State College Things to Do

Usually it's the larger metropolitan areas of Pennsylvania which get lots of attention from visitors, but Central Pennsylvania is what you might call a hidden gem. There is so much to see and do and the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau's website is jam-packed with information to help you see & so it all!! Need brochures, maps, event calendar's--this is the place.

"Tour": Summer & Winter Packages offered by the Visitor's Bureau can be tailored to include tickets for sporting events at Penn State University, 2 nights at your choice of a range of hotels, options for theater & museum tickets, concerts, performances and meals, etc. Call: 800-2SW-PSU for package details and prices.

"Roar": Penn State All-Sports Museum, Eart & Mineral Science Museum, and HUB-Robeson Galleries, Palmer Museum of Art, and Zoller Gallery all have FREE ADMISSION!! Don't miss Penn State University's Nittany Lions sports teams, cultural performances, etc.

"Explore": the beautiful natural countryside and mountains, the Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery, festivals, Victorian Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and colonial Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; DelGrosso Amusement park, Woodward Caves, Penn's Cave & Wildlife Park, and all sorts of outdoor sporting activities such as hot-air balooning, hiking, the Ridge Soaring Gliderport, and camping. Don't forget the beautiful and swift moving Susquehanna River!! A "Fun Pass" from the Visitor's Bureau will give you discount admissions to theaters, restaurants and some shops.

The Victorian Christmas at Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, held the second week of December is on the top of my list!!

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Looking for something to do during our few daylight hours of free time, I picked up a brochure listing nearby attractions. One of the local sights that caught my eye was the "Centre Furnance Mansion" right here in State College. Located only two minutes from the edge of Penn State's campus, we were lucky to be here on a Sunday which is one of the 5 days per week that the Mansion is open.

The Centre Furnance Mansion is notable for several reasons not the least of which is the fact that it has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Now also serving as the headquarters of the Centre County Historical Society, the Centre Furnace Mansion tour is given by docents of the Society. Our guide, Mr. Grant Sherritt, did an admirable job of relating the history of not only the mansion and its former residents, but also gave us interesting information about the iron-smelting (furnace) business relating directly to the history of the mansion. The Centre Furnace Mansion has been restored to reflect "the period of residency of ironmaster Moses Thompson and his family, 1842-1891."

The house was originally a one room dwelling that was later expanded to the much grander proportions we see today. In addition to several small rooms, the lowest level contained the original thick-walled rooms of the main house with the original fireplace used for cooking. On the hearth was a display of old cooking utensils and heavy irons.

I was impressed with the restoration of the upper 3 floors which contained original furnishings, and clothing as well as unoriginal to this house, but authenticated period furnishings and textiles. A wide staircase lead up to a wide hall dividing four rooms including a very lovely dining room and parlor, and two rooms used as sitting or entertaining rooms for the family. Beautiful reproduction carpets carefully placed on the wide plank floors, lacy window curtains, and plants enhanced the rooms which contained many personal objects which were donated by descendants of the Thompson clan. Family china adorned the dining table, a period piano was topped with family photos, and even especially well preserved pieces of the family's clothing gave a special personal aura to the mansion.

Another wide staircase leading to the third floor reveal a wide hall with a sitting area with flanked on each side by two bedrooms each --- two for adults and two for children. The fourth floor was mostly servents quarters, but now appears as a library/office. Considering there was no such thing as central heating in those days, each room in the house had its own fireplace and unique mantel.

The Mansion is open to the public on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 1 to 4 pm and other times by appointment only.

Admission is free!! Donations gladly accepted.

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For visitors and local residents alike, Penn State University offers a wide variety of things to do: lectures, stage and musical events, art exhibits, film festivals, an arboretum, planetarium, and of course, SPORTS! Penn State University also has a pool complex, ice rinks and a golf course which are open to the public. See my separate tip on The Bryce Jordan Center.

For architectural enthusiasts, Penn State's campus also offers many beautiful styles, and its new law school building is quite unique.

Universities generally enhance the town in which they are located because part of their mission these days is to connect with the surrounding community by offering services and being a cultural mecca. Penn State is no exception, so if you will be visiting State College for a weekend or longer, consider activities on campus (especially during the academic year).

Univerities towns can really extend your entertainment budget because many of these offerings have nominal charges or are even Free! Looking for something to do with "Out-of-town" guests--bring them to a university event. Don't forget to visit the wildly popular Penn State "Berkey Creamery" for delicious ice-cream made right on the campus (Penn State has its own dairy!!).

Some of the most helpful sub-sites are listed below:

www.psu.edu/sports/

www.psu.edu/dept/palmermuseum

www.pacenterstage.psu.edu

www.psu.edu/golfcourses

Really, really like sports? Visit the penn State All-Sports Museum.
www.gosports.com/Museum/museum.cfm

www.pennstateicerink.psu.edu

www.music.psu.edu

UPDATE: The sculpture shown in the last photo has now been obliterated from campus and replaced by grass and trees only. Many students, local residents, fans and admirers believe this was a despicable act brought about by an administration which felt it needed to over correct for a situation and for a man who did not live to defend himself.

While you will see that the Berkey Creamery has a listing under the 'restaurant' tip section, I felt it deserved an entry in the 'things to do' section as well. Its reputation for delicious ice cream is certaily well deserved, but it also has a reputation for being the largest university creamery in the nation.

The creamery has been serving the Penn State student body and the State College community since 1896. Half of the 4 million pounds of milk that goes into making this delicious ice cream comes from the university dairy's 225-cow herd. Approximately 190,000 gallons of ice cream is produced annually in addition to other products such as all types of milk, sour cream, many types of cheese, yogurt, etc.

It is said that the Creamery's ice cream is so fresh, "that only four days, on the average, elapse between the cow and your newly dipped cone."

Not only does the creamery provide a delicious service to the community at large, it also functions as a place which provides interships to food science majors, provides workshops in dairy processes and ice cream manufacturing, milk processing and cheese making. Don't forget that the dairy business is a very important factor here as well and the university offer an internationally popular corse known as the Creamery's "Ice Cream Short Course," which has been offered since the creamery opened in 1895. Can you imagine that a quart of creamery milk once sold for 5 cents per quart, and that the Creamery made horse-drawn wagon deliveries house to house. Today, the customers for the Creamery must come to its new location which opened in 2006 and the line for ice cream is frequently lined up out of its doors!

The Creamery ships it products aywhere in the continental United States. You would have to be a saint to pass up ice cream here if you are anywhere near the Penn State Campus - University Park.

The current price (Fall, 2012) of 1/2 gallon of ice cream is $5.75. The price of a cone or cup which is literally gigantic is only about $3.50.

The Berkey Creamery sells all types of other foods for grab-n-go for breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc. and even a few Penn State University souvenirs.

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January, 2012: A golden halo has been painted above the head of beloved Penn State football coach Joe Paterno who has passed away and was buried on January 25, 2012.

November, 2011: The depiction of Jerry Sandusky wearing a blue & white stripped shirt and seated in a chair has been deleted from the mural, leaving only an empty chair and a blue crossed ribbon, the symbol of the campaign against child abuse, in its place.

A remarkable piece of public art you'll find in downtown State College is a painted wall mural approximately 100 feet long and 2 two stories tall. The mural entitled, Inspiration" is by mural artist, Michael Pilato. The painting is rather a unique work of art for it features real persons who have a connection to Centre County, Pennsylvania, and has embedded themes. Although the likeness of Coach Joe Paterno of Penn State University is easily recognizable, there are obviously other notable people such as the man holding 3 Olympic medals, a Heismann trophy winner, two soldiers from the Civil War and WWI, etc. You'll notice handprints from local children which form a wonderful background texture to some areas of the painting and also special pets, birds and animals which I particularly liked.

Original work on this painting spanned 1999 & 2000. The mural is not finished---it is an ongoing project as each year nearing the date of September 11th Mr. Pilato adds new features. From Mr. Pilato's website, he explains the reason for this:

"Every year around September 11th, I paint for 48 hours straight. It is my personal way of honoring and thanking those we lost on September 11, 2001 - a thank you for their life and a search for the meaning of their death."
from Pilatomurals.com

The closer I looked at the painting, the more I was intriqued by it. Wall murals hold a special appeal for me for many reasons. One VT personality who has many wonderful wall murals captured on her pages is Yaqui" (Dee). Please drop by her pages to have a look--they are fascinating.

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These photos show the image of Joe Paterno, legendary Penn State football coach, is everywhere at State College. As I write these words on October 30, 2011, I must note that just yesterday, Penn State scored the winning touchdown with only a minute left on an 80-yard drive against Illinois, and this effort made JoePa the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division 1 history, with 409 wins.

UPDATE: Only a few weeks after taking these photos, Coach Paterno was enveloped in a huge scandal and dismissed as head football coach.

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RIGHT BY THE STADIUM is a very nice tribute to Joe Paterno in the form of a bronze statue of Coach along with a quote of his on the wall behind him. "i HOPE THEY WRITE I MADE PENN STATE A BETTER PLACE, NOT JUST THAT IWAS A GOOD FOOTBALL COACH."

UPDATE: Only a few weeks after taking these photos, JoePa was enveloped in a terrible scandal and removed as football coach. How quickly things can change.

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If you go into the Penn State Hall of Fame/Museum, located on one corner of the stadium, they can tell you when the next tour of the stadium will be. It was via the tour that we were able to see inside the facility and get these photos.

THE GRASS ON THE FIELD IS NATURAL, NOT PLASTIC. It is Kentucky Bluegrass that is specially grown for the PSU stadium, although not in Kentucky. Furthermore, the endzone grass is grown at Penn State by the PSU Horticulture Department.

The stadium is the fourth largest in the United States. It seats 107,000, however its record was over 110,000 for a game against Nebraska.