Utah's 'Festival City, USA' Is A Mountainous Haven With A Vibrant Arts & Culture Scene

It's good sign when the local tourism board promotes two official nicknames for your city. Such is the case with Cedar City, Utah. Its nickname — "Gateway to the National Parks" — is owed to the city's proximity to natural wonders like the beautiful emerald pools and trails of Zion National Park. However, it's the second nickname — "Festival City, USA" — that really captures the vibrant arts and cultural scene Cedar City is famous for.

Originally settled in 1851, Cedar City became a railroad outlet that brought in goods such as lumber and livestock, and important clientele like tourists, miners, and students for Southern Utah University, which has served as the city's artistic and cultural hub. The nickname "Festival City, USA" comes from the abundance of cultural festivals held in Cedar City throughout the year. We'll dive into more detail, but festivals for film, theater, classic cars, livestock, and wildflowers are all part of the city's annual calendar.

Thanks to its status as a gateway to National Parks, Cedar City contains a bustling regional airport that connects to Salt Lake City with quick daily flights that bring you directly into town. You can also fly into Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, and then drive a rental car 2.5 hours east into Cedar City. Either way you like to travel, it is worth your while to check out this beautiful arts hub in southwestern Utah.

Pick any season of the year, and Cedar City has some kind of festival going on. Heading there in summer? Check out Pioneer Day for a fun festival celebrating the heritage of the pioneers in Cedar City. Love classic cars? Check out the July Jamboree. Love sheep and horse pulls? Come to Cedar City in October for the Livestock and Heritage Festival. There is so much to see and do in this vibrant city that it is almost too much to choose from. However, if we were to pick the two must-see/do in the Cedar City arts and cultural scene, it would be the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Southern Utah Museum of Art.

Both are operated out of the campus of Southern Utah University. The art museum specifically caters to displaying artwork from regional artists, as well as students and faculty of SUU's art department. The museum houses comprehensive collections of paintings, photography, sculpture, and statuary. Exhibitions change seasonally, providing visitors a unique look at the vision of numerous Utah artists.

Then there is the Shakespeare Festival, which performs out of three theater spaces at the Beverly Sorenson Center for the Arts at SUU. This is a professional theater company that performs the works of Shakespeare, as well as other contemporary plays on a rotating basis. This Tony Award-winning regional theater is a leader in its class, and provides Cedar City with a rich performance scene that caters to theater goers of all kinds.

While one of the main draws to Cedar City is its thriving arts scene, one should not miss out on the opportunity to experience the awe-inspiring mountain landscape that surrounds it. Part of the Markagunt Plateau, this heavily forested area of high peaks and valleys offers an incredible amount of exploration. However, despite being close to several National Parks and monuments, you don't need to venture out of Cedar City's limits to find an excellent place to experience this fabled landscape.

Dixie National Forest is a picture-perfect destination only 15 minutes from downtown Cedar City. Sitting on the divide between the Great Basin and the Colorado River, Dixie National Forest offers a visitor all the varying types of landscapes they could ask for. From towering cliffs and desert canyons, to thick cedar groves and alpine lakes, this protected wilderness has it all. And with hundreds of miles of trails, it's the perfect location for a day's backpacking or mountain biking.

Another great option for getting outside and experiencing Cedar Grove's history is the Frontier Homestead State Park Museum. This living history museum offers an interactive glimpse into 19th century life in this area. Blending reenactment with hands-on education, this is one location where you can experience the landscape of Cedar Grove as it would have been when it was founded in 1851. A great treat for any lover of the outdoors and history.