Good morning Utes!
Visiting from Florida for the game in a couple of weeks. Was looking at tickets online, can y’all explain how your standing room only tickets work at Rice Eccles? Some of the ticket options are for, say, Section W8, but they’re listed as SRO seats. What should my group expect if we go with standing room only seats? We’re all in our late 20’s or early 30’s so standing isn’t a huge issue, but I want to get an idea of how the stadium works.
Really excited to visit Salt Lake City for the first time. If you have any must visit bars/restaurants downtown, any tailgate pointers, or any golf course recs, feel free to drop those here too. Here’s to a great weekend and a great season for both of our schools. Go Gators!
Welcome to the state, you’ll have a great trip.
Honestly, I thought the only standing room only tickets are at the top of the north end zone. Someone correct me?
NEZ is where the most engaged fans are, seat or not you’ll be in your feet most the game. Be respectful, you’ll have a great time. Be an ass, I’m sure someone will respond in kind.
W8 is the visitor section. If your band (or part of it) travels – they would likely be at the top of W8. I’d avoid anything that said SRO in W8 (behind the band, corner of stadium, top rows) unless you love brass instruments.
Student sections are e39-41. South end zone if you want a nice restaurant meal at a game (?!?)
Otherwise the rest of the stadium is straightforward seating. Consider the sun, east side (where I sit) won’t get shade until the second half.
Welcome! On the east and west side of the stadium at the very top there is a walk way where you can stand. It’s not bad at all if you like to follow the action up and down the field. The north corridor is way too small and is a s**t show so avoid that, access from the south or the side your tickets are on and you’ll be set. The bar scene is better than most think when visiting Utah but be prepared for some strange rules and very over priced weak pour (1-1.5 oz) drinks. Beer Bar, Green Pig are great low key options. Whiskey Street and Ruin are good higher end options. Most of the nicer golf courses are in the south of the state or private courses in Park City but there are a few decent options. Boneville is the closest course to the University and a pretty fun track. Most of the difficulty comes from the smallish greens. Mountain Del is half way up the canyon from SLC and plays like you’d expect a mountain course to play with lots of elevation changes. Recommend the canyon course over the Lake course. If you don’t mind a bit of a drive, Wasatch Mountain is highly recommended. There’s some other cool stuff to do up in the Heber Valley. if you decide to go up there, feel free to DM me for some recommendations. On your way back to town, Park City is worth a stop in for a feed. Can’t go wrong with anything on Main Street in PC.
Oh and pro tip… you can get only get higher point beer (anything over 5.0 ABV) in bottles or cans at a bar. Everything on tap is 5%.
Welcome DcGator. I hope you have a great trip to Utah and that you are treated well by our fans.
If you have not made hotel reservations yet, you should look at Park City (only 30 miles away). The ParkCity hotels are not too expensive this time of year because the winter season has not started yet and the summer season is just ending. It is beautiful up there with plenty of bars and restaurants. There are also some nice golf courses in Park City and Heber City, i.e., Wasatch Mountain, Soldier Hollow, Park City, Jeremy Ranch, Canyons. As mentioned above the Mountain Del courses are nice and halfway up to Park City from SLC. 25 miles south of SLC, in Lehi, there is a golf course named Thanksgiving Point. There is also a beautiful 55-acre garden there you could visit.
I hope you have a wonderful time in Utah except for the outcome of the game. 🙂
Welcome to SLC! You’ll have a great time. Here’s some tips for the stadium:
1- Arrive 1.5hrs ahead of kickoff and feel free to bring some drinks with you to our tailgate lots to the southeast of the stadium (on Guardsman Way). Be sure to drink all that you can, because no alcohol is sold inside of the stadium. Security lines can be long, so I would account for at least 20-30 minutes.
2- If you’re renting a car and planning to drive it to the game, be prepared to park a mile or so from the stadium in a neighborhood. A pro tip that I’ve been doing for years is, I park at a nearby Redline Trax station. A great station is Courthouse(450 S Main St.) or Library Trax Station.
3- Bathroom Situation at Rice Eccles: If you choose to use the bathrooms, avoid going at halftime, the bathrooms in the west and east concourses can get extremely long (10-15 minute waits). Best bathrooms in my opinion are located on the south of the stadium.
Sro or no sro, go check out the southwest corner of the stadium at the top. The view of the valley and mountains is awesome.
Welcome to Ute Hub and to Utah later. You are welcome to stop by my very modest tailgate before the game and have a beverage. Row H #69 by the police station!
69 by the police station? That’s a bold move!
It was much better when it was “69 by the dumpster.”
Hope you have a great time while visiting us DcGator (other than the result of the game of course).
The canyons are great places to visit (traffic gets worse every year so be prepared for a slow leisurely drive both directions).
Utah fans are generally fairly friendly (you do of course always get a few fools in any fanbase) and don’t listen to those silly allegations from a particular school about 40 south of us. (Like we would waste good beer by pouring it on someone’s head).
Utah has come a long way from usually losing in a half empty stadium in the 70s/80s to constantly winning in a packed house and our fanbase is as excited for this game as any non-conference game that I can remember.
We’ve stayed downtown SLC for many games now. We like to eat at Squatters Pub once a trip. There was a big group of Arkansas fans having a gathering there the night before the BYU-Arkansas game last year. We were in town for the Utah USC game. We use Uber a lot when up there as it’s not too much. We usually take TRAX to and from the games as it’s free and goes near the hotels. We use Hertz gold rental car. We just walk out of the airport and walk over to our car and leave. No stops at the rental counter. No bus like other airports. At least that’s how it was last year.
Welcome. We hope your stay is SLC is great.
If you try golfing, just for kicks and giggles, go to the highest eleveated golf course that you can (Mountain Dell mentioned above is great), and have fun laughing silly as you watch your drives go 20 yards farther due to the thinner air because of the higher elevation! It’s quite the entertainment knowing you can hit the ball further just by being higher elevated.
In big games, quite a lot of people do the standing room only thing. The USC game last year had a lot.
Hope you have a great time at Rice-Eccles!
Golf up at Wasatch Mountain State Park is even higher. Ball go far.
Welcome to SLC! Hope it is a great visit and a fun game (with a Utah W, but I am sure you are hoping the opposite! :)). I was at the game last year, and it was really fun. I had a great time and loved it all… except Cam’s last pass. Sigh. But the fans were super fun. We had good banter, and they pointed us to fun spots for after the game.
As for the game, yeah, Utah Tailgaters tend to be very happy to chill with opposing fans. The main lot is about 1 block and change south of the Stadium. Some great restaurants can be found just west of the stadium. The Pie Pizzeria (underground location) on 200 south just west of President’s Circle is a favorite of everyone I have ever taken there and is a HUGE student and local institution. It fills up fast, but it is really fun and really tasty for pizza and beer pre, post, or anytime, really.
Other great places:
Crown Burger (bunch of locations. Great burgers and Greek Food)
Greek Souvlaki
Red Iguana (some of the best Mexican food you will find literally anywhere. Also near a TRAX stop that you can take to the stadium)
Rodizio Grill
The Porcupine (close to the university and the Pie Pizzeria)
Caputo’s
Cucina Toscana (more fancy Italian and pretty pricey)
Moochie’s Cheesesteaks
In the fall, as others have mentioned, Park City is really rad. Lots of places to eat and drink, etc. And a lot of great hiking, too. Especially if you love the mountains but don’t live near a lot, the alpine slide and coaster up in Park City are great experiences.
Another big tip: Take a TRAX (light rail) to the stadium if you can. There are stations all up and down lots of areas where it will be easy to park for free and avoid a ton of traffic. There are lots of spots on 400 south or in a bunch of places around downtown and other areas (you can look up stations, etc.).
Have a great trip!
Weclome DCGator. You will like SLC. As others have mentioned the nightlife is a bit better than many expect. I grew up in SLC but live away now but spend time visiting family/U-games/Skiing there. I’d get an Air BNB (cheap now when it isn’t ski season) or a hotel in Downtown SLC near Trax (light rail). Use Trax to get to the game and it and walking to get around the city. Spend one day in the mountains. If you ware a beer guy there are a lot of breweries near downtown, but really try to visit the Beerhive. Epic brewing is also famous not only in Utah but nationally was well. They are a great IPA place. Here is a guide for beers in Utah.
As far as neighborhoods in Salt Lake City check out 9th and 9th, Liberty Wells and 9th West. Good luck with everything in your visit except the outcome of the game!
Welcome to the board, and thanks for stopping by. We all hope you enjoy your visit to SLC and to Rice Eccles. We are thrilled to be hosting the Gators and look forward to a great game.
I’ll leave the stadium questions to my esteemed colleagues; I haven’t lived in Utah for several years and haven’t been to the stadium in quite a long time. As for bars, someone mentioned Whiskey Street and I wholeheartedly agree; good vibe there and solid food too (try the meatloaf if it’s on the menu).
What I can help you with is golf. Utah is a great golf state if you know where to go. It’s also super affordable; no Sawgrass or Copperhead rates to be found anywhere (though to be fair you won’t find that level of quality either).
As others have said, the best courses by far in Utah are either private or they are public but down in the extreme south of the state (two perennial top 100 public courses down there, on opposite sides of the state, and I believe a third will soon be added to that list). But there is still good stuff up north. I’ll break up recommendations by general area which hopefully will make it easy for you:
Salt Lake City proper:
Honestly, nothing great or even good. A few okay courses that are especially easy on the wallet but they won’t wow you. Stick to either Glendale or Bonneville if you play in this area. Both are in pretty good shape, especially given the rates, but overall a bit boring.
South Salt Lake Valley (South Jordan, Riverton, and Draper area):
River Oaks is the best course here, but also probably the hardest. Definitely worthy of consideration. Riverbend is also pretty good, with the back being significantly more interesting than the front. I would say if you can only play one course and you want to stay in the Salt Lake valley, go to River Oaks. You might also check out South Mountain in Draper, with one HUGE caveat: when it is in good shape, South Mountain is good. When it is in bad shape, it’s miserable. The last few times I’ve played there, it was in bad shape. It’s really gone down hill and that’s a shame. Maybe it’s better now, not sure. Others who still live in Utah will have more recent info than me.
North of SLC (Bountiful, Farmington, and Layton area):
Valley View is by far the best course in the area, and probably the second best public course in all of Northern Utah. Definitely worth the 45 minutes or so to get there from Rice Eccles. Consider that one heavily. Bountiful Ridge in Bountiful is also good. Eaglewood in Bountiful is good too but used to be a lot better before all of the residential development around it, which makes the back really depressing in my opinion. Mountain and valley views on the front; views of trampolines and swing sets on the back. Sigh.
Park City and Heber area:
Some have mentioned Mountain Dell and Wasatch, both of which are good. However, if you are going to drive all the way up here, you might as well take a bit of extra time (10 minutes from Wasatch; probably 30 from Mountain Dell) and go to Soldier Hollow. There are two courses there: gold and silver. The Silver is great; the Gold is fantastic and I think easily the best public course in Northern Utah. If you can only play one round and you want to know what Utah golf is all about, go to the gold course.
Utah County (Lehi, Orem, Springville areas):
Thanksgiving Point is great, well maintained, and long as hell from the tips. It’s also about as expensive as public golf gets in Utah, but I wouldn’t say that it is overpriced. It’s definitely worth your time and money. Cedar Hills is also very solid, with a super cool first tee box (probably 80-100 feet above the fairway). It’s not the best course around by any means but it’s a blast to play. You’ll have fun at Cedar Hills. Sleepy Ridge is good and usually in great shape, and can be quite challenging if you are getting any wind off the lake. Finally, if you are willing to drive a little ways, both Hobble Creek in Springville canyon and Gladstan in Payson are VERY worth your time. Hobble might be the prettiest course in the northern part of the state because of its setting. Gladstan’s front has valley views and then the back goes up the mountain. Gladstan’s back I think is the most underrated 9 holes in the state.
All in all, if I had to give you a top 5: Soldier Hollow Gold, Valley View, Hobble Creek, Thanksgiving Point, and River Oaks. Gladstan as well if you don’t mind the hour plus drive from SLC.
Have fun and hit ‘em straight!
Cool golf content! I created UtahGolfGuru.com a long time ago and surprisingly it is still working. Not much time to update it for the last few years since I started UteHub. LOL
Welcome to Utah! Also, loving all this golf talk. When are we going to put together the first UteHub Open? 🙂
Dcgator, as many have mentioned, my favorite courses in Utah are Wasatch and Soldier Hollow – both up in the Heber Valley area. One thing to note – times at Wasatch can be difficult to snag, particularly if you’re looking to play Saturday or Sunday morning. You can book 9 days in advance, so be on the lookout for that as it will sneak up on you if you’re planning to play on the 26th or 27th. If you do end up in that area, Granny’s and Dairy Keen have excellent post-round milkshakes. Let me know if you need another person to round out your golf group 😉
Definitely second Granny’s or Dairy Keen. I was up there yesterday and was very sad they weren’t open (Sunday).
Awesome stuff, thanks y’all!
Definitely accustomed to playing coastal golf at the gems up and down Florida’s east coast. I’m excited to play— for the first time— in an altitude/mountainous environment. I’ll be sure to report back on what we check out.
As a big college football fan who has been attending Gator games in Gainesville and other SEC venues my entire life, I’m most excited to see the fan culture, stadium, traditions, and game atmosphere at your stadium. Unique matchups like this should be what college football is all about.
I am glad you are making the trip. I was at Gainsville last September. I hope you enjoy your trip.
Go Utes!
Hello Everyone,
Another Gator here excited to make the trip with my two kids 13 and 10. Gators playing West of the Mississippi twice in 9 months gives us a little more excitement since the Win Loss column hasn’t been up to our standard.
I appreciate reading all the suggestions above on getting to the game, etc.
Wanted to get your thoughts on driving to the Park City area (Kimball Junction) after a late flight into SLC? It doesn’t look too bad on the map, less than an hour, but it’s through the mountains, and wasn’t sure if there was anything that google maps isn’t telling me.
I’m looking at staying two nights in PC and then heading to Moab for two nights.
Most of the drive to Park City is on I80. It’s not a difficult ride at all. Some of the other ski resorts are up windy canyons. Park City is an easy drive (unless it’s snowing). It is a great place to stay.
Park City is beautiful right now, with warm days and cool nights. While you are up here with your kids, check out the Olympic park in Park City. They have freestyle ski shows and training, where you can watch skiers do tricks off jumps and land in a pool. Over at Park City Mountain Resort, they also have a bunch of activities set up at the base of the mountain (ropes, alpine slides, mini-golf, climbing wall) on top of hiking and mountain biking.
It is an easy drive from the airport to Kimball junction. Probably 25-30 minutes, and all of it is on interstate highways. There is a bit of construction on I-80 around 1300 East right now that, depending on how late you are arriving, could narrow the freeway down to one lane.
There is less wildlife this year than in the past (the massive winter was hard on the herds), and so I haven’t seen as much wildlife either alive or roadkilled on I-80 this year as in the past. But, especially at night, keep your eyes open for deer, elk, or the occasional moose.
Good itinerary! Definitely hit Arches National Park and Canyonlands if you can. Dead Horse Point is also there, and can be a quick one. Stop by my tailgate and say hello. Row H #69 by the police station.
I’m looking at staying two nights in PC and then heading to Moab for two nights.
You probably already know this, but if you plan on visiting Arches Natl. Park, you will need a “timed entry reservation” in order to visit. Purchase online. Some people are not aware of that, so I bring it up here.
Canyonlands Natl. Park, which is also close by, does not require one.
Southern Utah is like being on another planet, if you’ve never been.
Have fun!
If you want a great golf experience play mountain dell or Wasatch golf courses. Play the lake side at the deli.
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