8 Cool Things To Do In Provo Utah – A Local’s Guide
Located just 45 miles south of Salt Lake City, Provo serves as the hub of Utah County – one of the country’s foremost tech corridors. I was raised in this part of the State and have watched it evolve over the years. Though I live in the Salt Lake Valley now, I still make my way down to the Provo area from time to time. And I can always find cool things to do in Provo Utah. Here’s a look at some of my personal favorites.
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Stroll The Provo Farmers Market
Provo hosts one of the largest Farmers Markets in Utah. From early June to late October, this market is held every Saturday at Provo’s shady Pioneer Park. You’ll find around 200 vendors lined up along the park’s various walkways. It is undoubtedly one the best things to do in Provo Utah.
I’ve always been impressed with quality of vendors at the Provo Farmers Market. You’ll find fresh produce, baked goods, a wide variety of artisans, and lots of food options. In fact, walking through this farmers market can feel very much like an international food court. Be sure to come to the market on an empty stomach. It’s a great place to experience a diversity of food – like the Colombian arepas in the photo below.
One of my favorite stalls during my visits to the market this year was Sweet Alfajores By Pam. We discovered Alfajores during our month in Buenos Aires. These are a favorite treat in Argentina and are basically a shortbread cookie sandwich filled with a thick layer of dulce de leche. And while we often come across alfajores during our travels around the world, these are the best we’ve had outside of Argentina.
You’ll also want to be aware that the Provo Farmers Market isn’t limited to just the warmer months of the year. During colder months, the market moves indoors and is held inside the Provo Towne Center Mall (from November to March). I’ve not had a chance to check out the winter version of the market yet, but I will certainly update this post when I do. You can visit the market’s website for an exact schedule.
Hike To A Waterfall
Provo Canyon is a popular recreation destination in this part of Utah, and is very easy to access from Provo itself. In fact, a major highway runs through Provo Canyon. Scattered all along this highway are multiple places to turn off the road, park your car, and enjoy the canyon’s natural beauty. These include parks, walkways, and picnic areas. Many of these are adjacent to the Provo River which is popular for both fly-fishing and river tube floating.
Bridal Veil Falls is one of the highlights of Provo Canyon. And according to Tripadvisor, visiting this waterfall is the top-ranked of all the things to do in Provo Utah. Bridal Veil Falls is 607 foot tall and cascades directly over the sheer rock canyon walls. You’ll see a place to turn off and view the waterfall from the main highway. This is where I took the photo below…
But I would recommend you turn off the highway onto Old Provo Canyon Road, and hike to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. You’ll find a parking area and a trialhead that takes you through a picnic area to the Falls.
The trail is mostly flat and paved, and should only take about 10 minutes (the entire round trip is only about a mile). And when you get there, you’ll be able to look directly up at the Falls and even wade in a shallow pool at its base if you want.
If you want a more challenging waterfall hike while in the Provo area, then consider hiking to Stewart Falls. You can access this waterfall hike by turning off the Provo Canyon highway and taking the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway up past the Sundance Resort. It only takes about 30 minutes to reach the trailhead from downtown Provo. This trail (called the Stewart Cascade Trail) sits within the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, so there is a $10 fee to enter. The trail is 3.6 miles round trip and ends at another amazing Provo Canyon waterfall.
If you want to learn more about this hike, then check out my post entitled The Beautiful Stewart Falls Hike At Sundance Utah.
Take a Scenic Lift Ride to 8200 Ft
Speaking of the Sundance Resort, this is another great place you should consider when looking for things to do in Provo Utah. During the winter, this is Provo’s nearest ski resort. And during the summer and early fall, Sundance offers a variety of activities like zip lines and hiking trails. Plus the Resort offers year round lodging and fine dining too.
I think one of the best warm season activities at Sundance Resort is the Scenic Lift Ride. I visited the resort recently and experienced this for myself (along with Mrs. TT). The lift tickets cost $30 for adults and $27 for children (kids under 6 years old are free). We rode a series of three different lifts, taking us from the base of the resort to one of the resort’s tallest peaks. Overall, it’s a leisurely 45 minute ride in each direction, and the mountain scenery from the chairs is fantastic. You also have the opportunity to take hiking trails that start at the various drop off points (including an alternative trail over to Stewart Falls.)
Once you reach the top of the lift ride, the views are even more spectacular! You can see out across Deer Creek Reservoir into Heber Valley in one direction, and out across Provo and Utah Lake in the other direction.
Plus, there is a fast casual restaurant at the top called the Bear Claw Cabin. It’s famous for its massive plate of shareable nachos, but it offers other simple Mexican fare and a variety of beverages to choose from too. It’s open from 11:30-3:30 every day. We timed our arrival for 11:30 and it was already quite busy on a Sunday, with a line of nacho-hungry patrons forming immediately upon opening.
We didn’t order the nachos, but I thought the food we did order was expensive for the quality (not a surprise). However, the food isn’t really the reason to take a scenic lift ride and visit the Bear Claw Cabin. You should come here for the amazing views you’ll enjoy from the cabin’s deck while eating your food at 8200 feet.
(If you would like to read about a similar summertime opportunity at the Snowbird Resort in the Salt Lake City area, then check out my post about riding the Snowbird Tram.)
Visit An Art Museum
If you are an art lover, then you’ll find a couple of great museum options when looking for things to do in Provo Utah. First is the Brigham Young University Museum of Art. It ranks as one of the most-visited university art museums in the country, and has a permanent collection of over 18,000 pieces of art. Admission to this museum is free and it’s open every day except Sunday. Free parking is available in a visitors lot adjacent to the museum.
Inside the museum, you’ll find several galleries on two different floors. These galleries show a rotating display of various works from the museum’s permanent collection. At the time of my recent visit, the museum was showing pieces from their American Art collection.
The museum also features temporary exhibits from guest artists in some of its galleries as well. As an example, I was able to peruse a collection of works by Chinese-American artist Mimi Chen Ting.
Overall, I was impressed with the variety and the quality of the art at the BYU Museum of Art. And I felt that it was equal to the art museums that I’ve visited in Salt Lake City (as outlined in my post 8 Unique Salt Lake City Museums Worth Visiting). And while BYU is a religion-affiliated university, the art inside the museum covered a broad range of topics and styles. There was only one gallery dedicated to Utah religious art.
Another art museum to consider when looking for things to do in Provo Utah is the Utah Valley University Museum of Art. This museum is located in nearby Orem, but these two art museums are only 4 miles apart. So it would be very easy to visit both during an afternoon. The UVU Museum of Art is also free and is open Tuesday-Saturday.
The UVU Museum Art is actually located within a former mansion that belonged to the Melanie & Bruce Bastion family (co-founder of WordPerfect), and donated to the university. Several of the mansion’s large rooms now serve as galleries.
Similar to BYU’s art museum, these galleries show rotating works from the university’s permanent collection and from guest artists – such as the exhibit below featuring Utah artist Fidalis Buehler.
Learn About Dinosaurs
But you won’t be limited to art museums when looking for things to do in Provo Utah. If you like dinosaurs, then BYU’s Museum of Paleontology is worth a visit. Although it’s a small museum, it consistently ranks as one of the top 3 things to do in Provo Utah on Tripadvisor. And it is certainly more family-friendly than the art museums I just talked about. Admission is free and it is open Monday through Friday. Free parking is available in front of the entrance.
Because the Museum of Paleontology is not a large museum, it won’t take long to see the full collection. But it does feature several full-sized dinosaur casts (cast from bones in the university’s collection). These include Utah’s own official State Fossil – the Allosauras. That’s an allosaurus in the foreground below.
The museum also displays several actual dinosaur bones as well. And you can also peek through large glass windows into the paleontology lab at the back of the museum. Plus, you won’t only learn about dinosaurs, you’ll also see a nice collections of other fossils from around Utah.
While this museum is definitely worth your time, dinosaur enthusiasts should also visit the Utah Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City. The collection is significantly more impressive, though the admission cost is also much higher ($25 vs Free). I’ve featured this museum in my post on Amazing Things To Do In Salt Lake City
Hang Out In A Unique Bookstore
A visit to Moon’s Rare Books is definitely one of the most unique things to do in Provo Utah. We’ve visited some pretty cool bookstores around the world, and Moon’s definitely ranks up there with the best of them. It’s located in the Shops at Riverwoods – a popular outdoor shopping and dining complex in Provo. Moon’s Rare Books bills itself as a “Museum Disguised as a Bookstore”. And indeed it is!
Stepping into this bookstore is a bit like stepping into another world, with its 200 year old brick floor (imported from France) & wooden shelves lined with literary treasures. It’s quite amazing to peruse the shelves and admire all the old books on the shelves (while your jaw drops a bit from the listed prices.)
But owner Reid Moon not only collects and sells rare books, he also collects and displays all kinds of treasures – most of which are not for sale. These include Charles Dickens’ writing desk, an Incan ritual cup, a 2000 year old oil lamp from Jerusalem, and lots of very cool movie memorabilia. In the photo below you can see a Harry Potter quidditch robe signed by JK Rowling and the various actors. It’s a very impressive private collection, making this bookstore/museum a must-stop in Provo!
Eat Navajo Tacos at Black Sheep Cafe
One of the great food-related things to do in Provo Utah is eat Navajo tacos at Black Sheep Cafe – one of the most popular restaurants in town. Black Sheep Cafe describes its own menu as a Native American Southwestern infusion. It’s located in the very heart of downtown Provo near the intersection of University Avenue and Center Street.
If you’ve never had a Navajo taco, then this is a great place to try one. My Mom loves Navajo tacos and I recently took her to Black Sheep Cafe. She gave it a big thumbs up. A Navajo taco is made by covering a large piece of Navajo fry bread with a variety of toppings. Black Sheep Cafe has several different taco choices, including the one my Mom ordered which was covered in tender braised pork, BBQ sauce, cabbage, jicama, onions, cilantro, and several types of cheese. It was huge and a definite bargain at $15.
Black Sheep Dinner also serves Pozole. And if you’ve read my post on Traditional Food in Mexico City, then you know how much I love pozole. The pozole at Black Sheep Dinner is also filled with tender braised pork and the flavors are spot-on (though not nearly as spicy as the versions in Mexico)
Another dining option in downtown Provo is Communal. In the evening, it’s a popular and highly-rated fine dining restaurant. In the morning, it’s a great place to get a creative breakfast – like this decadent Tiramisu French Toast served with espresso syrup. (Both of these restaurants are small, so reservations are definitely recommended.)
Eat The G.O.A.T Ice Cream At Rockwell
I recently wrote a blog post about my search for the Best Ice Cream In Salt Lake City. The winner was Rockwell Ice Cream Company, and more specifically, their The G.O.A.T. ice cream. In fact, I confidently declared it the best dish of ice cream I’ve ever eaten. Well, the good news is that Rockwell’s flagship store is in Provo. It’s located next door to the Black Sheep Cafe. And eating ice cream at Rockwell is certainly one of the can’t-miss things to do in Provo Utah.
The G.O.A.T won a national ice cream competition in 2019. This ice cream’s base includes goat cheese, and it features swirls of homemade blackberry-lemon jam along with rosemary roasted almonds. The flavor is tangy and sweet and rich and complex – all at the same time. It is outstanding!
Another really popular place to get ice cream in Provo is the BYU Creamery, located on BYU’s campus. It’s been selling ice cream since 1949! And since I sampled a lot of ice cream on my aforementioned ice cream quest, I wanted to see how the BYU Creamery compared. So I stopped in before visiting the nearby Art Museum.
I ordered a single scoop of their Peach flavor which included chunks of peaches and graham crackers. And it was good, but I would rank it at 6.5/10 – placing it below most of the top ice cream shops I visited in Salt Lake. I rated Rockwell’s The G.O.A.T at 10/10, and so clearly consider it the can’t-miss ice cream destination in Provo. (You can see all my ice cream shop rankings in my Salt Lake City Ice Cream post.)
But I would be remiss not to mention that the BYU Creamery is also famous for its Mint Brownies. My Mom, who lives in St George, gets them every time she visits the BYU campus and brings some to my house. I know for a fact that she would list this as one of her personal best things to do in Provo Utah.
Final Thoughts
So whether you are a local resident looking for nearby activities, or a visitor discovering this area for the first time, you can clearly find plenty of cool things to do in Provo Utah. No matter if you love the outdoors, museums, shopping, or great food, Provo has you covered.
If you would like some suggestions for other cool things to do throughout Northern Utah, then be sure to check out these posts:
The Kennecott Copper Mine Tour: Is It Worth It?