St. George Utah.net Presents the St. George, Utah Guide

St. George Art Museum and Store
47 East 200 North, St. George, UT 84770
(435)634-5942
E-mail: museum@sgcity.org

Many traveling art exhibits of varying themes along with works of regional artisans attract people to the St. George Art Museum. Today this building is a art museum, but it was originally a sugar beet storehouse. Beyond art exhibits, the museum has several programs and events aimed at visitors of all ages. For instance, the Family Friendly Discovery Center caters to families with members of all ages. Each month on the third Thursday the museum also hosts conversations at 7 pm.

The museum is across the street from St. George's main post office in the Pioneer Center for the Arts Complex. Call the museum or visit its website for more information about hours and exhibits. It is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission fee required.

Daughters of the Utah Pioneers
145 North 100 East, St. George, UT 84770
(435)628-7274

Early Mormon settlers were the first permanent residents in the St. George area during modern times. They arrived in what is now known as "Utah's Dixie" in 1857 to establish communities devoted to producing cotton. To celebrate this heritage the Daughters of Utah Pioneers have established a museum to house artifacts from these settlers who tamed the desert in Southwestern Utah. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm
2180 East Riverside Drive, St. George, UT 84790
(435)574-DINO(3466)

The St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm has become a tourist attraction in southernwestern Utah that annually attracts hundreds of thousands of people. These people come to see more than 2,000 tracks and swim tracks left by dinosaurs and animals from millions of years ago. Of note, Dinosaur Discovery Site has one of the two known set of tracks created by a sitting dinosaur in the world - the dinosaur in this case was a theropod.

In 2000, the Johnson Farm quickly gained famous after Sheldon Johnson found several dinosaur tracks and fossils while leveling land. Paleontological investigation reveals that these remains date back millions of years to the Early Jurassic Period. Today there is a modern visitor center - funded partially by an appropriation from the US Congress - that is full of information about dinosaurs and ancient animal life.

Now many international paleontological experts consider this site a valuable resource for further Early Jurassic Period research. "The [St. George] collection is going to be the most important in the world for the researchers working on early Jurassic footprints," states Gerard Gierlinski of the Polish Geological Institute. These remnants sustain the theory that an ancient lake once existed in the area, and to further support this theory the highest concentration of dinosaur swim tracks in the world is found here.

These tracks are preserved in sandstone, and slabs of this stone are now displayed in the museum. The museum showcases a 52,000 pound slab that has fourteen tracks. These tracks are actually negative impressions. The imprints created by the dinosaurs were molds that sand and silt filled. The sand and silt casts solidified to preserve them for us to enjoy and investigate.

Detailed self-guided tour pamphlets and knowledgeable volunteer docents who guide visitors through the museum allow visitors to explore the museum at their own pace. The sandstone slabs that most of the tracks and other specimen are on are well marked. The St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm is near downtown St. George. Head east on 700 South and then turn south on River Road. At Riverside Road turn east and continue until the site at 2180 East Riverside Road. Its hours are: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Saturday. Admission fee required.