Discover St George: Dinosaur Tracks, Desert Garden and History

St George lies in a valley where transitional forms of the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau meet the landscapes and wildlife of the Mojave Desert. This special geographical setting makes the city an exciting destination for travelers who want to combine nature, history and unusual discoveries. When choosing your holiday apartment, you can therefore consider whether to focus on museums, historic walks, nature experiences or a varied family outing.

Experience the Desert Landscape and Nature Mindfully

The Red Hills Desert Garden demonstrates how a publicly accessible water-conservation garden is designed in St. George City. Nearly five acres are home to around 5,000 water-efficient plants. This gives visitors a tangible way to engage with a landscape in which water management plays an important role. If you would like to learn more about the surrounding area, you can also visit the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve Discovery Center. There, you can obtain free maps, brochures, restaurant guides and local event calendars.

The Discovery Center combines this orientation with informative displays: it presents ambassador animals, detailed maps and information panels on the local geology and history. This makes it possible not only to observe the natural environment, but also to learn about its geological and historical context. The Red Hills Desert Garden and the Discovery Center each have different focuses and can complement your daily itinerary depending on your interests.

Dinosaur Discoveries as a Special Experience

One of St George’s most distinctive attractions is the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site. The fully enclosed, climate-controlled museum showcases an Early Jurassic ecosystem with real dinosaur tracks, plant impressions and fish fossils. The St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; the last admission is at 4:30 p.m. This precise time information is helpful when fitting a museum visit into a full day of vacation activities.

There is also a guided three-hour field tour and fossil hunt at the quarry across the street, called Fossil Discoveries. This allows you to choose between a fully enclosed museum experience and a guided search in the field. When looking for accommodation, this choice is particularly interesting if dinosaur tracks and fossils are among the special themes of your trip.

Explore the Historic Downtown at Your Own Pace

The history of St George can also be discovered on a self-guided walk. The Washington County Historical Society provides downloadable or printable materials for a walk through the historic downtown. The Pioneer Corner walking tour highlights the Pioneer Courthouse. The Old Pioneer Courthouse was completed in 1876 and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Washington County.

The Town Square walking tour offers another way to explore the area. It describes important historic buildings in St George, including the Tabernacle, Dixie Academy (Children’s Discovery Museum) and Woodward School. Together with the Pioneer Courthouse, these sites provide a historical perspective on different buildings and places, without requiring you to limit your stay to a single museum theme. Those who enjoy deciding for themselves whether the day should focus more on nature, fossils or local history will find a range of options in St George.

Choose the Right Accommodation for Your Travel Plans

A holiday apartment in St George can serve as a starting point for a vacation whose focus you choose yourself. Families interested in dinosaur tracks can include the Discovery Site’s opening hours and the three-hour field tour in their plans. Those who prefer a quieter cultural day can focus on the historic walks and the downtown buildings described above. Nature enthusiasts can choose the water-conservation garden and the information on geology, history and wildlife at the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve Discovery Center. What matters is less a blanket recommendation than which of these experiences you want to shape your trip.

Other Places for Orientation

For further trip planning, you can also find Virgin, Washington, Toquerville, Ivins, Hurricane and La Verkin.

To the higher-level travel overview: Washington.