Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Cedar City sits at about 5,800 feet where the red cliffs of the Markagunt Plateau drop to the valley floor, and every summer it turns into a theater town. Mormon pioneers founded it in 1851 to work local iron ore, and the Iron Mission still shapes its story; today it is a lively college city of about 37,000 in southwest Utah.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival, winner of a 2000 Tony Award for regional theatre, fills three stages at Southern Utah University from June into October, including an open-air playhouse in the Elizabethan style. The same arts complex holds the Southern Utah Museum of Art, and Frontier Homestead State Park Museum displays pioneer wagons and ironworks relics. Each fall, a flock of sheep is driven down Main Street for the Livestock and Heritage Festival.
The town is also a base for high country. State Route 14 climbs through Cedar Canyon toward Cedar Breaks National Monument and Navajo Lake, while the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park lies about 20 minutes south on Interstate 15.
Running since 1962, this repertory festival stages Shakespeare alongside musicals and modern plays on three stages at Southern Utah University from late June to mid-October. A free outdoor Greenshow entertains before summer evening plays. Book popular evening shows weeks ahead and bring a jacket.
An open-air playhouse opened in 2016 and modeled on Elizabethan theaters, with galleries wrapped around a thrust stage under the sky. It hosts the festival's Shakespeare productions on summer evenings. Lower seats feel closest to the action, and a cushion and blanket help once the desert night cools.
A free art museum on the Southern Utah University campus, opened in 2016 beside the festival theaters. Changing exhibitions sit alongside a permanent collection that includes many works by Utah landscape painter Jimmie Jones. It pairs easily with an afternoon matinee or a walk around the campus.
A state park museum on Main Street that tells the story of the 1851 Iron Mission through horse-drawn wagons, carriages, a pioneer cabin and iron-making displays. Historic buildings moved to the grounds make up an outdoor village. Allow about an hour, and ask about summer living history days.
A vast eroded amphitheater about 2,000 feet deep, cut into the edge of the Markagunt Plateau at over 10,000 feet, roughly 45 minutes east of town. Rim overlooks show orange and white hoodoos, and summer brings wildflowers and very dark night skies. Snow closes the rim road for much of the year.
A 5-mile paved road in the quieter northwest corner of Zion National Park, starting at exit 40 on Interstate 15 about 20 minutes south of Cedar City. It climbs between crimson finger canyons to a viewpoint at the end. A park pass is required, and the short Timber Creek Overlook Trail starts at the top.
State Route 14 climbs east from Cedar City through Cedar Canyon to over 10,000 feet, passing red cliffs, aspen groves and old lava flows on the way to Navajo Lake and Duck Creek Village. Pullouts give wide views toward Zion. Winter storms can close stretches, so check road conditions before setting out.
A paved path that follows Coal Creek from the edge of downtown into the mouth of Cedar Canyon, with red rock walls closing in as you go. It is easy for walkers, runners and cyclists, and cottonwoods shade parts of the route. Start near the canyon end for the most scenic stretch.
A red rock trail area on the east side of town with short loops among sandstone hoodoos, juniper and small washes, popular with hikers and mountain bikers. Trails are short enough for an evening outing after dinner. Go near sunrise or sunset, when the rock glows and the summer heat eases.
The remains of a pioneer iron works about 20 miles west of Cedar City, operated from the late 1860s into the 1870s. A beehive-shaped charcoal kiln, a stone furnace base and building foundations line a short interpretive path. The site has no staff or services, so bring water and stay on the trail.
A fall celebration of the area's ranching roots, best known for the parade that drives a flock of sheep down Main Street on Saturday morning. The weekend also brings craft vendors, music, food and heritage demonstrations around town. Arrive early on Main Street to claim a curbside spot for the sheep parade.
Top-rated local businesses in Cedar City, with real reviews on WiserMap.
No reviews yet. Been to Cedar City? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Cedar City? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Bobak Ha'Eri, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: DXR, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: JunesongPRVSN, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Hänsel und Gretel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Alex Proimos from Sydney, Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Iain.dalton, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Brittnay Barnes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: James Doyle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: James Doyle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: James Doyle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: James Doyle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Greg Willis from Denver, CO, usa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Otterbein University Theatre & Dance from USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Calderoliver, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: DGunderson at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Original uploader was Averette at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Greg Willis from Denver, CO, usa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Belle Unruh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Fsendek1904, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
