Games, Rides, and Food at Local Amusement Parks

Summer boredom is starting to kick in, and everyone is looking for something to do.  Driving down the road a little bit, and there are amusement parks for everyone to enjoy right near Happy Valley.  The great thing about these parks is that they are affordable for everyone.  Go carts, water slides, and and carnival food are all waiting for you at DelGrosso's Amusement Park, Tussey Mountain, Knoebels Amusement Park, and the Grange Fair.

There are several affordable amusement parks located not far from the State College area.
DelGrosso’s Amusement Park, in Tipton, Pa., remains the only permanent amusement park in the Happy Valley region. 

DelGrosso’s has rides for all ages and heights and is sure to be fun for the entire family. Enjoy everything from roller coasters to the splash of waterslides featured at Tipton Waterworks and what’s an amusement park without food? DelGrosso’s features some of the best local food including Murf ’s delicious potato salad, fresh pizza, fresh roast beef, and even DelGrosso’s very own sausage.  If it’s late in the evening, enjoy one of the free concerts featured at DelGrosso’s throughout the summer.

The DelGrosso’s water park features Tipton Waterworks, a wading pool for kids and adults alike, along with Tipton Rapids water slides. The water slides are twisted mazes that send patrons screaming through tunnels on inflated rafts. “Gravity Groove” will actually propel you uphill and “Midnight Express” tunneled water slides will be sure to have your adrenaline pumping. The water park is a great way for the everyone in your family to cool-off in the hot summer sun. DelGrosso’s also features a wide variety of fun rides available to all-ages and sizes.

Prices: All-Day Fun Pass Rides & Water Park $16.95 or save-a buck with the Sundowner Fun Pass (the Evening Special after 5pm Monday-Friday, not valid July 4th) $9.95 DelGrosso’s is roughly 35 minutes from State College via I-99. For more information: delgrossos.com


Spend a nice afternoon at Tussey Mountain where you can find many fun-filled activities that are a perfect way to enjoy any day of the week. Practice your short game with mini-golf, or if you are still learning golf, try your hand at Tussey’s Par-3 golf course. Great for beginners, par-3 golf is the perfect way to practice your short game or those frustrating chip shots.

Hop on the go-karts and race your friends at Tussey Mountain. The track is perfect to rent for your fraternity, birthday party or corporate social gathering as the go-karts are definitely great for team-building. Take a crack at it, and practice your swing at one of Tussey Mountain’s batting cages.
Also, Tussey Mountain maintains a driving range, a skate park, and a fishing pond. All activities are weather permissible. Too hot to spend time in the sun? Enjoy one of Tussey Mountain’s many concerts at the Tussey Mountain Amphitheater. Whether it’s jazz or country, Tussey Mountain’s Amphitheater is the perfect place to spread a blanket and enjoy a warm summer evening.

This summer, Tussey Mountain, is set to feature legendary country musician Randy Travis on July 20 and alternative-rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket on July 27. Tussey also will host WingFest, the State College Brew Expo and will feature its “Movies on the Mountain” program where guests can watch popular movies for just $1 under the stars. tusseymountain.com 

If you come to Happy Valley one time this summer, it would be to experience the world-famous Grange Fair, August 23-30 in Centre Hall, Pa. The Grange Fair remains “One of the Nation’s Most Unique County Fairs” and for good reason.

The Grange Fair began 136 years ago when Leonard Rhone organized the Grange Organization in which neighbors and residents alike would have a picnic. Today, the Grange Fair has grown to feature over 950 tents where families will camp-out for the week in addition to 1300 RV’s, hundreds of concessions, over 7,000 exhibit items, amusement rides, livestock, tractor pulling and much, much more. Competition exhibits also feature some of the most talented artists, craftsmen, cooks, and bakers around. The fair also hosts some of the top names in entertainment. The best part is, everything is included in admission at the entrance to the fair.

Available for all ages the carnival has something for everyone. Enjoy the soothing breeze and terrific view at the top of the Ferris Wheel. Or try a more extreme ride that will spin you, flip you, and whirl you until you can’t walk in a straight line.

The Grange Fair would not be complete without music. This year’s, 2012, headlining acts at the Grange Fair’s Grandstand includes David Nail, Sandi Patty, The Letterman, Kip Moore and lastly Surf ’s Up! (a surf-rock tribute to the Beach Boys). General admission season ticket is $15.00, while a single admission, one-day pass is $6.00. Parking, by vehicle, is $3.00 a day, and $10.00 for the week. RVs and campers, but no tents, is $25 a day. WiFi is available but pets are not allowed on the Fair Grounds. For more information see the Grange Fair’s official website: grangefair.net

Knoebels Amusement Park is located about an hour and 40 minutes from State College via Interstate 80 in Elysburg, Pa. However, it’s certainly worth the drive. After all, Knoebels is America’s largest free-admission amusement park where parking and entertainment is also free. Knoebels is home to all sorts of rides. Knoebels has children’s rides, thrill rides, family rides and more. It has several wooden roller coasters, one of which is “The Phoenix,” which has been rated as the No. 2 Wooden Coaster in the world. You can also cool off at Knoebels Crystal Pool and there is also a water area nearby for small children. Knoebels features terrific food as it has been the recipient of the Golden Ticket Award for best theme park food for 14 consecutive years.

For more information on these summer getaways go to HappyValley.com.

Seeing Happy Valley From the Air

Happy Valley is a place that is loved by Penn State Alumni and State College residents.  So, have you ever thought about seeing Happy Valley from a different point of view?   It is a great summertime trip, and gives you a view from the air that you have never had before.

Happy Valley is well known for its surrounding natural beauty. Its rolling hills and mountains, lined with luscious green trees that crowd the mountainsides. Its numerous lakes and streams are some of the most pristine you will find. Even when the weather is stormy, it’s a wonder to see the clouds roll in over the mountains in the distance.

Most of the residents and visitors are used to looking up at the mountains and standing alongside the lakes and streams. Yet, while we are constantly engaged with the beauty, perhaps we take it for granted because it’s always the same view.

Well, what if you could have a different view? A view where you would be looking down and not up at this splendid central Pennsylvania haven. And a view where you wouldn’t simply see one area, but all of it at once.

Well, you’re in luck. There are three different companies in the Centre County region that take guests up, up and away through theskies over Happy Valley and deliver astonishing views. In addition, these three companies, Skydive Happy Valley, The Sky’s the Limit Ballooning and Pine Bottom Aviation, offer a diverse selection of ways to soar through the sky.

Skydive Happy Valley
If you’re looking for the ultimate adrenaline rush, look no further than Skydive Happy Valley. You’ll get a birds-eye view of LionCountry when you and your instructor jump out of the plane at about 10,000 feet. The adrenaline rush kicks in as you hit terminal velocity (125mph) during 35 seconds of freefall before your chute opens and steers through the sky for 5 minutes before landing.
Skydive Happy Valley’s instructors are certified by the United States Parachute Association and have combined experience of more than 9,000 jumps. For a fee, your skydive be recorded, so you can share your experience with friends and family.

There are certain restrictions that must be followed. Skydive Happy Valley’s website states that participants must be at least 18years of age and weigh no more than 235 pounds. Skydive Happy Valley is based out of the Mifflin County Airport, just 30 minutes from the StateCollege Area. For more information visit SkydiveHappyValley.com
For those who are looking for a more tranquil way to get a birds-eye view of the Valley, The Sky’s 

The Limit Ballooning is the perfect option. Gather your closest friends and family and step into the basket of a hot air balloon. Then enjoy the slow lift up off the groundand ascent into the Happy Valleyskies more than 3,000 feet above ground.
The Sky’s The Limit offers trips to the sky year-round with the exceptions of several weather conditions. Balloons do not fly in rain, fog, snow or wind above six miles per hour according to The Sky’s The Limit’s website.

At The Sky’s The Limit, its name says it all. There is no limit as to where you may soar through the skies. There is also no telling where you may end up once the balloon rises and begins to float majestically through the wind stream of Happy Valley. But don’t worry, to ensure a return to the premises, a recovery vehicle follows underneath the balloon and transports the guests back after the ride is over.

The flights last for one hour but the entire trip can take three to four hours. The balloons travel anywhere from two to 15 miles depending on wind speed and direction. Safety precautions are always in procedure before the flight. According to its website, before each flight, the pilot will call for a full weather briefing to determine any weather patterns that could be dangerous. Also, the website says no more than four people can ride in the basket at the same time. Paballoonrides.com

Pine Bottom Aviation
The third way to see Happy Valley from Above is by Pine Bottom Aviation’s helicopter tours.
Buckle up inside an R44 Raven II Helicopter and settle in for one of Pine Bottom’s 30-minute tours that leave from the Altoona/Blair County Airport.

Pine Bottom has been providing helicopter tours since 2006, and during that time has provided 135 charter services and tour flights as well as supporting the local aerial photography and film market.

There’s three members on staff including one certified flightinstructor pilot with 15 years of experience. Guests can choose wherever they would like to fly but popular spots to fly over include Raystown Lake, and the Blue Knob Ski Resort Area. Tours can be extended for additional times if the passengers choose to do so.

As is the case with Skydive Happy Valley and The Sky’s the Limit, weather is a factor in the availability of flights. The helicopters offer a maximum capacity of three people per flight.
Owner Dan Lipko, says often what customers enjoy the most about the tours is: “being able to view the Raystown region from a low level spectacular view afforded from a helicopter.”

To reserve a space, guests should schedule a tour at least one to two weeks in advance.For more information about Pine Bottom Aviation’s charter helicopter rides or tours, visit pinebottomaviation.com

For more information go to:  Happy Valley

Happy Independence Day!

This July 4th head over to the Central Pennsylvania Fourth Fest.    There are activities all day, including a fireworks celebration at the conclusion of the event.

The 4thFest is a daylong, family oriented, patriotic birthday party held July 4th on the east campus of Penn State University. The 4thFest is organized by Central Pennsylvania July 4, Inc., a non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) with an all-volunteer Board and leadership team. Over 500 volunteers and 220 sponsors are dedicated to celebrating America's independence with fun filled activities and the best all-volunteer fireworks display in the nation. Volunteers work year-round to plan and organize the activities and events for the July 4th event.

For more information on Fourth Fest and the activities please go to http://www.4thfest.org/.

Penn State Myths

Penn State has many myths and folk lore attached to it due to its rich history.  Everything from the Nittany Lion to Old Main has stories behind it.  Read below to see what myths are true and which ones are false, and learn a little history about your favorite school.

Myth: The word "Nittany" is derived from Princess Nita-nee, a member of the Native American tribes who once lived in central Pennsylvania.

Fact: Princess Nita-nee was "invented" by author and publisher Henry W. Shoemaker and has no basis whatever in fact. Shoemaker’s mention of the princess first appeared in print in 1903. At that time he attributed the tale to "an aged Seneca Indian named Isaac Steele." Shoemaker, a well known Pennsylvania folklorist, later admitted that both Steele and Nita-nee were "purely fictitious."

To learn the REAL origins of "Nittany", go to "All Things Nittany"

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Myth: Penn State is state-owned and operated.

Fact: Penn State is "state-related." It was incorporated in 1855 as a private entity but the Board of Trustees included representatives of state government, including the governor. The state legislature in 1863 named Penn State the Commonwealth's sole land-grant institution, a designation that gave the University a broad mission of teaching, research, and public service. The legislature only occasionally granted funds to Penn State during the early years but since 1887 has made appropriations on a regular basis.

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Myth: Old Main burned down.

Fact: The original Old Main -- Penn State's first academic and administrative building -- was completed in 1863. A fire partially destroyed the roof in 1892, which resulted in remodeling the upper floor and the bell tower. Age and heavy use took their toll, and the building was torn down in 1929. The current Old Main was opened in 1930.

The Original Old Main

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Myth: Penn State began as a high school.

Fact: Penn State was incorporated in 1855 as an agricultural college having the power to grant baccalaureate degrees. Its aim was to encourage the application of science to farming. But many farmers distrusted the traditional college curriculum that emphasized the study of rhetoric, ancient languages, philosophy, and other "classical" subjects. To allay these suspicions, the University’s founders named the institution The Farmers’ High School, a designation that lasted until 1862.

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Myth: Land-grant education means agricultural education.

Fact: The Land-Grant Act, passed by Congress in 1862, called for states to select and support colleges and universities that would include agriculture and engineering in their curricula, without excluding science or classical studies. Their goal was "to promote liberal and practical education..." So Penn State, as a land-grant institution, offered a wide range of studies from its earliest years. Only a small fraction of the student body majored in agriculture.

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Myth: The sun dial on the Old Main lawn is the geographic center of Pennsylvania.

Fact: The sun dial is a gift of the senior class of 1915 and was presented that same year. It holds no geographic significance. The geographic center of the Commonwealth is in Centre County, but the latest calculations by Penn State cartographers place it near Fisherman's Paradise along Spring Creek, near Bellefonte. For many years, based on older methods of calculation, the center was thought to be near Aaronsburg, along Route 45, about 25 miles east of the University Park campus.

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Myth: Penn State’s University Park campus is located in Happy Valley.

Fact: That may be the popular assumption in some quarters but in truth there is no geographic place in Centre County formally designated "Happy Valley." Happy Valley is generally used in an informal or even a slang context, often by journalists, and is not part of the University's official style. The University Park campus and the community of State College are located in the Nittany Valley, near its confluence with Penns Valley. The origin of the name Happy Valley as applied to this location is murky. There seems to have been some local usage as early as the 1950s, but the term apparently became far more widely used and recognized starting in the late 1960s, about the time when network telecasts of Nittany Lions football games began, and thus might be attributed to sports writers and broadcasters.

The Nittany Valley

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Myth: There are no sorority houses at Penn State because of an old Pennsylvania law that defined a dwelling that housed a certain number of unrelated women as a brothel.

Fact: Sorority houses did exist on the University Park campus, and there is no such state law nor any University prohibition against sorority houses per se. The first sorority house on campus was Stone House (a former faculty residence), which in 1928 became home to a women's social club, Nita-Nee, which became Kappa Alpha Theta in 1930 and occupied the house until 1949. Other sororities also had campus houses but, like KAT, moved out of these aging structures soon after World War II and into newly available suites in residence halls. The sororities rented the suites from the University -- as they continue to do today. The advantages of residence hall suites and the high cost of private housing in the post-war era discouraged off-campus sorority houses, although the borough of State College, in its zoning laws, makes no distinction between sorority and fraternity houses. 

For more information on Penn State Myths and Traditions go to the PSU Website.

Happy Father's Day!

Spend this Father's day at the Mr. Nittany Inn this weekend.  There will be a Father's Day brunch from 10am - 2pm with a buffet that is perfect for the favorite guy in your life!

Join the Mt Nittany Inn for Father's Day Brunch on Sunday, June 17th from 10am-2pm. Enjoy your day with a brunch buffet fit for a king!



Featuring their signature Prime Rib carving station, omelette station, thick-cut french toast w/bacon butter & maple syrup, sausage gravy & homemade biscuits, dijon chicken breast, chili garlic BBQ cod fillets, broccoli salad, summer chop salad, cucumber & onion salad...and sweets of course!!...Gram's homemade scones w/cinnamon honey butter, strawberry creme cake, and chocolate & strawberry bavarian parfait...YUM!

Brunch Buffet from 10am -2pm. $19.95 for adults, $10.95 for kids 12-5, kids under 5 eat free!

Dinner menu will begin at 3pm.

Thank you and hope to see you on this special day!

For reservations please call 814.364.9363


Find out more information at Happy Valley.

There's No Place Like Home 5k Run/Walk

State College running and walking enthusiasts have a new event to look forward to this summer. 

The House of Care, a small personal care home for those who have declining or compromised health, will be holding it's first annual, "There's No Place Like Home" 5k Run/Walk on June 30 at 8 a.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. For access to the registration form click here (pdf). Or to register online click here.

The House of Care is home to people who can no longer take care of themselves and need the help and understanding of compassionate caregivers. This is why it is so important for the House of Care to receive help from the public. 

For more information about the House of Care and its mission, visit its websitehere.

Thanks to HappyValley.com for the article!

ArtsFest in July

 The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts from July 12-15 is Penn State's de facto summer reunion. Will we be seeing you?