The Beauty and Quirky Charm of St. George is Worth a Road Trip

There’s a place where the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau meet. It’s called St. George — and Southwest Utah’s largest city is an engaging combination of landscapes and activities. Get ready to hit the road. It’s less than a two-hour drive from Las Vegas.

⛺ Historic Settlement

St. George was founded in 1861 as a Mormon settlement and Brigham Young’s winter residence remains open today as a free museum. The city is named after Young’s cousin, George A. Smith, considered a “saint” after encouraging the consumption of potatoes to cure scurvy. St. George is also known as “Utah’s Dixie” due to its warm climate and cotton production. As you might expect, that nickname didn’t age well, prompting Dixie State University to change its name to Utah Tech University in 2022.

🎨 The Depth of Downtown

Downtown St. George is a unique mix of art, history, and culture. The area’s best hotel, the Advenire, is next to the Ancestor Square collection of shops and restaurants among historic structures. You’re also a short walk from the immaculate grounds of the St. George Utah Temple (the city’s most visible landmark), Thomas Judd’s candy store (the oldest operating business), and a series of street-corner sculptures that showcase the local art scene.

🏜️ The Great Outdoors

St. George markets itself as the gateway to Zion National Park, although it’s another hour’s drive to reach the nearest gates. Totally worth it, but four state parks are much closer. Snow Canyon is a scenic drive between red sandstone hills and petrified sand dunes. Sand Hollow is a reservoir surrounded by red sand for a beautifully weird experience. Quail Creek is a quiet, secluded beach with trees creeping out of the water. Gunlock is a more remote reservoir with waterfalls during the first half of the year.

🦕 More Stuff to Do

The St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, built where a farm once uncovered dino tracks, is a museum and research center dedicated to the giant reptiles who once called Utah home. Kayenta is a quirky art community on the outskirts of town and the Tuacahn Amphitheater hosts stage plays with red rock landscapes in the background. “The Wizard of Oz” is on the schedule this year — at a better price than the version at the Sphere.

🍽️ Where To Eat

The Painted Pony at Ancestor Square is a long-running favorite with a Southwest theme to match its art and cuisine. Wood.Ash.Rye. in the Advenire lobby is more contemporary with house-baked biscuits, fresh seafood, and one of the better craft cocktail bars in Mormon country. The new Black Desert Resort is a golf club resort that’s open to the general public and features local Utah beef in its restaurants, which include Basalt (fine dining with views), 20th Hole sports bar, and Latitude for breakfast and lunch