Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Cañon City (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Royal Gorge Bridge, Museum of Colorado Prisons, and Abbey. Also, be sure to include Echo Canyon River Expeditions in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Cañon City (Colorado).
Table of Contents
Royal Gorge Bridge
Theme park built around towering bridge. The Royal Gorge Bridge is a tourist attraction near Cañon City, Colorado within Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, a 360-acre amusement park located along the edge of the Royal Gorge around both ends of the bridge. The bridge crosses the gorge 955 feet above the Arkansas River and held the record of highest bridge in the world from 1929 until 2001 when it was surpassed by the Liuguanghe Bridge in China. The Royal Gorge Bridge maintained the title of the world's highest suspension bridge until the Beipan River Guanxing Highway Bridge was completed in 2003, also in China. The bridge remains the highest bridge in the United States and was among the ten highest bridges in the world until 2012.
The main span of the bridge between the towers is 880 feet (268 m), the total length is 1,260 feet (384 m), the width is 18 feet (5.5 m) and the towers are 150 feet (46 m) high. The steel base structure is covered with 1292 wooden planks.
The bridge was built in six months between June and November 1929 at a cost of $350,000 (equivalent to $4.2 million in 2020 dollars). In 1931, the Incline Railway, or simply the Incline (also known as a funicular), was added beside the bridge to reach the bottom of the gorge. In the 1950s, a miniature railroad was built by the edge of the gorge and an aerial tram was opened in 1969. In the early 1980s, the bridge was renovated with new cable anchors, suspension rods and paint. A Skycoaster attraction was added in 2003, with riders being swung out over the edge of the gorge.
In June 2013, a wildfire destroyed most of the park's buildings and the aerial tram, and damaged the Incline. The bridge sustained only slight damage to the wooden deck and was otherwise undamaged, along with the Skycoaster. The park was rebuilt and partially reopened in August 2014. The park had a grand reopening in May 2015 with new gondolas and a new zip-line crossing the gorge on the east side of the bridge.[1]
Address: 4218 County Road 3A, Cañon City
Museum of Colorado Prisons
Museum in Cañon City, Colorado. The Museum of Colorado Prisons is located off U.S. Highway 50 in Cañon City, Colorado. It is housed in a former state women's prison and is directly east of the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility.[2]
Address: 201 N 1st St, 81212-3219 Canon City
Abbey
Abbey. The Abbey of the Holy Cross in Cañon City, Colorado, is a former monastery of the Order of St. Benedict in the United States. It existed for nearly 120 years, operating such various enterprises as a boarding school for boys and a winery. It is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.[3]
Address: 3011 E US Highway 50, 81212-2748 Canon City
Echo Canyon River Expeditions
Nature, Natural attraction, Rafting, Outdoor activities, Tours, Canyon
Address: 45000 W US Highway 50, 81212-9735 Canon City
Royal Gorge Helitours
Nature, Natural attraction, Helicopter tours, Tours, Outdoor activities, Canyon
Address: 45047 Highway 50 West, 80212 Canon City
Peabody Mansion
Building. The Peabody Mansion is the former home of former Colorado governor James Hamilton Peabody. It was built on the corner of 4th and River, now 4th and Royal Gorge Boulevard in Cañon City, Colorado. The mansion is a red brick Victorian two-story and is the current home of the Cañon City Chamber of Commerce. The house was built in 1881 by James Clelland, Governor Peabody's father-in-law. In the early 1990s, the building was slated to be demolished, but city residents asked that it be spared. Subsequently, the city purchased the house, which had been split up into apartments, and renovated it into office space for the Chamber of Commerce.[4]
Cañon City State Armory
Canon City State Armory is a historic armory building in Canon City, Colorado. Its design has been credited to Denver architect John J. Huddart. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Fremont County, Colorado.[5]
Address: 100 Main Street, Cañon City
Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center
Specialty museum, Museum
Address: 612 Royal Gorge Blvd, 81212-3751 Canon City
Royal Gorge Route Railroad
Railroad company in Cañon City, Colorado. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad is a heritage railroad based in Cañon City, Colorado. A 1950s-era train makes daily 2-hour excursion runs from the Santa Fe Depot through the Royal Gorge along a famous section of the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.[6]
Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience
Science museum, Museum
Address: 44895 W US Highway 50, 81212-9768 Canon City
Fremont Center for the Arts
Classes and workshops, Art gallery, Museum, Shopping
Address: 505 Macon Ave, 81212-3309 Canon City