CanonCityColorado.com was created by Colorado business owners, with input from the community, to offer the most up-to-date and informative visitor web site for the Royal Gorge region. But there is so much more to this interesting story…
Entrepreneurship prevails
When the Royal Gorge Route Railroad was resurrected in 1998, the Royal Gorge Bridge was the most prominent attraction in the city. Since the bridge is owned by the city of Canon City, it was difficult to gain local government support or garner benefit from business development organizations. They feared competition from our new and popular destination in the region. We realized quickly that we would have to rely on our entrepreneurial skills and sheer will to succeed to create awareness and build our brand.
First, we focused on creating and providing a world-class travel destination through the Royal Gorge. We converted the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, an historic train – Colorado’s most historic in fact – into Colorado’s finest destination railroad experience, centered upon personal service, epic scenery and fine food. Then we focused our attention on getting the word out.
We knew from experience that when an entire region is successful, everyone benefits. That’s when we set out to create a destination web site that would benefit the entire Royal Gorge region. We researched what visitors enjoyed the most and developed something the Royal Gorge region didn’t have: an official visitors web site that provided real value to visitors and the region itself.
We launched CanonCityColorado.com. in 1999. It quickly became the most visited site in the Royal Gorge Region and continues to be the top resource for visitors from around the world looking for where to go and what to do when in the iconic Royal Gorge.
We didn’t rest on our laurels
The success of CanonCityColorado.com inspired us to go one step further. For those guests who just didn’t have the time to check the web site before visiting, they needed a resource located in the Royal Gorge region. The idea for a visitor’s center was born. In 2009 we opened the doors to The Royal Gorge Welcome Center located across from the Chamber of Commerce and adjacent to the Santa Fe train depot.
While CanonCityColorado.com and The Royal Gorge Welcome Center benefit the entire community, we staff and fund them to ensure their ongoing usefulness to guests and value to businesses throughout the Royal Gorge region. Both continue to provide professional, unbiased tourism information to the traveling public, educating guests about to the downtown historic shopping district, rafting community, restaurants, lodging and other terrific destinations in the Royal Gorge – like the Winery at Holy Cross Abbey – Colorado’s only award-winning winery with a Riesling that will knock your socks off.
The moral of the story
This is a story about taking matters into your own hands, about pursuing your dreams and taking chances. It’s also a story about how powerful partnership and mutual local support can be to a business.
Through readers like you, we continue to be the Royal Gorge region’s most popular site. Thank you for your input and we look forward to having you as our guest in the Royal Gorge Region.
About the Royal Gorge Route Railroad
The Royal Gorge Route Railroad is run by a local Colorado family business with a passion for excellence and who understands the importance of giving back to the community. Thank you for your support!
