What should I visit in and around State College, PA?

April 28, 2021 3:53 PM

I'm planning a weekend road trip to State College, PA in a few weeks. (Hooray for vaccines!) What should I check out while I'm in the area?

I'll be traveling with a friend. We'll probably spend one night at an AirBnB or similar. Anything within a 30-minute drive is fair game.

We're already planning to visit Penn's Cave.

We'll probably also do some hiking – recommendations of particularly lovely spots are welcome.

Aside from that, we like food, beer/cocktails/wine, antiquing (of the "weird old junk" variety), cool old cemeteries, and just exploring walkable neighborhoods.

(Our interests also include comedy, electronic music, and contemporary/installation art – but I doubt we'll find much of that in the area.)

But really, I'd like to hear about anything that you think is worth a visit.

Whatcha got?

posted by escape from the potato planet to Travel & Transportation around State College, PA (8 answers total)

Definitely go to the Penn State Arboretum; it's free and lovely this time of year. Also highly recommend going to the Penn State Creamery (it's on campus). Delicious! State College has an abundance of amazing restaurants as well. The downtown has nice shops and dining as well.
posted by Fuzzy Lumpkins at 4:01 PM on April 28, 2021 [1 favorite]

I have an unhealthy attachment to the restaurant known as "The Deli". Alas, Google claims that the establishment is "temporarily closed", so double check. At the very least take a walk to Heister Street and admire the mural full of Penn State figures on the building opposite of the restaurant.

In lieu of a visit to The Deli, The Corner Room is also pretty good. Both places are solidly American style cuisine.

The Penn State Creamy is definitely worth a visit and I HIGHLY second that recommendation.

Also worth a visit is Penn State's Palmer Museum of Art if you have the time and inclination.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 4:15 PM on April 28, 2021

Seconding the Palmer and the Creamery. I went to grad school there about 20 years ago and while some things change, these are both still awesome.
posted by PussKillian at 5:56 PM on April 28, 2021

After you get your ice cream, stroll down the elm corridor on campus. It's like a time warp: you can see how Elm St., Anytown USA looked, back before the (so-called) Dutch Elm disease pandemic killed them all off.

It's beautiful and sad and kind of mind blowing.

There's also semi-rare old growth virgin hemlock/pine forest nearby.

I like SC a lot but one of the best things about it is the forests. Have a beer and schnitzel at Otto's maybe, they have an expansive outdoor dining deck.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:11 PM on April 28, 2021 [1 favorite]

There was a cute used bookstore just off campus named Websters that I used to hit up when I was making monthly trips down there for work. Also definitely hit the Creamery.
posted by edbles at 6:44 PM on April 28, 2021

They also have a little modern art museum on campus near the theater building.
posted by edbles at 6:45 PM on April 28, 2021

Ha, I'm also going to recommend the Penn State Creamery and the Palmer Art Museum. But also recommending Meyer Dairy for ice cream as well because why not try both?

I haven't been in back in a couple of years, but I always loved getting breakfast at the Waffle Shop (either on Atherton or the downtown one). I have a fondness for Cafe 210's teas, but I'm pretty sure it was because of happy hour prices and they were good enough, not because the teas are an amazing cocktail. Enjoyed getting a coffee at Saint's cafe. And I found a few good books at Websters Cafe, I preferred Saints over Websters for coffee, but ymmv.

I liked Apple Hill Antiques in State College, never been to the other antique store.

One of my favorite walks was walking by Old Main and walking over to the Pattee and Paterno Libraries. The P/P libraries occasionally had some exhibits, but maybe not this year.
posted by later, paladudes at 7:16 PM on April 28, 2021

if you like historical towns, Bellefonte nearby is worth an afternoon's visit. It's got a really charming park with a river running through it and a nicely preserved small downtown with boutiques and restaurants.
posted by Otter_Handler at 7:42 AM on April 29, 2021