While I'm here, I'll copy and paste a visitors guide I made on our Rivals site.
This is a guide that I put together for a couple years now and thought there's probably not a better time to post it. I'm going to try and cram as much information into this guide as possible. Of course if anyone has any questions you can always ask and I will do my best to answer them.
I'm going to start you all off with a video that the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce put together. Some people don't know a whole lot about our state, except the stereotypical stuff, so this will give you an idea of just what we're all about. It sure makes me and all Mountaineer fans proud to be from West Virginia.
Now on to Morgantown...The City of Morgantown is the County seat of Monongalia County located along the Monongahela River and close to the Pennsylvania border in the north central part of West Virginia. Morgantown is the home to West Virginia University, the largest institution of higher education in the State with an annual enrollment of 28,898 students (Fall 2009); and is the medical, cultural, and commercial hub of the region. Daytime population estimates 70,000 in Morgantown.
Morgantown and Monongalia County offer "Mountains of Opportunity" for business development and expansion. This is one of the major growth areas in the State. Monongalia County was the only north central county to realize population growth for the last 20 years, and it has been one of the fastest growing counties in the State during the 1990's.
Morgantown and Monongalia County have consistently seen some of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. Some of the major employers in the area include the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Mylan Pharmaceuticals, West Virginia University. Some of the most notable people from Morgantown include Don Knotts and of course, Jerry West.
Morgantown was recently featured on NBC Nightly News as one of the few towns in America that continues to grow during the downturn in the economy.
There are a few things to do when you have some free time in Morgantown. One of the must see things on my list is a visit to Coopers Rock. The outlook here is amazing and is one of the things you absolutely must do before leaving town.
Of course there are tons of other things to do if you have free time. I’ll just post a link of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of things to do in the area.
http://www.tourmorgantown.com/ -----
At some point while you’re here there’s a pretty good chance you will want to eat and I do have a few suggestions.
If you really want to get the authentic Morgantown feel you absolutely need to visit Mario’s Fish Bowl. The place has a great vibe and you will definitely love it if you like good food and beers the size of your head.
http://www.mariosfishbowl.biz/
There are a lot of other places I would recommend as well…
The Boston Beanery (go to the one on High Street for a Motown experience)
Puglioni’s
http://www.pugspasta.com Keglers
http://www.keglerssportsbar.com Oliverio’s Ristorante on The Wharf
http://www.oliveriosristorante.com Buffalo Wild Wings (also go to the High Street location)
http://www.buffalowildwings.com Damon’s Grill
http://www.damons.com Jersey’s Subs
Black Bear Burritos
http://www.blackbearburritos.com Stefanos
http://www.stefanosmorgantown.com Maxwell’s
Regatta Bar and Grill (very nice)
http://www.regattabarandgrille.com The Vintage Room (nice place to go for wine and drinks)
http://www.bwvintageroom.com Yesterday’s
http://www.yesterdaysrestaurantbarandgrille.com Hibachi Japanese Grill
http://www.morgantownhibachi.com Los Mariachis
Richwood Avenue Grill
http://www.richwoodgrill.com/ Mountain State Brewing Company
http://www.mountainstatebrewing.com/index.html Varsity Club
http://www.thevarsityclubwv.com/ Sargasso
http://www.dinesargasso.com/ Lira
http://liralounge.com/wv/ Chaang Thai
http://chaangthai.com/ Madelines
http://madeleinesonline.com/ The Golden Finch
http://www.goldenfinchrestaurant.com/ For some good wings and food, cold beer, and just a really chilled place to hang out you should visit Keglers, Mario’s Fish Bowl, or Boston Beanery.
**Raise your hand if you know what a pepperoni roll is! You're probably thinking...what the heck is a pepperoni roll?!?
From Wikipedia:
---The pepperoni roll was invented by Giuseppe "Joseph" Argiro at the Country Club Bakery in Fairmont, West Virginia, in 1927. The rolls originated as a lunch option for the coal miners of north-central West Virginia in the first half of the 20th century. Pepperoni rolls do not need to be refrigerated for storage and could readily be packed for lunch by miners. Pepperoni and other Italian foods became popular in north-central West Virginia in the early 20th century, when the booming mines and railroads attracted many immigrants from Italy. The pepperoni roll bears a resemblance to the pasty and sausage roll, which originated in the mining communities of Great Britain, as well as to the Italian calzone.---
You can get them in just about any gas station once you cross the state line. But if you want the best you need to head to Colasessano's. They have just opened a new location in Morgantown along I-68. If you don't have a pepperoni roll while you are here, then your trip wasn't complete! And make sure you get it with cheese, sauce, and mixed peppers! The pizza is also amazing here!
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Now let’s talk a little about West Virginia University.
Enrollment for the fall 2009 semester was 28,898. The University offers 185 majors in 15 colleges. WVU has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars, including former WVU president David C. Hardesty Jr., ranking No. 6 among American public institutions. The University also has produced 30 Goldwater Scholars, 19 Truman Scholars, five members of USA Today 's All-USA College Academic First Team, and two Morris K. Udall Undergraduate Scholarship winners. Although WVU is not considered a first-tier university in the controversial U.S. News & World Report ratings, it is ranked by The Princeton Review as one of the best 368 colleges in the nation (out of a total of about 2,500 four-year institutions).
Under the terms of the 1862 Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act, the West Virginia Legislature created the Agricultural College of West Virginia on February 7, 1867. On December 4, 1868, lawmakers re-named it West Virginia University. In the 1990s, WVU developed several recreational activities for the students, such as Fall Fest, a concert that welcomes students back to classes. In 1998, WVUp All Night launched to offer free weekend entertainment to students. The popular Student Recreation Center was completed in July 2001.WVU is designated as a Research University (High Research Activity) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Funding from external sources for total sponsored programs is $138 million. WVU is affiliated with the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, dedicated to the study of Alzheimer's and other diseases that affect the brain. WVU is also a leader in biometric technology research and recently became the Federal Bureau of Investigation's lead academic partner in biometrics research. James P. Clements became WVU's 23rd president on June 30, 2009. He previously served as provost at Towson University. WVU has been listed as one of the top party schools in the United States.
The Morgantown campus comprises three sub-campuses. The original main campus, typically called the Downtown Campus, is in the Monongahela River valley on the fringes of Morgantown. This part of campus includes eight academic buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The Downtown Campus comprises several architectural styles predominantly featuring red brick including Victorian Second Empire, Federal, Neoclassical, and Collegiate Gothic among others. The Evansdale Campus, a mile and a half north-northwest, on a rise above the flood plain of the Monongahela River, was developed in the 1950s and 1960s to accommodate a growing student population, since space for expansion was limited at the Downtown Campus. The Health Sciences Campus, in the same outlying area (but on the other side of a ridge), includes the WVU Health Sciences Center, Ruby Memorial Hospital, Chestnut Ridge Hospital, Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, UHA Physicians Office Center, Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, WVU Eye Institute, WVU Center on Aging, and WVU Children's Hospital.
Woodburn Hall is pictured center here. It gets lit up for Christmas each year.
This is actually the mast from the USS West Virginia which sunk at Pearl Harbor.
Because of WVU's distributed campuses (Downtown, Evansdale, and Health Sciences), the Personal Rapid Transit system, which has become a local showpiece, was built to link them. Boeing began construction on the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system in Morgantown, West Virginia in 1972. The unique aspect that makes the system "personal" is that a rider can tell the system which station is the destination and then he/she will be directed to a car that is bound only for that station. WVU students, faculty and staff ride by paying a per-semester fee; they swipe their magnetically-encoded ID cards through the turnstiles when entering the stations. Others pay a cash fare of $0.50. The PRT began operation in 1973, with U.S. President Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia, aboard one of five prototype cars for a demonstration ride. The PRT handles 16,000 riders per day (as of 2005) and uses approximately 70 cars The system has 8.7 miles (14.0 km) of guideway track and five stations: Walnut, Beechurst, Engineering, Towers, and Medical/Health Sciences. The vehicles are rubber-tired, but the cars have constant contact with a separate electrified rail. Steam heating keeps the elevated guideway free of snow and ice. Although most students use the PRT, this technology has not been replicated at other sites for various reasons, including the high cost of maintaining the heated track system in winter. The PRT cars are painted in the school colors (blue with gold trim) and feature the University name and logo on the front. Inside, the seats are light beige fiberglass and the carpeting is blue. Each car has eight seats with an overall capacity of 20 people, including standing room. The National Society of Professional Engineers named the WVU PRT one of the top 10 engineering achievements of 1972, and in 1998 The New Electric Railway Journal picked the WVU PRT as the best people mover. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency dubbed WVU one of the best workplaces for commuters. Each autumn, during Mountaineer Week celebrations, a special PRT car is placed in front of the Mountainlair student union where groups of students participate in the "PRT Cram" with the objective of squeezing in as many people as possible. A record of 97 was set in 2000.
The PRT runs before and after the game. You can ride it to get to and from the stadium or you can even ride it an entire loop around for a cool view of the city.
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Now that I’ve got you fairly knowledgeable with the state, town, and university let’s talk about the reason you all are coming here in the first place, GAMEDAY!
Here is a link of quick facts from the university:
http://www.wvusports.com/page.cfm?section=6581 You will want to make sure you have your radio dial set to 101.9 which is WVAQ. Kevin Connelly should be on for the Gameday Show which is hilarious to listen to. It should come on about 3 hours prior to kickoff.. This is also the station that will broadcast the game live for those of you who like to listen to the broadcast while in the stadium.
Kickoff will be at 7:00EST. This means WVU fans will be out tailgating all day long. Because of the late kickoff traffic shouldn't be too bad as people tend to trickle in all day long. Your best bet is to park in the lots next to the Coliseum and ride the shuttle to the football stadium. Tthe cost is $4.50 per rider for round trip to and from the stadium and is the fastest way in and out of town. This is also the popular place for visiting fans to park their RVs the night before the game. While you’re there make sure to have a look inside at where WVU plays all it’s home basketball games.
New for this year---you can also visit our brand new $26 Million basketball practice facility. You can look around the Robinson Petropolus Hall of Traditions to learn about the rich history of WVU basketball including Jerry West also known as The Logo, whose silhouette is featured as the official logo of the NBA.
For a video tour of the practice facility, copy and paste this YouTube link:
Jerry was born in Chelyan, West Virginia and played basketball at WVU from 1957-1960. He then went on to play for the Los Angeles Lakers for 14 years before eventually becoming the head coach and general manager for the same team and further down the road became GM of the Memphis Grizzlies. He officially announced his retirement from the Grizzlies in 2007. On May 19, 2011, it was announced that West had agreed to join the Golden State Warriors as a head consultant, under new owner Joe Lacob. This role also came with an undisclosed minority ownership stake in the team as well.
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The majority of tailgating takes place in the Blue Lot which is sandwiched between the football stadium and Ruby Memorial Hospital. There are many many other tailgates that take place all around the stadium. Don’t be afraid to interact with our fans as many will offer you free food and beer. Just beware of the few select students who have chosen to drink a case of beet all by themselves and feel like acting like complete douche bags for the day. Just ignore them, they will go away.
Here is a PDF of all parking for game day:
http://www.wvusports.com/content/FootballParking.pdf If you are looking for something to do before the game you can always walk around and interact with fans or you can even take a visit to the Brohard Hall of Traditions which is located at the stadium.
http://www.wvusports.com/page.cfm?section=11102 The last thing I need to remind you of is to be in your seats AT LEAST 30 minutes prior to kickoff. The Pride of West Virginia, the Mountaineer Marching Band, which has close to 400 members, will take the field one half hour before kickoff and this is absolutely one thing you do not want to miss during the experience at a Mountaineer football game. Sometimes the crowd gets louder for the band then they do the football team. Here is a link to the history of the band:
http://www.wvuband.org/band_history/history.html The band was awarded the coveted Sudler Award in 1997, which is the Heisman Trophy of marching bands and can only be awarded once. Only 27 schools have been awarded the trophy.
That’s all I got, folks. If you guys have any questions at all please let me know and I will get back to you! Looking forward to seeing some of you on Saturday!
