Some of the places most commonly associated with Morgantown and WVU

The Coliseum - Home of WVU's Men's and Women's basketball teams.

High Street - Running through downtown, this central street of Morgantown is lined with bars, restaurants, and boutique stores.

Milan Puskar Stadium - Home field of the West Virginia Mountaineer football team. Capacity 60,000. (top photo)

The Mountainlair - WVU's student union. (top photo - Mountaineer Statue; top photo - Mountainlair)

Woodburn Hall - One of three buildings built in the 1800s that make up Woodburn Circle and one of the most picturesque buildings on WVU's campus.

(50 places photo- stadium aerial, Woodburn aerial, football field, Coliseum, Morgantown, Woodburn)

Best Places to Take a Photo in Morgantown, WV

Woodburn Hall - (Woodburn Circle, WVU Downtown Campus)

Touchdown Terrace - (Milan Puskar Stadium) Event facility that is part of the stadium, with a terrace overlooking the football field. It is available for events, and a great place to take memorable photos.

Pi Beta Phi House - (1493 University Ave.) I'm biased on this one, but it is a beautiful house, and home to the WV Alpha Chapter of Pi Beta Phi at WVU. The house was originally the University President's home and is on Morgantown's historical register.

With the Mountaineer - WVU's mascot is the Mountaineer; he attends events like football and basketball games in full costume with his musket, and is happy to pose for pictures with fans.

Erickson Alumni Center - (1 Alumni Dr.) Multi-purpose event center located beside Milan Puskar Stadium.

Botanical Gardens - (1061 Tyrone Rd.) Free and open to the public from dawn to dusk.

Cheat Lake - An idyllic lake/river in Monongalia County.

Coopers Rock - (61 County Line Dr. Bruceton Mills, WV) Spectacular 12,747 acre state park going through Monongalia County and adjoining Preston county.

Earl L. Core Arboretum - (Monongahela Blvd.) Free and open to the public, a 91-acre arboretum owned by WVU.

Morgantown Rail Trail - (Deckers Creek, Morgantown) Forty-eight miles of scenic trail for walking, biking, roller blading, and other activities.

(top photo - Morgantown Rail Trail, Map of Morgantown Botanical Gardens, Coopers Rock)

Black Bear Burritos - (132 Pleasant St. - downtown location) Locally-sourced food, large craft beer selection. You can "make" a burrito however you want it or pick one of the yummy menu options ("Thai One On" is always a good choice). Owned by WVU alumni, vegan friendly, and family friendly with live music in the evenings.

Blue Moose - (248 Walnut St.) Coffee house with a variety of types of coffee to choose from. Good location to people-watch from in the evenings and there is also live music. (photo)

Lavender Cafe - (247 Beechurst Ave.) Take-out, dine in, or delivery Asian restaurant. The chicken pad thai is very good (though not as spicy as some may like); smoothies that you can order with interesting things added like pudding; dishes with shrimp; and chef special's are good bets, too.

Mario's Fishbowl - (704 Richwood Ave.) Typical bar food/comfort food options, but always pretty good. Best things to try: wings with cowboy ranch, grilled cheese, and the chicken salad sandwich. The daily special is usually pretty tasty, too. The food is good, but really, it's just about going to Fishbowl.

Mountain State Brewing Company - (54 Clay St.) Mountain State Brewing Company specializes in serving "hand-crafted house microbrew and gourmet wood-fired flatbreads". In addition to fancy beer and fancy pizza, they have a s'more pizza (!) and cool t-shirts, what more could you want? (top photo)

Oliverio's - (52 Clay St.) Oliverio's is a Morgantown staple - the kind of place your family takes you to for dinner when they come in for graduation. The traditional Italian food is consistently good, especially the Caesar Salad, which they make at your table.

Puglioni's - (1137 Van Voorhis Rd.) Another long-standing Italian restaurant in Morgantown, Pug's is more family-friendly and less fancy than Oliverio's. The food is hearty and yummy and the portions very generous (you wanted enough pasta for your next two meals, right?). Puglioni's is known for their homemade pasta, but their pizzas are good as well. The bread, the bread!, is like a loaf of homemade white bread with a chewy crust and soft center drenched in garlic butter. Amazing.

Richwood Grill - (318 Richwood Ave.) Richwood Grill is "dedicated to the essential concept of sustainable agriculture" and describes their food as "globally-inspired farm to table cuisine." The restaurant boasts an amazing view of Morgantown and the chef has been named the best in town.

Sargasso - (215 Don Knotts Blvd.) Sargasso is on fancier side compared to most Morgantown restaurants. The restaurant is more low-key during lunch hours, when it becomes a popular spot for business meetings for those who don't want to deal with downtown Morgantown parking. Tasty lunch options include grilled cheese and tomato soup, and the meatloaf sandwich.

Tudor's - (376 High St. and 3071 University Ave.) A West Virginia-based restaurant chain, Tudor's speciality is their homemade biscuits. Tudor's serves lunch, too, and it's pretty good, but it's really all about the breakfast biscuits. The Ron. . . The Mickey. . .The Huggie Bear. There has really never been a person who didn't like Tudor's. (photo - sign; photo)

Vintage Room - (467 Chestnut St.) It may not look pretty, but it tastes delicious. Vintage Room's Margarita Pizza is a must-try. And it goes great following a few of the bar's original martinis or a few glasses of wine.

Casa D'Amici - (485 High St.) Recommendation: slice of Neapolitan pizza (mozzarella/provolone blend and pizza sauce) with hand-tossed crust and a side of garlic knots (soo garlic-y!).

Chico's Fat Burritos - (456 High St.) Recommendation: whatever your heart desires. It's build-your-own-burrito, so you can have whatever you liiike.

D. P. Dough - (405 High St.) Recommendation: A lot of people seem partial to the Buffer Zone - breaded chicken, mozzarella, bleu cheese, and hot sauce. Don't forget to ask for an extra container of bleu cheese. Cheese Zone (mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan) with marinara dipping sauce is another favorite of D. P. Dough-eaters. (top photo - b&w)

Hot Dog Man - (High St.) The DA wrote about the man doing God's work last year, selling hot dogs from his hot dog cart on High Street after bars close in Morgantown. You can read it here. And he is on twitter. Recommendation: hot dog with everything, eaten while walking down High Street, and finished within 10 yards of the hot dog stand.

Sheetz - These playgrounds for hungry drunks are located EVERYWHERE. Recommendation: anything with cheese. Fries with cheese sauce, pretzel stuffed with cheese. . . (top photo)

Tailpipes - (417 High St.) Recommendation: It's build-your-own-burger and peanut butter is even listed as a possible ingredient if that's your thing. The turkey burgers are good for non-burger people or someone trying to maintain a modicum of healthfulness. The sides are all pretty tasty too, with options like sweet potato fries and zucchini fries. Their shake flavors are very ambitious with options like Fruity Pebbles, Fluffer Nutter, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. (top photo)

Best Places to Watch a Game in Morgantown, WV

Boston Beanery - (321 High St. and 383 Patteson Dr.) Morgantown-based restaurant chain. Friendly atmosphere, pub food (good crab cakes!), and drinks make The Beanery a good bet for sports-watching.

Buffalo Wild Wings - (268 High St.) A good place to watch sports and eat wings. You don't get creativity points for going to a national chain like Buffalo Wild Wings, but you can redeem yourself by taking their wing challenge, for which - yikes - you have to sign a release form. . . (bottom photo)

Kegler's - (735 Chestnut Ridge Rd.) Above-average bar food (start with drunken nachos then eat all the breadsticks you can get your hands on); a plethora of TVs; and recently expanded and now with an outdoor seating area make Kegler's the second best place you can be on a game day.

Schmitt’s Saloon - (245 Cheat Rd.) It's owned by this guy. How could you not watch a game here? (drinks)

Sports Page - (325 High St.) Another option for game-watching. At this sports bar on High Street, order one of their speciality drinks like a West Virginia Long Island Iced Tea, which is some mixture of alcohols that creates a blue and yellow cocktail. In Morgantown, we don't just bleed blue and gold, we drink it, too.

Varsity Club - (910 Willowdale Rd.) Almost directly across from Milan Puskar Stadium, this restaurant serves a very wide array of food (the pizza is surprisingly good for what one would imagine is a burger/wings-type place) and the beer choices are numerous as well.

(top photos l-r : penguins, jets, wvu bball, wings, cheerleaders, uniforms)

Brew Pub - (Morgantown Brewing Company) (1291 University Ave.) Fun bar/restaurant/micro-brewery. There is usually live music on the weekends and a deck area that is open in nice weather.

Brick Yard Pub - (237 Spruce St.) The crowd here is eclectic, which makes it interesting. Their giant-sized "yard" drinks also make for a good time.

The Back Door - (485 High St.) Not a dive bar, but it is in a basement. Back Door has a fun atmosphere, excellent Happy Hour buffet, encouraging drink specials, and karaoke - it's a good choice! (top photo)

Bent Willey's - (471 Chestnut St.) Bent Willey's isn't as ubiquitous with "Morgantown bar" as it it once was, but it is still a must-go-to bar on a trip to Morgantown, even if the 80s room is now the 90s room.

Big Time's - (327 High St.) A very laid-back bar along High Street that always seems to get more fun the closer it gets to last call. (top photo)

Chic 'n Bones - (444 Chestnut St.) Another bar/restaurant that has become a mainstay in Morgantown over the years. Karaoke, live music on Fridays, trivia night, and good drink specials make for fun nights at Chic 'n Bones.

Gibbie's - (368 High St.) Bar/restaurant on High Street. Good food and good atmosphere. Depending on the time of day, Gibbie's can be anything from chill to rambunctious - which makes it pretty fun choice for a night out. (top photo)

McClafferty's - (1301 University Ave.) Not quite a dive bar, but close - and definitely an Irish Pub. McClafferty's is a low key place where you can go to have a beer, or two, or three. . .

Rocktop Bar & Grill - (341 Chestnut St.) Located atop the roof of a building in downtown Morgantown, Rocktop says they have Las Vegas style without the attitude. The restaurant/bar also features hot tubs and definitely has the best view in Morgantown!

Sports Page - (325 High St.) Bar and restaurant on High Street. As the name implies, a good place to watch a sporting event, but Sports Page is also worth checking out for their drink specials, karaoke, and ladies night.

Vice Versa - (335 High St.) Morgantown's main gay bar. Regularly holds fun drag shows, and everyone is welcome.

Vintage Room - (467 Chestnut St.) Morgantown's "fancy" bar, for when your girlfriend wants to dress up and drink martinis. Yummy appetizers and pizzas and unique martini flavors are just a few of the things that make Vintage Room a great bar. As for the typical crowd of Vintage Room, this review is funny, but fairly true.

(top photo- High St.)

Best Places to Hear Live Music in Morgantown, WV

123 - (123 Pleasant St.) The staple of live music venues in Morgantown. Morgantown Magazine recently covered the bar's intriguing and storied history, which is also, basically, the history of live music in Morgantown. Please don't order a mixed drink, you'll just embarrass yourself.

Black Bear - (132 Pleasant St.) Black Bear is more known for their food, but they feature live music, usually on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Their performers aren't raucous and usually tend to be acoustic. Combined with a good menu for picky beer drinkers and yummy Black Bear food, their live music makes Black Bear a fun option for a low key evening out. (photo)

Gibbies - (368 High St.) Bar/Restaurant on High Street which regularly features live music. The stage where bands play is small, which leads to an intimate feel for watching live music, and also contributes to an interesting dichotomy where you sometimes can't talk over the music and you can't hear the music over the people - but still always a good time. (top photo)

Schmitt's Saloon - (245 Cheat Rd.) Music Hall/Restaurant/Sports Bar recently opened by former WVU football player, Owen Schmitt. Music veers heavily towards the country set, but would probably still be enjoyed by most. The music hall also boasts a cool-looking interior made out of salvaged wood from barns in West Virginia and a not-run-of-the-mill food menu that includes things like "Beer Braised Brat Bites" and fried Snickers for dessert.

The Book Exchange - (Downtown, 152 Willey St.; Evansdale, 342 Patteson Dr.) In two locations, both Book Exchanges are good places to find a large variety of licensed WVU apparel in a range of sizes. (top - gray t-shirt; gold t-shirt)

WVU Bookstore - (Mountainlair.) The "Official (Barnes & Noble) Bookstore of WVU", there is a good selection of licensed apparel here as well; it tends to be more stylish and more expensive. (top - white t-shirt; blue t-shirt)

FindHarri.com - Check out this website for quirkier, more original WVU stuff (like the prints on the right) and cool stuff like "Sunnyside" shirts and koozies.

Best Places to Buy WVU Gear - FindHarri.com

Things you "have to do" on a visit to Morgantown

Sunset behind Woodburn Hall, Morgantown, WV

Tailgating

Here are a few recipes to get your tailgate going:

Blue + Gold

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