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St. George Utah Temple

St. George is a town in the Dixie region of Utah. Long a sleepy agricultural town, it is acquiring increasing importance (and population, which doesn't necessarily please its old-time residents). It is quickly taking on a Palm Springs, CA type of atmosphere owing to its benign climate and peacefulness which attracts retirees, and proximity to spectacularly scenic country and resulting outdoor recreation opportunities as well as Mesquite, Nevada, and Las Vegas.

Get in

By car

St. George lies on I-15, which travels south through Las Vegas, Nevada and into Southern California, and north through Salt Lake City into Idaho and Montana.

There are a few rental car places at the airport, and an Enterprise at 652 E. St. George Blvd, 1 435 634-1556.

Major exits for amenities are at Green Springs Road (exit 10, I-15), St. George Boulevard (exit 8, I-15), and Bluff Street (exit 6, I-15).

Map
37°5′42″N 113°34′41″W
Map of St. George (Utah)

By plane

The 1 St. George Municipal Airport (SGU) is served by Skywest Airlines, +1 435 634-3000, operating as Delta Connection with flights to and from Salt Lake City. Reservations can be made at Delta.com, or by phone at 800-221-1212. SkyWest flights operating as United Express are also available to and from Los Angeles.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is the closest major airport. The drive from Las Vegas to St. George takes approximately 1.5-2 hours.

As of October 24, 2011, the new St. George regional airport has opened and allows for aircraft up to 737s. There are daily flights to/from Salt Lake City (on Delta) and Denver (on United).

Hertz, Avis, National, and Budget rental car companies have counters at the airport.

By bus

Greyhound serves St. George, stopping at the McDonalds on the south side of town at 1235 S Bluff, at S. Bluff and Main Streets, just off I-15 exit 5.

There are also a few small shuttle/bus companies serving St. George. St George Shuttle and Aztec Shuttle operates van service to Las Vegas International Airport and Salt Lake City. St George Express operates a shuttle to and from McCarran Las Vegas Airport (pick up at Level 0) and drops off at Howard Johnson Inn in St. George.

Get around

St. George, like all cities in Utah, follows a well-defined grid system that makes it easy to get around and find your destination. For an example, let's take the address 650 South 300 East. Each hundred represents one block radiating out from a center point of the town. In St. George, the center of the grid system is the intersection of Main Street (a north-south avenue) and Tabernacle Street (an east-west street). To find 650 South 300 East, starting from the intersection of Main and Tabernacle, you would drive 3 blocks to the east, then just over 6 blocks south. Keep in mind that in St. George, St. George Boulevard, a major east-west arterial, takes the place of 100 North.

While the grid system in the heart of town is well-defined, it can be become difficult to follow in the outlying areas and new subdivisions on the outskirts of the city. While in some cases the addresses will still follow the grid pattern, the blocks will become smaller and more irregularly spaced, and there will be more streets that don't follow the grid system at all.

Suntran is St George's public transit system, with three different routes serving the city. St. George also has a good trail network offering some very scenic routes for pedestrians, bicyclists, and skaters.

See

Brigham Young Winter Home
  • 1 St. George Utah Temple, 490 South 300 East, ☏ +1 435 673-5181. Daily, 9AM-9PM. This beautiful, white temple is the oldest continually-used temple of the LDS Church, and it is a dominating landmark of the town. You can't enter the temple itself (unless you're a "worthy" Mormon) but you can enter the visitors center and tour the grounds. Free. 
  • Downtown Historic District. Centered around the intersection of St. George Boulevard and Main Street. Most of the town's preserved historic structures are here, as well as some shops and inns. Notable landmarks include the Old Pioneer Courthouse, Opera House, the Old Dixie Academy, and a number of historic homes and storefronts. 
    • 2 Brigham Young Winter Home, 67 West 200 North. Daily, 9AM-6PM (closes at 5PM in winter). Brigham Young, the touted Mormon leader who was instrumental in the settling of Utah, spent many of his winters here. Free. 
    • 3 St. George Tabernacle, 18 South Main St (corner of Main and Tabernacle). Daily, 9AM-6PM (closes at 5PM in winter). The Tabernacle was once considered the center of town, and was often used as a meeting hall. The pointed clock tower makes this building a landmark in the district. Free. 
    • 4 McQuarrie Memorial Pioneer Museum, 145 North 100 East, ☏ +1 435 682-7274. M-Sa 10AM-5PM. Operated by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers society, this museum has a lot of items from the pioneer era. Free. 
  • 5 St. George Art Museum, 47 East 200 North, ☏ +1 435 627-4525. M-Sa 10AM-5PM. Permanent exhibits with artworks from Utah artists and changing exhibits. $3 adults, $1 children, children under age 3 free. 
  • 6 St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, 2180 East Riverside, ☏ +1 435 574-3466. M-Sa 10AM-6PM. In 2000, some of the best-preserved dinosaur tracks in the world were found on a farm here, and since then a museum has been built around it where you can observe the dino tracks and fossil replicas. $3 adults, $2 children, children under 4 free. 
  • 7 Rosenbruch Wildlife Museum, 1835 Convention Center Dr, ☏ +1 435 656-0033. M Noon-9PM, Tu-Sa 10AM-6PM. A massive museum full of realistic replicas of wild animals in their "natural" habitat. $8 adults, $6 seniors, $4 children, children under 2 free. 
  • 8 Tuacahn Amphitheater, 1100 Tuacahn Dr, Ivins. Beautiful setting in a with red rock canyon walls surrounding. In the summer you can see wonderful musicals. 

Do

Hiking

  • Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. The 62,000 acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve lies immediately North of Saint George. Popular for hiking and mountain biking. The 3 mile (round trip) Owen's Loop Trail begins only 5 blocks north of the old downtown and features a stunning ridge trail with great views. Free. 

Golf

St. George is notable for its abundant golf opportunities, owing to the city's year-round warm climate. There are a number of golf courses to choose from:

Mountain biking

  • Bear Claw Poppy, Easy, short ride.
  • Green Valley Raceway, Home to many local races.
  • Gooseberry Mesa North and South Rim, A must do! Slickrock coupled with singletrack.
  • Paradise Canyon Loop, A quick fun ride.
  • Hurricane Cliffs Trail System, Excellent singletrack.
  • Stucki Springs Trail, Fun trail close to town.
  • Broken Mesa Rim Trail, Technical trail in the desert reserve.
  • Church Rocks Loop with Prospector, A popular trail, especially in the winter.

Events

Buy

There is an enclosed mall, the 1 Red Cliffs Mall, anchored by Sears, JCPenney's and Dillards, roughly halfway between exit 10 and exit 8 on the east side of I-15. There are also outlet stores in the 2 Zion Outlet Mall on the east side of I-15, just north of the St. George Boulevard exit.

Eat

  • 1 Bear Paw Coffee Co, 75 N Main St, ☏ +1 435 634-0126. Place serves excellent fresh breakfast dishes all day. 
  • 2 Brick Oven Pizza, 1410 E St George Blvd, ☏ +1 435 628-5800. Great pizza, bread sticks, etc. Terribly slow service. 
  • 3 Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, 15 S River Rd, ☏ +1 435 656-0200. 
  • 4 Nielsen Frozen Custard, 445 E St George Blvd, ☏ +1 435-628-5579. Great ice cream like frozen custard. 
  • 5 Painted Pony, 2 W Saint George Blvd, ☏ +1 435 634-1700. M-Sa 11:30AM-10PM, Su 4PM-9PM. Fine dining restaurant serving lunch and dinner. Steak and seafood are the specialties, and there is a good wine list. $8-$10 lunch, $18-$30 dinner. 
  • 6 Pancho & Lefty's, 1050 S Bluff St, ☏ +1 435 628-4772. Great Mexican food and an overall good clean place to eat. 
  • 7 Peppers Cantina, 144 West Brigham Rd, ☏ +1 435 628-4660. Great Mexican food with wonderful flavor. 
  • 8 Pizza Factory, 2 W St. George Blvd, ☏ +1 435 628-1234. Pizza restaurant. Downstairs is a sister restaurant, The Pasta Factory, which has a patio dining area. The food is very good and reasonably priced. (updated May 2015)
  • TwentyFive Main, 25 North Main Street, ☏ +1 435 628-7110, . Monday - Thursday 8am - 9pm Friday & Saturday 8am - 10pm. Gourmet café & cupcake parlor also serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee. Free Wi-Fi. $. (updated Feb 2016)

Drink

  • 1 Iggy's Sports Grill, 148 S 1470 E, ☏ +1 435 673-3344. Good food and good drink. 
  • The Office. Bar in the Hilton Garden Inn. Utah no longer has the private club law. 
  • The One and Only. Hometown beer bar. 
  • Poncho and Lefty's. Mexican food and cozy little bar. 
  • Wing Nutz, Bluff St. New Sports Bar and wing location. Open till 1AM on weekends. 

Sleep

Go next

Routes through St. George
Salt Lake City ← Cedar City Template:Lfarrow Jct E ←  N  S  → Mesquite → Las Vegas


This city travel guide to St. George is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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