What to do?

I%26#39;m not sure how often people check this forum, but figured I%26#39;d give it a shot....

So my husband and I will be in town for a weekend family thing but will have a few hours in which to occupy ourselves. And I%26#39;m not trying to sound stupid, but I was wondering what there is to do in the state college area? Is there a street that is good to stroll down and see some sights/shops? We will be on our own for breakfasts and at least one dinner so are there places to recomend? We are early 30%26#39;s, don%26#39;t mind walking and prefer ';local'; establishments (even if off the beaten trail) to chains. Thanks in advance for any help.

What to do?

College Ave is the main street in town and has lots of shops and restauants. The Penn State campus is also nice if you just want to walk around. In regard to restaurants, there aren%26#39;t any excellent restaurants in State college. The best place for dinner is probably Cafe Zola (College Ave). If it%26#39;s a nice day, and you want to sit outside and have a few drinks, Cafe 210 is nice (also on College Ave.) Enjoy!

Dan

What to do?

Definitely College Avenue for shopping. You%26#39;ll probably want to park on College Avenue if you can find a spot. If not, then you should be able to find some parking in one of the garages, possibly on Allen Street, just off College Ave. At the intersection of College and Allen, you can walk onto campus and enjoy the huge stand of very old American Elm trees, with stops at Old Main, the President%26#39;s House, and Pattee Library. It is a gorgeous campus - among the top 2 or 3 prettiest in the United States. The places to eat that are very much a part of the Penn State experience are The Diner (grilled stickies with ice cream, yum) and The Corner Room, both on College Avenue. If the weather is uncooperative, you may want to go to the art museum, which is in the northern part of campus. The thing that you really shouldn%26#39;t miss is a visit to the Creamery, which is on campus. Penn State has world class programs in the dairy sciences, and the Creamery, run by the University, has some of the best ice cream anywhere.

I agree with both of the above posts. The heart of downtown is at the corner of S. Allen St. and College Avenue, which is right across from Old Main on campus, and the tree-lined ';mall';. If you don%26#39;t mind a short drive out North Atherton St. (Rte. 322), you can eat breakfast one day at The Waffle Shop, serving one of the best menu breakfasts in town. There%26#39;s another location on West College Avenue, about 10 blocks from downtown. The Nittany Lion Inn on campus serves a nice Friday night seafood buffet. I would call first for reservations. And in addition to the Creamery, try The Deli downtown on S. Garner St. for award-winning scrumptious desserts!

As for things to do, besides strolling the downtown and seeing the many unique shops, pubs and dining establishments, there is the State Theatre on W. College, which has great live entertainment and films, and many venues offer live music on the weekends, too. Depends on what you like, but you%26#39;ll find jazz at Zola%26#39;s and at Tony%26#39;s Big Easy, and about everything else from rock to karaoke at other places downtown. A fun sports bar out on North Atherton about a mile from town is Champ%26#39;s, with good food here (try the homemade ravioli or the kickin%26#39; wings). Have fun!

Love it! Thanks so much for all the great ideas and quick responses!!