082 What to See + Do with Kids in Southern Utah

Are you looking for an amazing road trip to take with your family? Have you considered visiting Southern Utah? With several National Parks, lakes, charming towns, outdoor summer plays, the Shakespeare Festival, excellent hikes, and even dinosaur prints, this is a great family vacation option. Tami Wilcox from Postcards and Passports joins Lisa to highlight many of the places her family has enjoyed visiting over many years of traveling through this area. Listen in and let us help you start planning your next family adventure!

Ready to make a list of all of the places you should see in Southern Utah? Listen in and then scroll down to see links to everything we shared below.

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“Southern Utah is a perfect road trip destination.”

— Tami Wilcox

When to Visit

There is so much to see and do in Southern Utah year-round. The climate is generally good all year although it can be quite warm at the peak of the summer and it does snow in the winter. Keep that in mind as you plan the timing of your vacation. Many of the things you will want to visit are outdoors so the weather does play a factor.

Where to Stay

Tami suggests that you start your adventure in Southern Utah with a home base in St. George. There are a lot of great places to stay and eat there and most of these places are a pretty short drive from St. George. If you are flying, consider flying into Las Vegas (1.5 hours away) or Salt Lake City (5 hours away) and then renting a car and driving to St. George. If you live on the west coast, you could drive from home.

Tami recently stayed at St. George Inn & Suites and said it’s affordable and a nice option while social distancing since you can park right in front of your room and not cross paths with many people

National Parks

Southern Utah has several National Parks that are all worth a visit.

Zion’s National Park. You could plan many return visits to this park. There are many hikes of all different levels plus a great lodge and visitor center.

Angel’s Landing, The Narrows, and the Subway and all good hike to do with older children. We recommend waiting until your kids are teenagers to hike Angel’s Landing since the end of the hike involves holding onto chains and you walk along a ridge with a big dropoff on both sides.

Emerald Pools Hike is a great option for younger children.

Take plenty of water and sunscreen on all of the hikes.

Bryce Canyon National Park. This is a great place to stop of scenic vistas and.or hiking.

Canyonlands National Park. Beautiful scenery with canyons and buttes that have been carved out over thousands of years by the Colorado River.

Capitol Reef National Park. This is in the souther-central part of Utah. You can take a tour by road or hike. Camping options and lots of beautiful scenery.

Arches National Park. This is in Southern Utah but not close to St. George. It’s still worth mentioning as it’s a beautiful place to visit.

Fun Cities to Visit

Cedar City, Utah. This is about 1 hour north of St. George. Here you will find a charming main street (get ice cream at Bulloch Drug), a Shakespeare Festival, and Parowan Petroglyphs.

Hurricane, Utah. This is only about 20 minutes away from St. George. Visit Sand Hollow State Park for water sports and Quali Creek State Park for camping and water sports.

Orderville, Utah. Good place for a pit stop along the main street for lunch and looking in a couple of shops.

More Outdoor Fun

Tuachan Amphitheater: A beautiful outdoor theatre set in red rocks. Summer and fall there are outdoor places and from Thanksgiving to Christmas, there is a lovely Christmas Pagent.

Snow Canyon State Park. Great for hiking. Tami suggests hiking Jenny’s Canyon.

Silver Reef Ghost Town and Museum.

Red Cliffs Recreation Area: Great place to see Dinosaurs prints and remnants of an Anasazi habitation.

Brian Head: Ski here in the winter and enjoy beautiful views year-round.

Cedar Breaks National Monument.

With so many things to see and do in Southern Utah, you may need to spend a couple of months there visiting everything! Of course, you could choose a couple of places to visit and have a wonderful weekend with your family.

Thank you to Tami Wilcox from Postcards and Passports for sharing so many wonderful places in Southern Utah with us!

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