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Spring City is a charming town in Utah that sits nestled in the mountains of Sanpete County. In 1980, Spring City was designated as a National Historic District. It is definitely worth a visit and the time spent on a tour of the historic sites in the area.
Brigham Young advised James Allred to settle around the area of Spring City. His first attempt to settle the area was in 1852. During his first and the following attempt he was driven out of the area by the local Native Americans. He was finally successful on his third attempt and the area of Spring City was incorporated in 1870.
Until the 1950’s, highway 89 came down the town’s main street putting it “on the map”. When the highway was re-routed around the town the population dropped. Spring City was suddenly at risk of becoming a ghost town.
Being “off the beaten path” actually helped to preserve the historical beauty of the town.
Now with a population over 800 people, a designated national historic district, and a lively arts community, Spring City is sure to capture your heart and imagination.
When to go: Year round.
How long: 1/2 day for museums and historical sites plus time for a lunch stop.
Planning tip: Pick up the Spring City guide in the museum for more information on the town and historical sites.
Inside scoop: Plan your visit to coincide with Heritage Day in May or stretch out your visit for a week-end and enjoy one of the festivals.
Where is it?
Located 1.5 hours from Salt Lake City, Spring City is in Sanpete County in central Utah.
The stunning drive to Spring City takes you through red rock hills and mountain views. An amazing stop for a family day trip from Salt Lake City or an overnight stopover.
Where to stay in Spring City?
Hotels/Motels
Book a B&B right in Spring City or stay in neighboring Mount Pleasant or Ephraim.
Camping
Palisade State park is about 30 min from Spring City and offers camping, hiking, fishing, golfing, and much more.
Where to eat?
We stopped for a late lunch at the Soda Fountain. It was an amazing little gem of a shop/restaurant.
The Soda Fountain offered salads, burgers, sandwiches, shakes and more. Our food was delicious, especially after walking around town for a couple hours.
What to do in Spring City?
Visit the Museum on Main Street
We started our day trip at the visitor center on main street. Here we learned that Spring City was settled in 1852 by James Allred. It took him 3 attempts to successfully colonize the area and boy are we glad he persisted!
This is a great little museum with a re-creation of the original jail behind it. A similar jail was used in the early days of the town. Convicted people would spend a night here before being relocated to a bigger jail in one of the neighboring towns.
The museum’s docent was incredibly knowledgeable, sharing the town’s history and fun facts with us. Inside were pictures of the founders and artifacts from around the time of settlement.
You can purchase books here on the history of Spring City if you’d like to dive deeper into the history.
Walk Spring City’s Historic Main Street
There are several shops on Main Street that you can enjoy. An art gallery housed in the old garage adds to the ambiance of the art meets historic town vibe.
It’s really fun to take some time to poke through the shops while you are walking around. We bought some locally roasted coffee from one of the cafes during our visit.
Walk from Main Street to City Hall
On the walk you’ll see buildings labelled with the historical marker signs. It’s fun to see the building as it stands today and read the notice of its original use or purpose.
If you do walk around town it’s important to respect the privacy of those who own the homes. Imagine how you would feel if it was your house and strangers were looking at it…
Museum in Spring City Hall
The public offices are housed in the old Public School. Unfortunately, we were here on a Friday and the building was closed. It is open Monday – Thursday from 9-4 during the public office hours.
If you arrive on a day it’s closed, the grounds around the building are beautiful. A playground located next door makes it a great stop for kids to burn some energy.
