It’s all there, in Happy Valley: Mount Nittany, overlooking State College, Pennsylvania - home of JoePa and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Getting There
You will find State College, PA, in the center of the state, Centre County, the "Centre Region.” If driving, State College is 137 miles from Pittsburgh to the west, 190 miles from Washington, D.C., and 155 miles from Baltimore to the southeast, 190 miles from Philadelphia, and 250 miles from New York City to the east, and 198 miles from Buffalo to the north. Altoona is 34 miles southwest and Harrisburg is 63 miles to the southeast. University Park Airport in State College provides service from Delta Connection, Northwest Airlink, United Express and U.S. Airway Express.

Lodging is always an issue during football season in State College. The Centre Region boasts a population of about 120,000. Locals will tell you that the population of State College, proper, is 60,000 plus. Whatever the numbers, motel rooms are at a premium on home game football weekends - especially since the new stadium expansion, which has increased the seating capacity of Beaver Stadium to over 107,000.

In response to the stadium expansion, motel and hotel building has increased, around town. There are now many major chains, including, Ramada Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Marriott Courtyard, Roadway, Sleep Inn, Hampton Inn, Springhill Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Motel 6, and within walking distance in the downtown area: Days Inn, Atherton Hotel, Comfort Suites, and the Imperial Motor Inn, among others. And on campus, there is the Nittany Lion Inn - but don’t even think about it - they are always sold out on home game weekends.  In addition, there are bed and breakfasts throughout the Centre County area.

Still, even with the building boom, early planning is crucial. Making reservations a year in advance is prudent. Many motels are sold out for the entire season, continually.

Not too long ago, Trip Captain traveled to the Borough of State College, also known as "Happy Valley,” to partake of college football, the Penn State Way.

Lay of the Land
Trip Captain’s plane sat down smooth and easy at Cleveland-Hopkins Airport on a fall Thursday, mid-morning. Cap picked up his rental car and drove directly to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he spent the rest of the morning checking out the sounds - from Bill Haley and the Comets to U2. But as he toured the Hall, he grew antsy.  Happy Valley was calling; it was time to roll. He grabbed a ham sandwich from the snack bar and headed out, southeast, then east, into “the leaf capitol of the world" - the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

It was mid-October – peak season for autumn foliage in central Pa. Cruising east, to Happy Valley, 240 miles away, I-80 was a hallway of autumn color. As he drove, Cap took his game ticket out of his wallet, and reflected. The “three most beautiful words in the English language” are, without a doubt: "ticket in hand,” he said. Simple as that. Not "I love you,” or anything else.

And, all other ticket sentiments fall short. "I’ve think I’ve got a line on one"; "I think I can get one outside the stadium"; “my brother-in-law buys and sells on e-bay – surely I can count on him” – such strategy is weak, leaving too much to chance.

For this ball game, Cap felt like that he had won the lottery. He actually had a friend who had a friend who worked in the Penn State Sports Information office. A phone call and it had shown up in his mail for face value, along with a Penn State Football Press Guide. And now he had it, "ticket in hand.” Case closed on the ticket issue.

College Avenue

On east he drove to exit 161 at Milesburg, then south on I-99, a jog to Highway 26 and southwest into State College. Highway 26 turns into College Ave. in town - the campus on one side of College, the downtown area on the opposite side.

Cap turned into the Hampton Inn parking lot, off College Ave., coming into town. He parked, checked in, and walked across the parking lot to Damon’s for an evening meal.

At the front entry, on a table, he found a basket of blue, campaign-size buttons. They each contained a slogan, and the Hostess advised him that these type buttons were all over town, each football game weekend. Slogans such as, "Don’t It Make Your Buckeyes Blue" – fashioned to fit the opponent.

He took a button and descended the stairs to the dining area below. Turning the corner, he spied a huge mural behind the bar - a painting of head coach Joe Paterno leading the Penn State team and the Blue Band down College Ave., past the Allen Street corner, as the mascot and fans line the street, and the outline of Old Main in the sky, above. This picture, he was to learn, is very popular and hangs in the homes of Penn State fans, everywhere.

Cap found a booth against the wall, and devoured an order of ribs while watching the Thursday night game on the huge screens across the room. Then it was back to the Hampton and lights out.

Old Main

Friday morning, TC was up early. He headed over to Eastcoast Fitness, for a quick, intense workout. Then back to the Hampton, where he cleaned up and rolled out. He drove west on College, south on Garner, found a parking lot, then walked back down Garner, and west on College, past the shops, to Allen Street.  There, he crossed onto the campus, just east of University House, the oldest building in campus, then up through the long corridor of towering trees - ”The Elms” – past the Obelisk, and veered right to Old Main, with its long green lawn, out front. Old Main, which once held classes and dormitories, today houses University Administration offices, and is the signature landmark on campus.

From Old Main, Cap headed past Schwab Auditorium.  The grave of George Atherton, University President of 24 years.  The Carnegie Building - the University’s first library, constructed with donations from Andrew Carnegie.  Old Botany and on down Pollock Road, to Burrowes Road and Rec Hall.  There, where Burrowes meets Curtin Road, he spotted it - the Nittany Lion Shrine.

Nittany Lion Shrine

Possibly the most photographed animal statue on the planet, it seems someone is always posing beside or on the Lion, for a picture.  I know it’s the Penn State mascot Cap thought, but what is a “Nittany Lion?”

State College sits in Nittany Valley, in the shadow of Mount Nittany. Legend holds that the mountain is named for “Nita-Nee,” an Indian princess of great valor, who led her people to safety.  When she died the mountain arose overnight, above her grave.

The mascot is a mountain lion, of the type that once roamed the Nittany Mountain area – a Nittany Lion.  Proclaiming it to be the “fiercest beast of them all,” the Nittany Lion was adopted by the student body as the official mascot in 1906. Today, the costumed mascot prowls the sidelines - inspiring, entertaining.

Cap strolled east on Curtin, past Pattee Library, Paterno Library, the Pavillion Theater, to the Creamery.

Starting in 1892, Penn State offered the first collegiate instruction in the manufacture of ice cream, and today, boasts the nation’s largest Dairy Department.

TC took his place in line just inside the door of the Creamery, and studied the menu on the wall, as he waited. By the time he reached the counter, there was no doubt. "Peachy Paterno, two scoops,” he said. He hadn’t eaten since last night, and JoePa’s confection hit the spot. Dropping his empty cup in a trash container, he took off, and spent the rest of the morning touring the campus. With clear skies, the day was warming up. Under the trees, brilliant with fall foliage, the area radiated the feel, the smell of autumn.

The Penn State campus is rich with history on display.  And as he wandered, the past called to him from every direction. Historical markers, buildings and monuments reminded him that people come and go - but on a college campus, their efforts live on.

Countdown to kickoff
In the bookstore at the HUB, the Hetzel Union Building, he

The Penn State Way continued on next page (click here)

Advertise     Privacy Policy