Penn State is undoubtedly amazing, there’s really no way to deny it. With 40,000 undergraduate students alone, there are crazy amounts of people who love their school. But it isn’t just the students who adore the university. On home football weekends, State College becomes the third most populated city in the state of Pennsylvania, after Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and one of the top 240 cities in the entire country. Clearly, we attract a lot of visitors, whether they’re alumni returning to their old stomping grounds or friends from rival schools finally coming to check it out. Either way, there’s so much to see and do in this wonderful town and here are the nine top attractions for people visiting Penn State:
1. Berkey Creamery ice cream
Probably the best ice cream you’ve ever eaten, just remember, unless you’re Bill Clinton, you only get one flavor. My personal favorites are Death by Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Bittersweet Mint.
2. Old Main
The Penn State landmark is beautiful year-round and perfect for photo-ops.
3. The Nittany Lion Shrine
Just as photogenic is the ever-quintessential home of our beloved Nittany lion.
4. The Arboretum
Perfect for taking a stroll, taking pictures, or just relaxing, the arboretum is its own little world at the edge of campus.
5. The nightlife
Here in Happy Valley, we know how to have a good time.
6. Canyon Pizza/Wings Over/Gumby’s Pokey Sticks
You’re going to want something to eat after going out, and what could be better than $1 slices of Canyon pizza, amazing and saucy Wings Over, or the cheesy goodness of Pokey Sticks?
7. Waffle Shop the next day
Start your morning with the most important meal of the day and a hearty plate at the original or one of the many other Waffle Shops in State College.
8. Tailgates
No one tailgates like State; we even have shirts that say, “I tailgate with the best,” so you know it’s real. There are actually endless miles of tailgate fields full of barbequed food with cups and cans strewn as abundantly as all of the people dressed in blue and white.
9. A Penn State football game
Don’t tailgate too hard, you still need to make it in to the game! If you’re lucky enough to get into the student section, it might actually change your life and the way you cheer for football games. There’s nothing like being in Beaver Stadium with up to 107,000 other incredibly spirited people, while our Blue Band plays and the Lionettes rile up the crowd for the boys in blue.
