About Happy Valley, Pennsylvania

– by Edward Stoddard

ADVENTURE changes by person and moment by moment. Adventure can mean shopping, sports events, dining, attending a great conference, a great stay at a hotel or B&B, seeing a thrilling performance on stage or time by the campfire relaxing along the trail. ADVENTURE is personal. ADVENTURE happens in #HappyValleyPA.

Mount Nittany

Experience your next adventure in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. Shopping, dining, outdoors, unique museums...in any way that your spirit of adventure guides you -- we invite you to explore Happy Valley. Located right in the middle of beautiful Pennsylvania scenery just a few hours' drive or a short flight away. Start your day with ice cream for breakfast at Berkey Creamery; because who doesn’t love the idea of ice cream for breakfast? Head to Penn's Valley and Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park for a boat ride tour through America’s ONLY All-Water Cavern & Farm-Nature-Wildlife Park! Other “must-do” places include Columbus Chapel at the Boal Estate, where you can view artifacts and hear about 200 years of Boal and Christopher Columbus' family history. If you’re inspired by history, come to Bellefonte in the Nittany Valley, which has architecture to admire, walking tours and enough antique stores to keep the biggest antiquarian busy for hours.

Check out the Central PA Tasting Trail; the Tasting Trail includes a mix of craft beer, distilleries, wineries and cideries. Remember to bring your bicycle when you visit Happy Valley. Rothrock State Forest has some of the best mountain biking trails east of the Rockies. State College is a top-10 ranked cycle-friendly city. And Happy Valley is of course, home to Penn State University and Nittany Lion pride. Whatever one’s definition of adventure is, we believe it can be found here in #HappyValleyPA.

Happy Valley is downtown State College, which bustles with university town energy and a robust mix of arts, culture and entertainment options. Happy Valley is our historic towns of Bellefonte and Boalsburg, that beckon with boutique shops and craft beverage establishments amid beautiful Victorian and Colonial architecture and tree-lined streets. Happy Valley is the many scenic drives through the heart of our agricultural corridors. Happy Valley is the quaint towns of Aaronsburg and Millheim, where tradition mixes with a modern, artsy vibe. Happy Valley is Philipsburg, where historic roots are giving way to reinvention, and where shops are filled with unique finds and where everyone feels like an old friend. And Happy Valley is of course, home to Penn State University and Nittany Lion pride.

Whatever one’s definition of adventure is, we believe it can be found here.

Key reasons for visiting:

  • Abundant outdoor recreation
  • Thriving craft beverage scene
  • Dynamic food scene; amazing farm-to-fork dining establishments
  • Affordable and authentic
  • Scenic any time of the year
  • Charming communities with one-of-a-kind boutique shops
  • Unique museums and history
  • Ag-centric experiences, from farmers markets, farm stands, driving tours, Amish culture
  • Sports is a part of our DNA and tradition. From Beaver Stadium to sandlot youth sports
Mid State Trail

The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau publishes up-to-date event information at HappyValley.com/events