Hurricane Valley Heritage Park and Museum

The canal is the story

Hurricane exists because of a canal. It took thirteen years to build and runs nearly eight miles from the Virgin River into the valley, and without it there is no farmland and no town. The museum makes that its centrepiece, and it is a better introduction to how settlement actually worked in this desert than any general pioneer display.

There is also an area of Indian artifacts, and among the more memorable objects are a reverently preserved 1907 fruitcake and a slab of bacon from 1945.

The building

The museum occupies Hurricane's old library and city hall, built of pink hand-hewn sandstone under Franklin Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration. The building is worth a look in its own right.

For families

The park behind the museum has play equipment, a splash pad and grass for a picnic, which makes this an easy stop with children — the museum is small enough to hold their attention and the park absorbs the rest.

Practical

Admission is free. Opening days and times are seasonal, so check before travelling.

More on this: historic sites in St. George and St. George with kids.