Cedar City is a place that even William Shakespeare would probably like (and maybe like to call home)! For a small city, Cedar City offers big things – from 17-plus festivals each year to outdoor recreation and astounding beauty. They say variety is the spice of life, and Cedar City has plenty!
It’s time for some History 101 – You’ll enjoy your visit to Cedar City more if you know a few things about it! There’s evidence of prehistoric people in the Cedar City area, thanks to the Parowan Gap rock art (more on that later). The city wasn’t settled until 1851 when Mormon pioneers from Parowan were sent to build iron works. Today, Cedar City is the largest community in Iron County with a population of 27,000.
Cedar City shines in the summer with activities like the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespearean Festival, which features Shakespearean and contemporary productions, as well as literary seminars, classes and backstage tours (www.bard.org). Living up to its “Festival City USA” name, Cedar City offers many other annual festivals including The Great American Stampede (September 10 through 12, www.greatamericanstampede.com), Groovefest American Music Festival, Skyfest and the Thunderbird Film Festival. If you can’t wait for summer to come back around, you’re in luck because the American Children’s Christmas Festival is coming up in December (www.christmas-festival.org/).
With winter just around the corner, it’s not too early to think about skiing. Cedar City is close to the premier alpine destination in the area – Brian Head Resort. Brian Head is the state’s highest-elevation resort, and it gets more than 400 inches of white powder annually. There are more than 50 runs in all ability levels, four terrain parks and a tubing park. For more information, visit www.brianhead.com.
If you’re looking to slow down and discover what Cedar City is really about, all you have to do is look around you. Thanks to Mother Nature, breathtaking beauty surrounds Cedar City. Take your camera along for this portion of the trip!
Nearby is Cedar Breaks National Monument, which some people say is a smaller version of Bryce Canyon. With an elevation of 10,000 feet, Cedar Breaks is shaped like a giant coliseum – an amphitheater-like structure created through millions of years of uplift and erosion. The stone spires, arches, columns and pinnacles within the amphitheater are brilliant shades of yellow, red and purple. For fun, you can hike, photograph, picnic and camp. Cedar Breaks is located at 2390 Highway 56.
Another unique site close to Cedar City is the Parowan Gap Petroglyphs, which were carved by Native Americans centuries ago. The Parowan Gap has more than 1,000 years of artwork carved into the rock, from images of lizards, snakes, bears and sheep to geometric designs and human figures. With the Escalante Desert serving as its backdrop, Parowan Gap is a fascinating place to visit.
Whether you enjoy its festive celebrations or explore its beautiful sights (or do both!), Cedar City is the perfect destination for a day – or weekend – getaway.
For more information on Cedar City, visit www.cedarcity.org.
