What to consider when traveling to a Utes game?

Submitted by Lordfoul on

A ticket became available to Harbaugh's first Michigan game and I couldn't pass it up (obviously) so now I am heading to SLC, Utah for the first time and don't know what to expect. Anybody on here have some insights for me and fellow Michigan fans attending the game? 

A couple of questions I have personally:

How does the standing room only area work at the stadium?  I'm not very tall, should I head in early from tailgating to get a proper view?

What would be some "don't miss it" sights, restaurants, bars, etc. in the area?  With an extra day planned for Friday it'd be nice to max out the trip's potential.

 

Rabbit21

August 18th, 2015 at 12:27 PM ^

They love being an offensive, in your face, jackass everywhere. Seriously, you can be yourself without throwing it in everyone's faces. The golden rule isn't so hard to follow and Mormons have always been very polite and nice. There are some peculiar aspects to the culture but in my experience they don't really get weird until you get to know them.

Tonga

August 18th, 2015 at 11:40 AM ^

Although most people there are cookie cutter Mormon types(and you will definitely be asked if you're married if trying to do business with any Mormons), Mormons are trying to recruit any outsider to their faith. So they are very accepting of alternative lifestyles, with the hope that they can get you into the Mormon fold and join the faith. 

 

There is a heck of a lot less judgement going in in Salt Lake City than any medium sized city in the Midwest.

M Fanfare

August 18th, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^

Parking around Rice-Eccles sucks. Salt Lake has a lot of good restaurants and bars, and some good museums and attractions. You might want to spend that spare day up in Park City, which is also a good eating and drinking town and has good summer activities at the Olympic Park and Park City Mountain Resort, plus just walking on Main Street is fun.

AZ_blue

August 18th, 2015 at 11:32 AM ^

I live in Utah. The standing room only section is at the very top. Typically it isn't too crowded but this game is expected to break attendance records so it's probably a good idea to get your spot as early as possible.

During the day there are plenty of great outdoor adventurers nearby. Park city would be a great place to visit. The ski resorts have a lot of of season things to do like zip lines, alpine slides, mountain biking and hiking.

Downtown slc has a number of very good restaurants and shopping.

Most bars on either main street or state street between south temple and 300 south. The downtown area is very walkable and the public transportation that runs from the stadium to downtown is free in that area.

RITWolverine

August 18th, 2015 at 11:36 AM ^

Salt Lake is a more liberal place than the rest of Utah, especially around downtown. If you're looking for a good bar, the Beerhive Pub has a good beer menu and Squatter's Brewery downtown has a nice selection of local beer as well.
Since it's Utah, nothing above 4% can be served on tap, so anything stronger will come in a bottle. Red Rock Brewing has ok beer and good food.
Lucky 13 has great burgers, The Pie has good (for Utah) pizza and the Red Iguana has great Mexican food but is almost always a long wait. Those are just some of the highlights.

RoseBowlBound

August 18th, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^

Any good bars close to their stadium that can be recommended?  I turned down the opportunity to spend a Wednesday night in SLC for fear of boredom so I'm coming in hot on an early morning flight from California on Thursday morning.  Morman jokes are ok as long as useful information is sprinkled in as well.

brewandbluesaturdays

August 18th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^

I will be there on my honeymoon and am going to the game. I plan on spending some time in Park City as well as, checking out Zion National Park the day after the game. Any cool ideas for things to do out there are welcome. 

RITWolverine

August 18th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^

You can pretty much spend most of a day in Park City just wandering Main Street and checking out the local shops and restaurants. If you like hiking and mountain biking there are some great trails in and around the resorts. There is also a nice, free museum up at the Olympic Center that's worth a quick walkthrough.

Needs

August 18th, 2015 at 12:40 PM ^

Bryce is certainly less crowded and has better vistas (and way better campgrounds). As a pure experience of that landscape, though, I don't think you can beat the Zion Narrows hike. Once you get away from the heavily trafficked first mile, the base of the canyon, which at places is 20 feet wide and 1000 feet deep, is really beautiful, with ever changing light and hanging gardens. Plus, since you're in the Virgin River for most of the hike, it's a good option to stay cool in the late summer heat.

natesezgoblue

August 18th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^

I live in seattle and travel to Utah occasionally on business.  I dont think its as uptight as people make it out to be.  

 

Driviing through Park City is awesome.

Theres a lot of beer, not a lot of hard-a.  A lot of the normal apple-beesy esque restaurants dont have bars.  Not sure if thats the same aroud the campus.   

Black Socks

August 18th, 2015 at 12:00 PM ^

I have no problems with Mormons personally except they are overpopulating the beautiful American west.

BigBlue02

August 18th, 2015 at 11:54 AM ^

The biggest piece of advice I can give-drink plenty of water if you are are going to get hammered. Drinking at altitude will seriously dehydrate you. Other tips for Utah: don't expect to see much diversity. Lots of hot white people walking around. Salt Lake City is very food-y. Some of my favorite places: pallet is amazing, pie pizzeria has good pizza, red iguana has some of the best Mexican food around (but always has a line around the corner-go to red iguana 2, which is right around the corner and never has a line), and Bruges has the best waffles I've ever had. Some bar ideas: bar x and the beer bar are owned by the guy on Modern Family and are a lot of fun, lumpys is a good sports bar, and they have a couple piano bars that are fun, with keys on main being my favorite.