Nestled in what is practically the geographic center of Pennsylvania, you’ll find a region that abounds in outdoor recreation, education and employment opportunities as well as the arts, entertainment and some of the country’s best local eats and drinks.

Visitors have a strong to desire to feel like a local and go home with a story or two. Sometimes a chain hotel experience isn’t exactly what they’re looking for when they are planning out where to stay and what to do. It is the people we meet and the unique experiences that make the trip great.

State College, Pennsylvania, may be best known as a college town, but that’s not the only reason that people decide to spend time there. Located in central Pennsylvania and surrounded by protected forest, State College is filled with outdoor experiences to enjoy that have nothing to do with a football field. Locals have long known what more and more people are discovering—that State College is a great place to spend time outside. Here are some of their favorite spots to explore.

Emblematic of the ruggedly spectacular Ridge and Valley region of the Appalachian Mountains, central Pennsylvania’s 96,250 acre Rothrock State Forest treats adventure lovers to a medley of panoramic ridgelines, rhododendron-sprinkled valleys, spruce-fringed wetlands, and vast swaths of mixed-oak forest.