Our plays are only part of the Festival Experience. You can fill in your day with backstage tours, seminars, Repertory Magic, orientations, and our fun and family-friendly Greenshow. Plus, Cedar City is the center of numerous national parks and forests, museums, and amazing activities and scenery. These sample itineraries may give you some ideas for your perfect vacation:
A scene from Henry V, 2016.
Kanarraville Falls and Slot Canyon
DAY ONE
Morning: Visit and hike at Cedar Breaks National Monument, which offers plenty of photo ops.
Lunch: Enjoy a restaurant or pack a picnic at Brian Head or Duck Creek.
Afternoon: Check into a campsite or vacation rental in Brian Head or Duck Creek. Rent sports equipment at Brian Head for biking, ATV rides, etc.
Dinner: Restaurants in Cedar City.
Evening: Attend The Greenshow and a play in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. There are a number of photo ops at The Greenshow and around our three theatres.
DAY TWO
Morning: Hike beautiful Kanarraville Falls, and take plenty of photos.
Lunch: In Cedar City.
Afternoon: Attend a matinee in the intimate Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre or the beautiful Randall L. Jones Theatre.
Dinner: Cedar City or Brian Head.
Evening: Attend another play, or return to Brian Head/Cedar Breaks and take photos of the glorious sunset.
OTHER OPTIONS
You may want to schedule in a backstage tour, Repertory Magic, a play orientation, or a production seminar, all at the Beverley Center for the Arts, home of the Festival.
Sam Ashdown (left) as Prince Hal and Henry Woronicz as Sir John Falstaff, Henry IV Part One, 2014
Cedar Breaks National Monument
DAY ONE
Early Morning (Optional): Enjoy the sunrise as you hike or ATV one of the numerous trails on Cedar Mountain.
Breakfast: In Duck Creek or Brian Head.
Morning: Spend the rest of the morning at Cedar Breaks National Monument. You can hike, learn about the wildlife and geology of the area, and photograph the colorful canyon and wildflowers.
Lunch: Drive down scenic Highway 14 and enjoy lunch in Cedar City.
Afternoon: Spend the afternoon at Frontier Homestead State Park or enjoy a matinee in the Anes Studio Theatre or Randall Theatre.
Early Evening: Take a short drive to the "C" overlook for panoramic views of Cedar City and the surrounding valley.
Evening: Attend the play orientation, relax at The Greenshow, then enjoy an evening play in the outdoor Engelstad Theatre.
DAY TWO
Morning: Attend the play seminar and a production seminar (or a Backstage Tour). Then explore the Southern Utah University campus, including the statue walk, the old Adams Shakespearean Theatre, and the new Southern Utah Museum of Art.
Lunch: For quick and easy, enjoy a meal at the SUU Food Court.
Afternoon: Take in a play orientation and then a matinee performance.
Evening: Finish off your day with another play or drive to Parowan for dinner and a sunset experience at the Parowan Gap Petroglyphs.
OTHER OPTIONS
Besides, Festival activities (backstage tour, Repertory Magic, a play orientation, or a production seminar), you may want to wander down Cedar City's historic Main Street and do a little shopping.
A scene from Much Ado about Nothing, 2016,
Southern Utah Museum of Art
DAY ONE
Morning: Start the day with a backstage tour or attend an interactive props, costumes, or actor seminar.
Lunch: In Cedar City
Afternoon: Attend a play orientation and then a matinee production in the Anes Studio Theatre or Randall Theatre.
Early Evening: Spend some time (and perhaps make a purchase) at Artisans Gallery and Art Works Gallery, on and around University Boulevard just down the street from the Festival, then discover one of the restaurants just next door.
Evening: Relax at The Greenshow, then take in an evening play in one of our three theatres.
DAY TWO
Morning: Enhance your play experience by attending one or all of the following: play seminars, production seminars, and a backstage tour. Then, finish off the morning with an artwalk around the Southern Utah University campus, ending at the new and fabulous Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA).
Lunch: Try out the SUU Food Court or another of Cedar City's numerous restaurants.
Afternoon: Visit the Frontier Homestead State Park and Museum or enjoy a Repertory Magic as you watch our technicians change the scenery, lights, etc. from the matinee to the evening show. Then, you should still have time for a quick dinner.
Evening: Finish off your day The Greenshow and another play.
OTHER OPTIONS
Shop for souvenirs at the Randall Gift and Gallery in the Randall L. Jones Theatre, the SUMA gift shop (and spend a little more time enjoying the various exhibits), and the SUU Gift Shoppe near the Auditorium Theatre on the SUU campus.
A scene from The Cocoanuts, 2016.
Cedar Ridge Golf Course
DAY ONE
Morning: Enjoy a round of golf at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course or tackle the climbing wall or play raquetball at the SUU Sorenson Physical Education Building.
Lunch: In Cedar City
Afternoon: Attend a play orientation and then an afternoon play.
Evening: Walk around the SUU campus (including the outdoor track at the Eccles Coliseum, relax at The Greenshow, then take in an evening play.
DAY TWO
Morning: Enhance your play experience by attending one or all of the following: play seminars, production seminars, and a backstage tour. Then get your morning exercise by jogging or walking the trail system in Cedar City and up the mouth of Cedar Canyon.
Lunch: Refresh at one of the Cedar City restaurants.
Afternoon: Attend another matinee, or take a swim at either the SUU or Cedar City pool.
Evening: Finish off your day The Greenshow and another play.
OTHER OPTIONS
Visit Brian Head or Duck Creek and rent an ATV for a few hours or an entire day, then explore some of the most magnificent trail rides in the country.
Luigi Sottile (left) and Ben Livingston in The Three Musketeers, 2016.
Frontier Homestead State Park and Museum
DAY ONE
Morning: Visit the Frontier Homestead State Park and Museum to learn about Cedar City and Iron County history, then walk across the street to the cemetery and find some pioneers graves, including one written entire in the Deseret alphabet.
Lunch: In Cedar City
Afternoon: Visit the Old Sorrel monument on the SUU campus to learn the unique history of this university. Then attend Repertory Magic for an insider look at the changeover from matinee to evening shows. Follow it up with an early dinner before the evening activities.
Evening: Learn about the evening plays, the Festival, and Cedar City at the play orientation, then laugh, sing, and relax at The Greenshow. Top the day off with an evening play.
DAY TWO
Morning: Visit Old Iron Town west of Cedar City to learn about the early iron industry in Iron County, or drive north to the Parowan Gap Petroglyphs to learn of much earlier settlers to the valley.
Lunch: Refresh at one of the Cedar City restaurants.
Afternoon: Attend the play orientation, and then a matinee of your choice. After that, you should have just enough time to enjoy some of SUU campus statue tour.
Evening: Finish off your day at The Greenshow and another play.
OTHER OPTIONS
Walk along Cedar City's historic downtown Main Street take time to enjoy the statues there and learn about some of the area's early residents.
A scene from Les Misérables, 2012.
Don’t feel limited by the ideas above. It is possible to fill three or four days easily at the Festival with various activities for you and your family. Check out our website, bard.org, for details, and choose your favorite activities.
Top photo: Evangeline Stott (left) as Adele and Todd Denning as Porthos in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2016 production of The Three Musketeers.