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On fall Saturdays more than 100,000 people pour into Beaver Stadium, and State College becomes one of the largest gatherings in Pennsylvania. The rest of the year it is a lively college town in the Nittany Valley of central Pennsylvania, shaped by Penn State's University Park campus and ringed by long Appalachian ridges.
The town grew up around the Farmers' High School, founded in 1855, which became Penn State. Old Main, with its bell tower and New Deal-era frescoes, still anchors the campus, while the Berkey Creamery scoops ice cream made from the university's own dairy herd. Downtown, College Avenue and Allen Street are packed with cafes, bookstores and bars facing the campus gates.
Beyond the stadium, the Arboretum and the new Palmer Museum of Art reward a slower visit, and the hike up Mount Nittany delivers sweeping valley views. Nearby Boalsburg has a military museum and a mansion with a Columbus-family chapel, and Penn's Cave offers a boat ride through a limestone cavern. In July, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts fills the streets.
The administrative heart of Penn State, rebuilt in 1930 with a tall bell tower overlooking the front lawn. Inside, the lobby is covered with Land-Grant Frescoes painted by Henry Varnum Poor around 1940, showing the college's founding and Pennsylvania industries. The lobby is open on weekdays.
With room for more than 100,000 fans, Beaver Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in the world, and a white-out night game is an unforgettable experience. Tailgating fills the surrounding fields for hours before kickoff. Outside the season, the stadium hosts the Penn State All-Sports Museum nearby.
The university creamery has made ice cream from Penn State dairy milk for generations, and its rich flavors such as Peachy Paterno draw long lines on game days. It is in the Food Science Building on campus, with sandwiches and cheese for sale too. Go on a weekday afternoon to avoid the crowds.
Penn State's art museum moved into a new building at the Arboretum in 2024, with galleries for American painting, European prints, Asian ceramics and contemporary works. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the gardens outside. Admission is free, and it makes a natural pairing with a walk through the Arboretum.
In nearby Boalsburg, this state museum traces Pennsylvania's soldiers from the Revolutionary War to recent conflicts, with a walk-through World War I trench, vehicles and personal stories. Outside is the 28th Infantry Division Shrine, a memorial park with monuments and tanks. Check seasonal hours before going.
A growing public garden on the north side of campus, centered on the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens with themed beds, a children's garden, a pollinator garden and a pond with a fountain. Trails continue into a natural meadow and wetland. It is free and open daily from dawn to dusk, and especially pretty in June.
The ridge that gave the Nittany Lions their name rises just east of town. Trails maintained by the Mount Nittany Conservancy climb steeply through forest to overlooks such as the Mike Lynch Overlook, with views of the campus, Beaver Stadium and the valley. Allow two hours for the loop and wear sturdy shoes.
A family estate in Boalsburg filled with furnishings and art collected over nine generations. Its unusual highlight is the Columbus Chapel, brought from Spain in the early 1900s and containing heirlooms of the Columbus family. The museum is open for guided tours in the warmer months, so confirm the schedule first.
The blocks of College Avenue and Allen Street face the campus gates with bookstores, cafes, pizza shops and student bars. The Allen Street Gates make a classic photo, and the side streets hold the State Theatre and local bakeries. Evenings are lively during the semester; summer is quieter and easier to park.
About 15 miles east of town in Centre Hall, Penn's Cave is explored entirely by boat, gliding along an underground stream past stalactites and flowstone formations. A separate guided bus tour visits a wildlife park with elk, bison and wolves in large enclosures. The cave stays cool year-round, so bring a jacket.
A wetland preserve within the borough where boardwalks cross marsh and meadow along Slab Cabin Run. Kids can spot frogs, turtles and dragonflies, and the restored barn hosts programs on local ecology. It is free and an easy escape from the campus crowds, with the Penn State dairy fields next door.
Each July, the streets of downtown State College and the edge of campus fill with hundreds of artists' booths, live music, food and children's activities. The juried sidewalk sale draws makers from across the country. Many events are free; book lodging early, as the festival brings large crowds to town.
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Pennsylvania, United States
Pennsylvania, United States
Pennsylvania, United States
Pennsylvania, United States
Pennsylvania, United States
Pennsylvania, United States
Pennsylvania, United States
Pennsylvania, United States
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