Art and Culture
Culture
Cedar City isn’t only home to some of the best outdoor recreation anywhere, you can find a rich art and culture scene here, too. Spend the day exploring several art museums and galleries or catch a show by one of our talented performing arts groups. Not to mention, Cedar City is home to a variety of festivals that celebrate everything from Shakespeare to UFOs to Neil Simon. No matter how you plan your trip, you can’t deny that being able to enjoy world-class art and entertainment against such a stunning backdrop is truly a unique experience.
Discover a surprisingly rich art and culture scene.
- Art Galleries
- Cedar City Historic Downtown
- Cedar City Heritage Site
- Simon Fest Theatre Co.
- Performing Arts Groups
- Southern Utah Museum of Art – SUMA
- Southern Utah University
- Veterans Memorial Park
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Galleries
Art Wall Gallery at Groovacious Records
Art Wall Gallery at Groovacious Records will host six art shows a year featuring a variety of styles and designs from professional and aspiring artists. Located in Groovacious at 195 W. 650 S. #2 in Cedar City, Utah. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. For information, call (435) 867-9800 or visit them on Facebook: ArtWallGallery.
Artisans Gallery
Artisans Gallery offers local art and handcrafted items. Located at 94 W. University Blvd (Center St) in Cedar City, Utah. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For information, call (435) 586-4850 or visit them on Facebook: Artisans-Gallery.
Frontier Homestead State Park Museum
The Frontier Homestead Museum features temporary art and history exhibits throughout the year. Contact the museum for an exhibit schedule. (435) 586-9290. Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours in the summer. Located at 635 N. Main in Cedar City.
The Kolob Gallery
Located in Color Country Aret Supply at 111 S. Main St. #1 in Cedar City, Utah. Gallery hours are Mon to Fri 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. & Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information, call (435) 586-1355 or visit them on Facebook: The-Kolob-Gallery.
Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA)
Southern Utah Museum of Art, on the campus of Southern Utah University, features the artwork of regional artists known for their landscapes, faculty and student artists from the SUU Department of Art & Design, as well as emerging and distinguished artists from around the country. Visitors can expect one main exhibition gallery, a view into the permanent collection room, and a gift shop featuring local artists and educational items. (435) 586-5432. Open Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., extended summer hours. SUMA is free and open to the public. Located at 13 S. 300 W. in Cedar City. A full calendar of events is available at suu.edu/suma.
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Around the City
Downtown Statues
Throughout Cedar City’s Historic Downtown there are museum-quality bronze statues commemorating the lives of four prominent citizens of Cedar City and their contribution to the region and to the world.
Veterans Memorial Park
View large-scale memorials, statues, and walking trails to honor veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Located next to the Coal Creek Trail, 200 N. (Freedom Blvd.) and 200 East. Free and open to the public during daylight hours.
Southern Utah University Sculpture Stroll
The Southern Utah University campus features one of the finest displays of classic and modern sculpture in Utah. The public is invited to wander the campus sidewalks and buildings to experience these commissioned pieces. A self-guided “Sculpture Stroll” brochure is available at various campus locations or at the Cedar City Visitor Center, 581 N. Main. Free to the public.
Stillman Sculpture Court & Pedersen Shakespeare Character Garden
Located on the grounds of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at 195 W. Center St. in Cedar City. The Stillman Sculpture Court is directly east of SUMA and is a wondrous place for reflection amid life-size and larger-than-life works of art. The Pedersen Shakespeare Character Garden is between the theaters and is a magical garden of sculptures of some of Shakespeare’s most well-known characters.
Art Events
There are several events throughout the year where the public can view and purchase local and regional art. These events include the Cedar City Arts Festival, Final Friday Art Walk (June to Sept), Frontier Folklife Festival, Talon Craft Fair, Christmas in the Country, Holiday Market, and Christmas in July.
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Plan Your Trip
Brochure
Visit the Cedar City Visitor Center for information on local Art Galleries and pick up your self-guided SUU Sculpture Stroll brochure, Veterans Memorial Park brochure and the Cedar City Downtown map; located at 581 N. Main St. in Cedar City.
Cedar City Historic Downtown
Cedar City Historic DowntownShop like a local in Cedar City’s Historic Downtown with antique stores, coffee houses, local restaurants, an old time soda fountain, quaint shops, regional arts & crafts shops, and a unique music store. Historical buildings in the district include the Old Post Office, The Rock Church and the Union Pacific Railroad Depot. Open all year with most shops open Monday – Saturday.
Click to download the Downtown Map; a full list of shopping and dining options in Historic Downtown Cedar City!
The shopping district includes the area of Main Street from 200 North to University Blvd.
Settled by Mormon pioneers, Cedar City’s rich heritage celebrates the “sticktuitivness” of its early residents. Many members of the community descend from Hole in the Rock pioneers (1879), Iron Mission pioneers (1850) and members of the Panguitch Quilt Walk (1864). These early saints built tabernacles, churches, schools, and they endured tragedy and hardship.
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Cedar City's Rock Church
100 E Center St | FREE
The crown jewel of Cedar City’s downtown, built from donated materials and local labor during the Great Depression. Tours are available by appointment only, please call (435) 586-6345.
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Cedar City Tabernacle Monument
55 E Center St | FREE
The Cedar City Tabernacle was one of the most distinguished and loved buildings ever erected in Cedar City. It was located on the corner of Center and Main just west of where the Rock Church now stands.
On November 2, 1877 the southwest cornerstone was laid. Almost all of the building was made from local materials, mostly donated, as was the labor. The lumber was brought from the co-op store sawmill in Deep creek. John Fretwell and John Dutton made 82,000 bricks, and the shingles were from Walker Brothers sawmill. It is said that every man in Cedar City donated time or materials for the building. Even women sacrificed and helped.
Visit the only remaining piece at the Cedar City Visitor Center, 581 N Main St.
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Chiffon Grist Mill Monument
658 E 200 S (Canyon Trail) | FREE
This flour mill was constructed in the 1850s and was operated by John D. Lee for several years before Louis L. Chaffin remodeled and took over with his son, Henry.
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Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum
581 N Main St | FREE
cedarcitydupmuseum.wixsite.com/cedarcitydupmuseum
email: cedarcitydupmuseum@gmail.comHome to local experts and a beautiful collection of local pioneer artifacts, this museum is the perfect place to learn about Cedar City. Located in the Cedar City Visitor Center.
Open (summer) Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
(winter) Wednesday – Saturday 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
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First Cedar Encampment
1203 N Main St | FREE
On November 10, 1851 a small group of men left Parowan to establish an iron works. On November 11, they arrived and made camp in the cove formed by the knoll.
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Frontier Homestead State Park Museum
635 N Main St | $4
frontierhomestead.org
email: frontierhomestead@utah.govAn interactive historic experience, including a 250,000-pound ore shovel that welcomes you to the museum, and inside is a world of stagecoaches and wagons inside. Outback, find hands-on activities on the “Homestead,” complete with historic structures representing the life of an early pioneer settlement, including the Hunter House, Deseret School House, Pioneer Cabin, and Sheep Shearing Shed.
Open all year, Monday – Saturday 9:00 am – 5:00pm (open Sunday in the summer)
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Nellie Unthank Monument
200 S 300 W | FREE
The monument shows a happy, vibrant 9-year-old Nellie, from England, as she started her trek west to the Salt Lake Valley with the Martin Handcart Company in 1856.
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Old Iron Town
25 miles west via Hwy U-56 | FREE
Tour the ruins of the iron works and oven or take a stroll along the natural trail. We recommend touring the Frontier Homestead State Park First. There is also a covered picnic area available and restrooms.
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Old Social Hall Monument
100 E, south of Center St | FREE
In 1861, the Old Fort schoolhouse was dismantled and reassembled in this location as the “Social Hall.”
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Plan Your Trip
Maps / Locations
Visit the Cedar City Visitor Center for a guide of area heritage sites
More Info
Cedar City Visitor Center
581 N Main St
Cedar City, UT 84720
A theater dedicated to preserving and honoring the works of American playwrights and their contemporaries, the Simon Fest Theatre Co. produces plays annually in July at the beautiful Heritage Center Theater in Cedar City’s historic downtown. The plays are presented in repertory with both matinee and evening performances. For play information and tickets visit www.simonfest.org. Tickets are also available during the Festival season at the Heritage Center Box Office (105 N. 100 E.) or by calling (435) 267-0194 or (866) 357-4666.
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About
Founded in 2002 as the Neil Simon Festival and re-branded in 2019 as Simon Fest Theatre Co. Their mission has always been to provide accessible, entertaining theatrical experiences that excite the imagination and nourish a lifelong passion for the theatre.
Housed in the beautiful Heritage Center Theatre in Cedar City’s Historic Downtown, the growing theatre company relies on the support of theatre lovers both local and regional as they preserve and honor the works of American playwrights and their contemporaries as well as foster the development of new American plays that follow the tradition of character-driven plots and comic introspection in the American experience.
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Plan Your Trip
Location
Cedar City Heritage Theater
105 N. 100 East
Cedar City, UT 84721
Festival Season/Play Times
The Simon Fest Theatre Co. production season is held annually in July. The plays are presented in repertory each evening at 7:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Matinee performances are presented at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. For a complete description of plays check out the Simon Fest Theatre Co. website at www.simonfest.org
Tickets
Ticket prices are posted on the festival website. Tickets can be purchased through the Heritage Theatre Box Office located at 105 North 100 East during the festival season. Tickets can be purchased throughout the year by calling (866) 35-SIMON or going online. For discounted group rates, call the Box Office or go online for details.
More Info
Simon Fest Theatre Co.
P.O. Box 83
Box Office/Heritage Theatre, 105 N. 100 East
Cedar City, UT 84721
Theater and music have been an integral part of Southern Utah culture since the beginning. Today, Cedar City is home to the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival, the first Neil Simon Festival, the Orchestra of Southern Utah and many other performing arts groups that are enhancing our culture and bringing amazing talent to our stages.
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Cedar City Arts Council
The Cedar City Arts Council hosts several events throughout the year, including exhibits and art walks.
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Cedar City Master Singers
Organized in 1947, The Master Singers is a 75-member all-male chorus that performs all over Utah. The group disbanded in the 70s, but 20 of the original members came together at the celebration of the Southern Utah University Centennial in 1997. After the 1997 performance, there was sufficient interest to recruit new members and renew the organization with members from all over Southern Utah. The group performs several concerts throughout the year.
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Cedar City Music Arts
For over 80 years, the Cedar City Music Arts Council has dedicated itself to bringing the world’s finest musicians to Cedar City. Countless soloists and musical groups have traveled to Cedar City so that members of smaller communities can experience great musical talent generally reserved for more cosmopolitan locales. Notable artists have included Eugene Fador, Ririe Woodbury Dance Company, the Nevada Ballet Company, traveling Broadway Productions, and the Vienna Boys Choir.
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Simon Fest Theatre Co.
Simon Fest Theatre Co. provides accessible, entertaining theatrical experiences that excite the imagination and nourish a lifelong passion for the theatre. Simon Fest Theatre Co.’s season runs annually in July and is housed in Cedar City’s Heritage Center in historic downtown. The plays are presented in repertory each evening, Wednesday through Sunday.
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Orchestra of Southern Utah
String music has been part of the Cedar City cultural life since the pioneers came and fiddlers provided dance music in Fiddler’s Canyon. Founded in the early 1920s, the Orchestra of Southern Utah brings together professional and amateur musicians to increase appreciation for classical music and make it more accessible to the local and rural populations. OSU provides live performances showcasing local talent throughout the year while also providing support to community groups striving to raise music standards for the area.
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Parowan Historic Aladdin Theater
Parowan built its Aladdin Theater in the early 1920s to serve the cultural needs of the area. This Mission-style theater was recently renovated so that Parowan community members could continue to develop their dramatic talents. Throughout the year, several plays and melodramas are presented on the Aladdin’s historic stage.
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Southern Utah University College of Performing Arts
Southern Utah University’s College of Performing and Visual Arts produces over 300 artistic events throughout the year in Cedar City. Talented students offer high caliber entertainment, inspiring audiences from the stage. Jazz, symphonic and vocal performances will delight the senses, and beautiful paintings, sculpture and prints will stir the heart.
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Utah Shakespeare Festival
The Utah Shakespeare Festival creates and presents the works of Shakespeare and other playwrights each June through October. The three performance venues are located at the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts, including an outdoor theatre inspired by Shakespeare’s own Globe Theatre. Many additional activities enhance the plays: pre-show orientations, post-show play discussions, backstage tours, and seminars about costumes, props, acting and more.
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Plan Your Trip
Contact
Visit Cedar City • Brian Head
581 N. Main
Cedar City, UT 84721
Phone
Hours
Mon-Fri: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: Closed
The Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) is located on the edge of the beautiful Southern Utah University Campus as part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center of the Arts. SUMA is a state-of-the-art museum and home to 5,300 square feet of exhibition space composed of five adaptable galleries. SUMA hosts FREE exhibitions from around the world, as well as a special collection work by Utah artist, Jimmie Jones and features rotating exhibits from the permanent collections. SUMA also regularly exhibits works of Southern Utah University’s Art and Design students and faculty, and provides a venue for displaying regional artists and juried shows.
Approximately 5,000 square feet of the museum building is dedicated to collection storage, care and research. The building’s design allows you to witness behind-the-scenes operations of the museum’s collection in the Trismen Mason Collection and Conservation Studio. There’s also classroom and studio space for hands-on educational activities for K-12 school groups emphasizing the current exhibitions in the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Education Suite. For information, visit www.suu.edu/suma.
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Plan Your Trip
Southern Utah Museum of Art – SUMA
Location
13 S. 300 West
Cedar City, UT 84720
Hours
Monday through Saturday
11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Tours
Docent tours are available by request.
More Info
Southern Utah Museum of Art
351 W. University Blvd.
Cedar City, UT 84720
Cedar City is a university town with Southern Utah University (SUU), a liberal arts school, making its home in the city center, which means most of “what’s going on” in town focuses around the stunning tree-lined campus.
Through its more than 100-year history, Southern Utah University has evolved from a teacher training school into a comprehensive, regional university. It serves the southern region of Utah and the contiguous counties of two states with undergraduate and graduate programs and applied technology training. People of the region look to the university for outreach services, culture, economic and business development, public education, regional history, public affairs, and major academic specialties.
University of the Parks©
Surrounded by some of the most scenic wonders in the west, Southern Utah University is a dynamic teaching and learning community where students and staff immerse themselves in—and are inspired by—the diverse and stunning natural landscape that surrounds the campus. The Outdoor Nation On Campus Challenge gave SUU the coveted title of “The Most Outdoorsy School in the Nation.” Winning the competition, which was sponsored by Outdoor Nation, REI and The North Face, further validates and solidifies Southern Utah University as the University of the Parks©.
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Campus Walking Tour
The campus walks are amazingly landscaped with fountains, ponds, lush vegetation and beautiful bronze statues. Along with the landscaping and vegetation, this walking tour is filled with traditional and modern sculptures. Start with the Founders Monument to learn the university’s triumphant beginnings thanks to a horse named Ol’ Sorrel.
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College of Performing Arts
SUU’s College of Performing and Visual Arts produces over 300 artistic events throughout the year. Talented students offer high caliber entertainment that will inspire audiences from the stage. Jazz, symphonic and vocal performances will delight the senses, and beautiful paintings, sculpture and prints will stir the heart. Information on what’s showing at SUU is available at (435) 865-8800 or www.suu.edu/pva/.
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Community Education
Each year, SUU offers spring, summer, and fall sessions of community classes. Take a class in your pursuit for knowledge, self-improvement or personal enrichment. Based on the interests in our community, a variety of courses is offered, such as photography, cooking, computers, languages, science, art, music and so much more. For more information or to register for classes, visit suu.edu/wise, email bewise@suu.edu, call (435) 865-8259, or stop by their offices at 136 W. University Boulevard, Suite 003, Cedar City, Utah.
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Gerald Sherratt Library Special Collections
A unique accumulation of early Southern Utah photographs, writings and books. The William Palmer collection of Native American handcrafts is also located in the collection. www.library.suu.edu
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Outdoor Center
Rent gear from backpacks to snowshoes and get insider tips from staff and students that live and breathe the great outdoors. www.suu.edu/outdoors/
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Summer Experiences
SUU Summer Experience is an outdoor adventure program that runs in June and July for visitors and local residents alike. It offers guided learning adventures for individuals and families designed to immerse you in local culture, history, scenery and recreational opportunities. Even longtime residents of Iron County can find new ways to explore the region and spend quality time with a friend or family member. For more information, or to register for Summer Experiences, visit suu.edu/summerEXP, email bewise@suu.edu, call (435) 865-8259, or stop by their offices at 136 W. University Boulevard, Suite 003, Cedar City, Utah.
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Beverly Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts
Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA)
A regional gallery that exhibits, collects and preserves historic and contemporary works of art significant to the American West and hosts art exhibitions from around the world. www.suu.edu/suma/
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Utah Shakespeare Festival
The Tony Award-winning festival makes its home on the campus of Southern Utah University. Eight plays are presented in repertory each season in three theaters: the outdoor Engelstad Theatre, which is a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the indoor Randall L. Jones Theatre, a stunning modern facility featuring contemporary works, and indoor Anes Studio Theater, an intimate 200-seat performance space. For tickets and information, call 1 (800) PLAYTIX or visit www.bard.org.
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Local Fave
The SUU Bookstore is where you go to show your T-Bird pride by picking up your essential SUU merchandise.
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Kid's Stuff
The Frehner Museum of Natural History features southwest Utah’s fossilized and archaeological history, plus an amazing display of small and large games animals.
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Plan Your Trip
Location
Southern Utah University is located at 351 W. University Blvd. and stretches over nine blocks to the west.
More Info
Southern Utah University
351 W University Blvd.
Cedar City, Utah 84720
Features large scale memorials, statues and walking trails built in honor of veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraqi Freedom. The park is FREE and open all year during daylight hours only, weather permitting.
Located next to the Coal Creek Trail, 200 N. (Freedom Blvd) and 200 East, in Cedar City.
