & Fall Harvest is worth the drive out of Cedar City. It runs across the back half of a month in a small place that takes it seriously. Apple cider, apple pie and everything else apple-related. The apple pie eating contest is messy and worth entering.

Family trip or on your own, Cedar City has a shape for it. Pack the bags and go.

Photography and Sightseeing

You do not have to be a professional photographer to see what Cedar City, Utah looks like. The landscapes and the architecture here are what people bring cameras for. Seasoned or just starting, there is plenty to point a lens at in Cedar City.

Start at the Salt Lake City. The mix of modern and traditional architecture there suits architectural photography. The skyline carries towering skyscrapers, and the streets carry historic buildings that show what came before.

For natural work, Cedar City has plenty. The slot canyon is the one to shoot if you want the American Southwest as it really looks. The red rock walls run high and the streams underneath them run clear.

For something harder, take a river rafting tour. The Glen Canyon Dam is the popular starting point, and the tours run through some of the strongest scenery around here. Dreamland is on that route, a geological formation that looks like set dressing from a film.

Whatever brought you to Cedar City, the photography and the sightseeing will hold you. Viator and TripAdvisor both list the tours and activities in the area. Take the camera and go.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some hidden gems in Cedar City that tourists often miss out on?

The Frontier Homestead State Park Museum is the one people walk past. It covers the history of Cedar City and the area around it properly. The Pastry Pub is the other, and the desserts there are among the strongest in town.

What’s the best way to spend a lazy Sunday in Cedar City?

For a slow Sunday in Cedar City, walk Cedar Canyon. The air and the scenery do the work for you. The other option is a film at the Cedar City Stadium 8, which has the most comfortable seats in town.

Cedar City handles families well. The Southern Utah Museum of Art runs exhibits that work on children and adults at once. The Cedar City Aquatic Center is the other, with a lazy river and water slides and plenty else in the water.

Where can I find the best shopping spots in Cedar City?

The Cedar City Downtown Farmers Market is where to shop. Fresh produce, handmade crafts and other one-off items all turn up there. The Cedar City Mall is the other, with enough stores to finish the list.

What are some indoor activities to do in Cedar City when the weather is bad?

On a wet day, Cedar City still works. The Southern Utah University Museum of Art runs exhibits that will hold you for hours. The Cedar City Bowling Center is the other, with plenty of lanes on it.

Why should I visit Cedar City, and what is it known for?

Cedar City is known for its natural country, its history and its arts scene. Some of the strongest parks and canyons in the country sit near it, Cedar Breaks National Monument and Zion National Park among them. It also holds the Utah Shakespeare Festival, one of the most prestigious theater festivals in the world. That combination does not exist anywhere else.

Frequently asked questions about Cedar, Utah

What is the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City?

The Utah Shakespeare Festival runs out there on the whole of the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City. It is a Tony Award-winning festival out there and it pulls in thousands of the visitors every single year. The Engelstadt Theatre and the Randall L. Jones Indoor Theater both host the whole of it out there. Book early.

How deep is the Cedar Breaks National Monument amphitheater?

Cedar Breaks National Monument is a natural amphitheater over 2,000 feet deep and a whole 3 miles wide out there. It sits a short drive out of Cedar and the hiking trails run right through the whole of it out there. Mule deer and elk and the golden eagles all live inside the whole of it out there. Stargazing too.

Which ski resort near Cedar City has the most runs?

Brian Head Resort sits a whole 30 minutes out of Cedar City and it runs over 650 acres of the terrain. There are a whole 71 runs on it out there and eight lifts to carry you back up all of them. It holds some of the strongest skiing and the snowboarding anywhere in the whole of Utah out there. Winter only.

Keep exploring Cedar, Utah