St. George City Hall Slides and Town Square: Your Visit Guide

Two stainless steel slides opened Sept. 1 at St. George's City Hall at Town Square. They drop from the fourth level of the parking structure into a small play park with in-ground trampolines, tunnels and rocking swings. The city calls the feature Slide St. George, and riding is free. Most coverage has treated it as a novelty on a government building. The more useful way to see it is as the missing half of Historic Town Square. For families downtown, that changes how the whole block works.

What Town Square Was Missing

Town Square has long had the lawn, the carousel, the splash pad with its lazy river and waterfall, a pavilion, disc golf and a walking path. It never had a playground. David Cordero, the city's communications and marketing director, said this plainly when the slides opened:

"Town Square is a great place. We got the carousel. We got a lot of grass, but there wasn't a playground per se over there, and so we have a playground here. So, if you're at Town Square, come on over here, and then vice versa."

City officials describe the new park as an extension of Town Square across the street. The design also leaves something out on purpose. Cordero said the play space was built to offer recreation without a water feature. Water play stays on the Town Square side. Climbing, bouncing and sliding happen on the City Hall side. Each half covers what the other doesn't.

How a City Hall Ended Up With Slides

The slides were planned from the start as the last piece of the new municipal campus. The project took about three years:

1. September 2023: groundbreaking on the new City Hall at 61 S. Main St.
2. January 17, 2026: the city scheduled the official opening of the building.
3. April 3, 2026: the outdoor plaza on 100 South opened after a ceremony, with a Jerry Anderson sculpture, a Japanese garden, pavilions, firepits and low-water landscaping.
4. June 2026: slide installation was underway, with completion expected in late July.
5. September 1, 2026: the slides and play park opened to the public.

The old City Hall was dedicated in 1980. St. George had about 11,350 residents then and roughly 100 full-time city employees. Today the city counts more than 100,000 residents and over 800 full-time employees. The full City Hall project cost $51.5 million. During design, city leaders wanted a campus that worked as more than an office. The plaza and play area were meant to give residents another reason to come to the property.

The two slides were first estimated at $400,000. The finished slides and park came to about $575,000, paid for with voter-approved Recreation, Arts and Parks tax dollars. The city's stated goal for the money is specific. Slide St. George is meant to get people spending more time downtown, bring more activity to neighboring businesses and strengthen the connection between City Hall and residents.

The Ride, and the Heat Question

Before opening, the big question was how metal slides would hold up in a Southern Utah summer. Early riders said it wasn't a problem. Aubrey Fitzgerald, whose family recently moved from San Diego, told St. George News the slides were "not warm" even with temperatures near 100 degrees. Brittany Johnson, a St. George native, said the slide felt no hotter than the air around it. Cordero explained why. The outside metal can get hot in direct sun, but the slides are almost fully enclosed, which keeps the riding surface in the shade.

One slide is about 74 feet long and the other about 62 feet. Both are covered except near the bottom. Riders describe them as fast. Fitzgerald said she "literally flew" on her first run and found you can slow down with your feet. A rider said clothing slowed them down a bit. Adults have been riding too.

The city's Slide St. George page lists no slide-specific hours and no age or height limits. It asks riders to be courteous to each other, as they would at any city park. At the bottom, the play area has tunnels built into the landscaping, in-ground trampolines and rocking swings. The city's plans for the space also called for artificial turf, seating, shade structures and a safety fence. The park still has no official name, and Cordero said the city is open to suggestions.

Parking Once for Both Halves

The parking structure is what makes the block easy for a family visit. It has 290 stalls, about three times what the old City Hall had, and it is open seven days a week. A covered atrium connects the garage to Historic Town Square, the St. George Tabernacle, the Dixie Academy building and nearby businesses. The slides start from the garage's fourth level, so the parking, the ride and the playground are all in one place.

From there, a short walk covers the rest:

• The carousel: tokens are $2 and it is closed Sundays. The only posted schedule is summer hours, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and the city notes hours may change. Check before promising anyone a ride on a fall afternoon.
• The splash pad: it's still listed among Town Square's amenities, but the city page gives no 2026 seasonal closing date.
• The St. George Children's Museum: it sits at 86 S. Main, next to Town Square.
• Inside City Hall: a 4,350-square-foot civic room on the ground floor was designed for exhibitions, art installations and city events, and a mosaic mural includes work from hundreds of residents.

City parks are generally open from sunrise to 10 p.m. unless other hours are posted.

The Block's Calendar Through November

Fall is when the two halves of the block work best together. It's cool enough to stay outside through an evening, and these events are within walking distance of the garage:

October

• Oct. 9, 7 p.m.: Movies in the Park shows Scooby-Doo on Spooky Island at Historic Town Square. Free.
• Saturdays, 10 a.m.: the Washington County Historical Society leads free walking tours of the St. George Historic District. Susan Crook leads the Green Gate Village block on Oct. 10, meeting in the plaza just west of Judd's Store. Tom McArthur leads the Town Square block on Oct. 17, meeting on the east side of the Town Square tower, just north of the Children's Museum. Jim McArthur leads the Pioneer Courthouse block on Oct. 24, and Loren Webb leads the Ancestor Square block on Oct. 31.
• Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon: the Downtown Farmers Market runs at Vernon Worthen Park, 300 S. 400 East, through October.

November

• Nov. 2, 5 to 8 p.m.: the St. George Museum of Art holds a free, all-ages Día de Muertos event. The museum says more details are coming.
• First Friday of the month: George Streetfest brings vendors and food trucks to Main Street, Tabernacle Street and Green Gate Village from 6 to 10 p.m., with live music until midnight and a gallery art walk. It runs March through December.
• Nov. 7: Sharla Brooks Moody leads the Hope Hill Historic District walking tour from Brooks Nature Park, 452 N. Main. Nov. 14, 10 a.m.: LaRee Jones leads the pioneer section tour at the St. George City Cemetery, starting at Sexton's Shed.
• Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: the farmers market switches to its later hours starting in November.
• Nov. 12, 6 to 8:30 p.m.: Art Around the Corner Foundation hosts I Heart Art, a free one-night show at City Hall with local artists, live music, a photo booth and refreshments.
• Nov. 30, 6 to 8 p.m.: Kickoff to Christmas at Historic Town Square brings Santa, live entertainment and children's activities, and the Children's Museum stays open late. Admission is free, but carousel fees apply.

The Nov. 12 art show and Kickoff to Christmas are the clearest examples of the block working as one place. One night fills the City Hall side and the other fills Town Square. Both are free, and both are a short walk from the same parking garage, where two slides go down to the playground.

At Nikole Andersen Real Estate, we follow how downtown St. George is growing, from the City Hall campus to the farmers market Saturdays. If you're thinking about what a home close to Town Square might be worth, contact Nikole for a complimentary market consultation.