Canon City

Skyline Drive is one of Colorado's most beautiful scenic drives, spanning 2.6 miles throughout Cañon City and the Fremont County region. The drive, which was constructed in 1906, follows the route of a high razorback ridge, accessible via US Highway 50. A gradual but steep incline traverses up the ridge, following a rollercoaster-like rise-and-fall route that becomes extremely narrow at its apex, sloping hundreds of feet south on either side. Pullouts are offered along the road at several points, allowing drivers to take in the stunning view. Near the top of the route, an interpretive display directs visitors to a site with preserved ankylosaurus tracks from the Cretaceous period. Visitors should be aware that the drive is not for the faint of heart and should exercise caution when letting other cars pass on the road.

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park is home to the tallest suspension bridge in the United States, constructed in 1929 and crossing 955 feet over the Arkansas River, only surpassed in height by the Beipan River Guanxing Highway Bridge in China. The bridge is part of the 360-acre Royal Gorge Bridge and Park amusement center, which was completely redesigned in 2013 following wildfire damage. Today, the park offers a wide variety of outdoor attractions on either side of the bridge, including the Cloudscraper Zipline, North America's tallest zipline attraction, which soars 1,200 feet above the rushing Arkansas River. Other attractions include the thrilling Royal Rush Skycoaster and aerial gondola allowing visitors to ride 2,200 feet across the Arkansas River. Children can play at the Tommy Knocker Playground, while families can view documentary films at the Plaza Theater or watch time being kept at the park's unique Water Clock, the only clock of its kind in the state.

4218 Co Rd 3A, Cañon City, CO 81212, Phone: 888-333-5597

If you are traveling with kids:

Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience is an interactive family museum in Cañon City, owned and operated by local father-son duo David and Zach Reynolds. The museum, which is situated overlooking the impressive Royal Gorge Bridge and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, offers 16,200 square feet of state-of-the-art displays and exhibits, including a life-sized dinosaur park bringing 16 animatronic dinosaurs to life. Full-scale dinosaur fossil casts are also showcased, along with a collection of real dinosaur fossils showing the prehistoric history of the Lower Arkansas Valley. Two adventure ropes courses are offered, including a junior course for young visitors. Other attractions include a 775-square-foot paleo lab, a Kids' Dig area, and a Dolby-enhanced theater playing a variety of dinosaur-related documentary films.

44895 W US-50, Cañon City, CO 81212, Phone: 719-275-2726

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad is a charming scenic excursion railroad based out of Cañon City, offering two-hour historic railroad rides along the most famous portion of the now-defunct Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, a route acclaimed by historic luminaries such as President Theodore Roosevelt as one of the nation's greatest railroad stretches. The company, which has been in operation since 1999, operates excursions year-round from the Royal Gorge to nearby Parkdale, Colorado, with trains traveling directly underneath the immense Royal Gorge Bridge on a unique hanging bridge designed in 1879 by engineer C. Shallor Smith. Delicious dining options are offered on board all excursions, including grass-fed Angus and buffalo burgers, breakfast burritos, and shareable appetizers, with fine wines available to complement meals. Special trains offered periodically include gourmet dinner trains, cab rides, and murder mystery evenings.

330 Royal Gorge Blvd, Cañon City, CO 81212, Phone: 719-276-4000

Romantic Ideas:

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey is an acclaimed Cañon City winery that was originally established in 2002 on the grounds of the city's historic Holy Cross Abbey. The beautiful Wet Mountains winery strives to produce the state's finest wines, offering award-winning Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, riesling, and merlot variants, along with a delicious apple wine produced with fermented apples cultivated at nearby Colon Orchards. A tasting room is open to the public daily, serving up complimentary flights of the company's finest wines. VIP wine and cheese tastings are available during the summer months, with reservations required at least 24 hours in advance to secure tasting slots.

3011 US-50, Cañon City, CO 81212, Phone: 719-276-5191

The Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center is a regional history museum housed within Cañon City's Municipal Building, which was constructed in 1927 with a designation for partial use as a museum facility. Today, the National Register of Historic Places-listed museum showcases exhibit galleries overseen by the Heritage Center, detailing the region's geology, natural wonders, and social and cultural history. Exhibits include locally-discovered dinosaur fossils dating back more than 450 million years, along with an impressive collection of regional historic images dating back to the 1870s. Visitors can also use the museum's public research center and reading room, which showcases an extensive collection of civic records and archival documents, or explore the 1860 log cabin and 1881 stone house of area pioneer Anson Rudd, preserved on the museum's grounds.

612 Royal Gorge Blvd, Cañon City, CO 81212, Phone: 719-269-9036

Fremont Center for the Arts is the oldest privately-operated art center in the American West, originally founded in 1947. The center, which has been housed within Cañon City's National Register of Historic Places-listed 1931 U.S. Post Office since 2000, showcases a permanent main gallery highlighting a selection of pieces from the center's permanent collection, along with several galleries designated for rotating special exhibits highlighting the works of regional and national artists working in a variety of mediums. Avant-garde and experimental works are showcased at the center's Studio Gallery, which also hosts large exhibits and site-specific installation works. The center's library is home to a substantial collection of art history and technique books, while its gift shop sells works by local artists.

505 Macon Ave, Cañon City, CO 81212, Phone: 719-275-2790

If you are a photographer:

Red Canyon Park is a 600-acre park within the stunning Fountain Formation, formed over 290 million years within the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. The park, which is overseen by the City of Cañon City, showcases beautiful red rock formations that have been carved into unique canyons and monoliths by erosion over the years, showing similarities to formations in the nearby Front Range and Flatirons. Visitors can explore the park's entire area on or off trail, with a parking area offered approximately a mile off Red Canyon Road. Trails lead to dramatic formations within the park such as The Arch, a natural red stone arch carved out by erosion. Visitors should note that some lands surrounding the park are private property and should pay attention to signage to avoid accidental trespassing.

Co Rd F24, Cañon City, CO 81212

Temple Canyon Park is a unique public park along Cañon City's Grape Creek preserving a spacious natural amphitheater, which was originally discovered by Denver and Rio Grande Railroad workers in 1881 and named "The Temple." The site, which has been operated as a public park since 1912, spans several hundred acres south of the Royal Gorge, offers dramatic views of the Wet Mountains and the former Dawson mining district, known for its unique "mixing bowl" geography and topography. It is believed to have been used as a ceremonial site by the region's indigenous Ute people, originally formed by water seepage into fissures within the natural rock. An undeveloped trail allows visitors to hike along the amphitheater, with camping permitted at a designated overnight campsite.

Garden Park Fossil Area is one of the United States' most prominent paleontological sites for study of dinosaurs during the Late Jurassic Period, actively excavated for more than 120 years. Many of the fossils that have been discovered at the site over the past century are on display at top museums throughout the nation, including Washington, D.C.'s famed Smithsonian Institution Museum of Natural History and the Denver Museum of Natural History. Late Jurassic mammal and reptile species have also been uncovered at the site, which has been designated as a National Natural Landmark, a Colorado Research Natural Area, and a Bureau of Land Management Area of Critical Environmental Concern. 15 miles of visitor trails are offered at the Oil Well Flats Trail System, which are available for use by hikers, bikers, and campers. 4x4 riders can also use primitive roads contained within the park's Dinosaur Flats area, with areas available for target shooting practice.

3501-3767 Garden Park Rd, Cañon City, CO 81212, Phone: 719-269-8500