St George Area Attractions


St. George, the county seat of Washington County, is the largest of all the towns founded during the LDS Church’s Cotton Mission of 1861. Located in the southwest section of Utah at an elevation of 2,880 feet above sea level, St. George has an average annual temperature of 59.9° F with summer temperatures well into the 100s and the average maximum winter temperature around 55° F. The average annual rainfall is 8.30 inches, and the normal growing season is 196 days.

St. George, Utah is conveniently located on Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City and is one of America’s favorite year-round destinations. Many natural scenic wonders and excellent golf courses surround this beautiful community. Winter daytime temperatures in St. George are regularly in the 60’s and even low 70’s which makes for great days in the outdoors for hiking, mountain biking, shopping or sunning by the pool. The elevation of St. George, Utah is 2,800 feet and is near the lowest elevations in all of Utah. Clouds seem to zoom right over the top of St. George and drop their precipitation in the neighboring mountains and as a result, skies are almost always blue.


Shopping

Zion Factory Outlets
Red Cliffs Indoor Mall
Downtown Shops

Golfing

8 Year-Round Championship Golf Courses
within 5 minutes.


Quail Creek Reservoir


LDS Temple and Historical Buildings

Jacob Hamblin Home

Brigham Young’s Summer Home

Dixie State University


Stadium 8 Theater


Fiesta Family Fun Center

n St. George you’ll find plenty of things to do. Shopping is excellent at the Zion Factory Stores, the Promenade at Red Cliffs, Red Cliffs Mall, and a myriad of boutiques, antique shops and art galleries. For the family you’ll be interested in the Fiesta Fun Center, Ultimate Challenge Competition Center, Laser Mania and our excellent city parks and unmatched walking and biking trails that wind throughout the city and along the river. St. George is the host of many sporting events including softball, soccer, marathons, rodeos and even the World Senior Games. St. George is quickly becoming known as an art center and you’ll find many galleries, museums, festivals and theatres for great education and entertainment. St. George, Utah truly is a destination of it’s own.

St. George Earlier Native American inhabitants of the St. George area included the Virgin River Anasazi, who left evidence of their presence in the rock art and archaeological sites that remain. By 1854 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) had established an Indian mission at Santa Clara, two miles north of the St. George Valley. In 1857 and 1858 experimental farms were set up to the east and west of where St. George was to be built. Later, in October 1861, 309 families were called by church authorities to the what was called the Cotton Mission. Most of those sent had abilities that were deemed essential to establishing a successful community. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Brigham Young thought it would be necessary to raise cotton, if possible. Many of the early settlers of St. George originally came from the southern states. They came to the “Cotton Mission” to grow cotton, but they also brought with them a phrase for the area which has become widely adopted–they called the St. George area “Utah’s Dixie.”

“St. George, Utah truly is a destination of it’s own.”

St. George itself was named in honor of George A. Smith, who, although he did not participate in the town’s settlement, had personally selected most of the company of the pioneers of 1861. In 1863 St. George became the county seat for Washington County. That same year the construction of the St. George LDS Tabernacle began. It was completed in 1875. Before the tabernacle was completed, on 9 November 1871 work commenced on the St. George LDS Temple. Construction of the temple was a cooperative effort of many communities in southern Utah. The area was suffering from a monetary depression, and a work project was needed in which employment would mean food for families. The building cost $800,000 and was dedicated on 6 April 1877. Other important area buildings from the pioneer era include the historic courthouse (1870) and the social hall and opera house (1875).