diff --git a/activesupport/CHANGELOG.md b/activesupport/CHANGELOG.md
index f5f2aa85ef..2d4864f6fa 100644
--- a/activesupport/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/activesupport/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 ## Rails 4.0.0 (unreleased) ##
 
+*   Add `String#in_time_zone` method to convert a string to an ActiveSupport::TimeWithZone. *Andrew White*
+
 *   Deprecate `ActiveSupport::BasicObject` in favor of `ActiveSupport::ProxyObject`.
     This class is used for proxy classes. It avoids confusion with Ruby's BasicObject
     class.
diff --git a/activesupport/lib/active_support/core_ext/string.rb b/activesupport/lib/active_support/core_ext/string.rb
index ad864765a3..5d7cb81e38 100644
--- a/activesupport/lib/active_support/core_ext/string.rb
+++ b/activesupport/lib/active_support/core_ext/string.rb
@@ -11,3 +11,4 @@ require 'active_support/core_ext/string/exclude'
 require 'active_support/core_ext/string/strip'
 require 'active_support/core_ext/string/inquiry'
 require 'active_support/core_ext/string/indent'
+require 'active_support/core_ext/string/zones'
diff --git a/activesupport/lib/active_support/core_ext/string/zones.rb b/activesupport/lib/active_support/core_ext/string/zones.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e3f20eee29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/activesupport/lib/active_support/core_ext/string/zones.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+require 'active_support/core_ext/time/zones'
+
+class String
+  # Converts String to a TimeWithZone in the current zone if Time.zone or Time.zone_default
+  # is set, otherwise converts String to a Time via String#to_time
+  def in_time_zone(zone = ::Time.zone)
+    if zone
+      ::Time.find_zone!(zone).parse(self)
+    else
+      to_time
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/activesupport/test/core_ext/string_ext_test.rb b/activesupport/test/core_ext/string_ext_test.rb
index 6720ed42f0..2a187385eb 100644
--- a/activesupport/test/core_ext/string_ext_test.rb
+++ b/activesupport/test/core_ext/string_ext_test.rb
@@ -161,30 +161,6 @@ class StringInflectionsTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     assert_equal 97, 'abc'.ord
   end
 
-  def test_string_to_time
-    assert_equal Time.utc(2005, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2005-02-27 23:50".to_time
-    assert_equal Time.local(2005, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2005-02-27 23:50".to_time(:local)
-    assert_equal Time.utc(2005, 2, 27, 23, 50, 19, 275038), "2005-02-27T23:50:19.275038".to_time
-    assert_equal Time.local(2005, 2, 27, 23, 50, 19, 275038), "2005-02-27T23:50:19.275038".to_time(:local)
-    assert_equal DateTime.civil(2039, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2039-02-27 23:50".to_time
-    assert_equal Time.local_time(2039, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2039-02-27 23:50".to_time(:local)
-    assert_equal Time.utc(2011, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2011-02-27 22:50 -0100".to_time
-    assert_nil "".to_time
-  end
-
-  def test_string_to_datetime
-    assert_equal DateTime.civil(2039, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2039-02-27 23:50".to_datetime
-    assert_equal 0, "2039-02-27 23:50".to_datetime.offset # use UTC offset
-    assert_equal ::Date::ITALY, "2039-02-27 23:50".to_datetime.start # use Ruby's default start value
-    assert_equal DateTime.civil(2039, 2, 27, 23, 50, 19 + Rational(275038, 1000000), "-04:00"), "2039-02-27T23:50:19.275038-04:00".to_datetime
-    assert_nil "".to_datetime
-  end
-
-  def test_string_to_date
-    assert_equal Date.new(2005, 2, 27), "2005-02-27".to_date
-    assert_nil "".to_date
-  end
-
   def test_access
     s = "hello"
     assert_equal "h", s.at(0)
@@ -308,6 +284,50 @@ class StringInflectionsTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
   end
 end
 
+class StringConversionsTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
+  def test_string_to_time
+    assert_equal Time.utc(2005, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2005-02-27 23:50".to_time
+    assert_equal Time.local(2005, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2005-02-27 23:50".to_time(:local)
+    assert_equal Time.utc(2005, 2, 27, 23, 50, 19, 275038), "2005-02-27T23:50:19.275038".to_time
+    assert_equal Time.local(2005, 2, 27, 23, 50, 19, 275038), "2005-02-27T23:50:19.275038".to_time(:local)
+    assert_equal DateTime.civil(2039, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2039-02-27 23:50".to_time
+    assert_equal Time.local_time(2039, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2039-02-27 23:50".to_time(:local)
+    assert_equal Time.utc(2011, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2011-02-27 22:50 -0100".to_time
+    assert_nil "".to_time
+  end
+
+  def test_string_to_datetime
+    assert_equal DateTime.civil(2039, 2, 27, 23, 50), "2039-02-27 23:50".to_datetime
+    assert_equal 0, "2039-02-27 23:50".to_datetime.offset # use UTC offset
+    assert_equal ::Date::ITALY, "2039-02-27 23:50".to_datetime.start # use Ruby's default start value
+    assert_equal DateTime.civil(2039, 2, 27, 23, 50, 19 + Rational(275038, 1000000), "-04:00"), "2039-02-27T23:50:19.275038-04:00".to_datetime
+    assert_nil "".to_datetime
+  end
+
+  def test_string_to_date
+    assert_equal Date.new(2005, 2, 27), "2005-02-27".to_date
+    assert_nil "".to_date
+  end
+
+  def test_string_in_time_zone
+    with_tz_default "US/Eastern" do
+      assert_equal Time.utc(2012,6,7,16,30).in_time_zone, "2012-06-07 12:30:00".in_time_zone
+      assert_equal Time.utc(2012,6,7,11,30).in_time_zone, "2012-06-07 12:30:00 +0100".in_time_zone
+      assert_equal Time.utc(2012,6,7,19,30).in_time_zone("US/Pacific"), "2012-06-07 12:30:00".in_time_zone("US/Pacific")
+      assert_nil "".in_time_zone
+    end
+  end
+
+  private
+    def with_tz_default(tz = nil)
+      old_tz = Time.zone
+      Time.zone = tz
+      yield
+    ensure
+      Time.zone = old_tz
+    end
+end
+
 class StringBehaviourTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
   def test_acts_like_string
     assert 'Bambi'.acts_like_string?