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Our stop in Provo ended up being shorter than planned due to lack of time. We skipped the museums but we were able to see the downtown and the major sites.
Center Street
We started with a quick walk though the small historic downtown along Center Street. There were some nice buildings, especially on the block next to University Avenue, and a good selection of restaurants.
We noticed a few interesting murals along the street. One of them included scenes from four important developments in Utah history: the construction of Fort Utah in 1849; the development of mills in 1850; the completion of the railroad in 1873; and the creation of public schools in 1890. We also stopped into the Utah Valley Convention Center for a few minutes.
Utah County Courthouse
Just south of Center Street on University Avenue are two important buildings. First, on the east side of the street is the Utah County Courthouse. It was built between 1919 and 1926 at a cost of just under US$600,000. The Neoclassical building is an adaptation of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
Provo City Center Temple
Across the street on the west side is the Provo City Center Temple. When a fire destroyed the historic Provo Tabernacle in 2010, contractors utilized the remaining external shell of the building to erect the Provo City Center Temple. With the completion of the temple, Provo became only the second city to have two LDS temples, and it was the second time a tabernacle had been converted into a temple.
Provo Utah Temple
The other temple in town is the Provo Utah Temple, dedicated in 1971. It’s located northeast of downtown on top of a small hill. The grounds of the temple are beautifully manicured and there is a great view of the Utah Valley.
BYU
Our original plan included a visit to the BYU campus along with a couple of museums, but we had to get to our Airbnb in West Jordan a bit earlier than expected. Not too far away from town is Bridal Veil Falls, which is worth a stop.
