Big 12 Road Trip: A look at BYU and Provo, Utah
Editor’s note: We asked K-Staters with ties to the incoming Big 12 schools to give
us some recommendations for Wildcats who plan to visit these places. Andrew Smith
is a professor of practice, news director for KKSU-TV and a doctoral student at K-State.
He is also a 1993 graduate of Brigham Young University.
Looking down from your perch, the entire Provo Valley stretches out before you, with
Utah Lake facing you on the far west side and the Wasatch Mountains stretching north
and south underneath you on the east. Pouring down the side of the mountain at your
feet is the iconic “Y,” painted white and almost 400 feet high (larger than the “Hollywood”
sign letters) against the mountain. “Hiking the Y” — a rite of passage for many BYU
Cougars — is an almost three-mile round trip, with the reward of a view of the entire
valley.
The vistas at LaVell Edwards Stadium or outside the Marriott Center for a game are
truly stunning too, but inside don’t be surprised if fans start randomly jumping up
and down, imitating “Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree.” Grab a “Cougar Tail” (an
oversized maple bar) to get you through the game. If the Cougars win, the BYU victory
bell will toll, and the Carillon Tower may also mix in a hymn or two, thanks to the
religious focus of the town. If you need some quiet after the game, you can swing
by the beautiful grounds of a couple of temples from the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints for some meditation.
Not interested in a game when visiting Provo? Check out one of the multicultural museums
on campus or take one of many hikes, whether to the “Y” or any of the canyons branching
off into the mountains in the area. When you get hungry, Provo has a wide variety
of foods thanks to their international student body. Whether it is the from-scratch
“Black Sheep Café,” the progressive “Station 22” or the classic “Brick Oven Pizza”
(formerly “Heaps A Pizza”) which has been serving pizza and pies since the 1950s,
you won’t have trouble finding some great eats.
If you are looking for a drink, however, it will be tough to find in this teetotaling
city (though “ABG’s Bar” has a fun rep.). Provo has more candy shops than bars, but
stop by the BYU Creamery for dessert. It is Provo’s version of Call Hall on steroids.
Get some Graham Canyon ice cream, with honeycomb candy and bits of graham crackers,
their top seller, or simply some LaVell’s Vanilla to finish off your stay.