[ Nuestra historia ]
Plan your visit to the Royal Gorge
Where to go and what to do in Colorado’s Southern Region
[ Colorado's Grandest Canyon ]
Plan Your Visit to the Royal Gorge
We’re in the business of making memories — the kind that get talked about at holiday dinners for years to come. That’s been true since we the first train rolled along the rim of the Royal Gorge, and it’s just as true today, whether you’re boarding the dining train, settling into lunch or dinner at a century-old mansion, grabbing an espresso and a crepe in a caboose, or waking up just down the road from one of the deepest canyons in Colorado.
From the legendary Royal Gorge Route along the Arkansas River, to the Royal Gorge Bridge above, consider this your guide to making the most of your visit to Antithesis at the Royal Gorge Mansion — because out here, there’s always something wonderfully unexpected around the next bend.
[ Mid-Century Beauties ]
Check out Our Railcars
The Train
There’s a reason more than 200,000 guests climb aboard Colorado’s first and finest train every year: this is the only way to see the Royal Gorge from the bottom up. Beautifully renovated vintage rail cars carry you along the same route carved into the canyon wall during the 1879 Royal Gorge Railroad War, when two competing railroads literally fought over these tracks. Today the only battle is what to order from our scratch-made menus.
Treat yourself to a two-hour scenic ride through the canyon – for breakfast, lunch, afternoon or Twilight, our evening departure that ends the day exactly the way it should: golden light on red rock, a glass in hand, and a thousand feet of nothing but air between you and the river.
It’s a must when you’re visiting this neck of the woods, when you’re not busy dining at Antithesis, of course!
Cars Worth the Century They’ve Seen
These aren’t replicas. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad fleet is made up of genuine vintage rail cars, built in the mid 1900s, painstakingly restored piece by piece to bring them back to life — original woodwork sanded and sealed, historic details preserved, and beautifully designed modern comforts added ensuring these mid-century rail cars delivers a world-class experience. It’s rare to ride a train this historic and feel this well taken care of.
That same care went into reimagining what these cars could offer once restored — leisurely breakfast and lunch journeys, chef-driven First Class experiences, and laser-lit twilight rides, all happening inside train cars that have been rolling since long before many of us were born. Few places in the country let you experience vintage rail travel like this, and fewer still get to do it against a backdrop as dramatic as the Royal Gorge in the heart of the Rocky Mountain Region. Every mile of this ride is a reminder that you’re seeing this canyon from a vantage point almost nobody else gets — one that took both a century of history and years of careful restoration to make possible.
[ A Twilight Ride You'll Never Forget ]
We Light up the Sky
New this season, the Royal Gorge Route is offering evening departures that feature a laser light show — color spilling down canyon walls that are millions of years in the making, choreographed to music you’ll love. Check these out when the train runs in the evening, and for special holiday shows.
[ A Historic Mansion Reimagined ]
Antithesis at the Robison Mansion
Antithesis – The Opposite of Ordinary
Just off Hwy 50 & First St. sits the Robison Mansion, an 1884 Second Empire beauty on the National Register of Historic Places — the kind of place where you half expect to find a ghost and a ballroom in equal measure. Instead, you’ll find Antithesis, our destination restaurant led by Executive Chef Johnny Church, where the menu is every bit as unexpected as the setting.
Come hungry for scallops that have no business tasting that good in a landlocked town, or a cheeseburger and strawberry shake that somehow justifies its place on a finer-dining menu. Whatever you order, know that it was built to surprise and delight you — which, frankly, is the whole idea behind the name.
Make your lunch and dinner reservations right here, at AntithesisDining.com.
A Mansion Built to Be Admired
The Robison Mansion doesn’t ease you in — it makes its case the moment you arrive. A wrought iron fence traces the property line the way it has for well over a century, opening onto four acres of manicured, green grounds. At the center of it all sits an exterior fountain shipped in from New York in the late 1800s, a small monument to just how far the mansion’s original owners were willing to go to get the details right.
Step inside and the showstopper is the staircase: a sweeping, original mahogany centerpiece that climbs through the entryway with the kind of craftsmanship you simply can’t commission anymore. And just wait until you see the chandeliers. These are the first thing every guest photographs and the last thing they stop talking about on the drive home.
Private Events & Weddings
The mansion doesn’t just do lunch and dinner. Between the historic parlors, the grounds, and a kitchen that can handle anything from a rehearsal dinner or holiday party to a full corporate retreat, Antithesis is becoming one of the most requested private event venues in the region.
[ A Caboose Worth Stopping For ]
Happy Endings Caboose
Every good train story needs a happy ending, and ours comes in the form of a restored caboose parked trackside. It’s the perfect stop before or after your ride — ice cream, espresso, burgers, crepes, and cocktails — all served up in a setting that’s basically a photo op with tasty treats attached.
Kids, and let’s be honest, adults, love climbing aboard to see what a real caboose looks like from the inside — cozy and full of character, the way all the best cabooses are.
[ Where to Stay in Colorado's Royal Gorge ]
Royal Gorge Route Inns
Why drive back to town when the canyon rim is right outside your window? Royal Gorge Route Inns offer uber-comfortable, canyon-close lodging just steps from the depot, so your visit doesn’t have to end when the train pulls back into the station.
It’s the difference between a day trip and a getaway — wake up, grab coffee, and you’re already exactly where you want to be. Learn more at RoyalGorgeRouteInns.com
[ Canon City, Colorado 81212 ]
While You're Here
Cañon City is a town that’s been fighting for its wild spaces since long before it was fashionable. It’s a place that knows what it’s got, and works to protect it. Some say it’s old-soul Colorado, the way it was meant to be.
Beyond the railroad, you’ll find a walkable historic downtown, the Arkansas River for rafting, and enough small-town Colorado charm to make you wonder why you didn’t come sooner.
[ Menciones en prensa ]
[ Opiniones de nuestros pasajeros ]
La aventura te espera
Súbete a bordo del Royal Gorge Route Railroad y vive una aventura única a través del Royal Gorge y las Montañas Rocosas de Colorado. Salidas diarias desde la Santa Fe Depot en Cañon City.
