Up on the south slope of Mount Nittany, back a single-lane road into the woods, I found a leafy oasis: Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery, one of the first wineries in Centre County.

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote that “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” That sentiment can certainly be felt in Happy Valley when the arrival of Penn State students, thousands of football fans, and the refreshingly cool weather brings a renewed energy and reasons to get out and explore! Here are some of our favorite family adventures coming up in the next few months.

Following the incidents of Sept. 11, 2001, a creative type with nothing to lose moved to Happy Valley to start over, find peace and explore her passion of the theater.

Love going out to eat but hate navigating menus to find a place that suits everyone’s dietary needs? Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or nut-free, there are plenty of area restaurants that will meet your requirements. If an establishment’s main menu doesn’t list options that meet your needs, it may be worth a phone call. Some restaurants offer alternative menus for those with diet restrictions, but you may have to ask!

Pearl Gluck is a Happy Valley filmmaker and Penn State associate professor who believes in the transformative power of perspective gained from a shared story.

Visitors who travel to Happy Valley know that hotels and lodging fill up quickly during football season and special event weekends. It’s important to plan ahead, but it also helps to know all of the options that are available in State College and the surrounding areas. Centre County offers plenty of traditional hotels, bed and breakfasts, and lodges. Some of the lesser-known establishments offer breathtaking views and serene farm or forest settings.

Who doesn’t love eating outdoors? Whether you are at home on your back porch or on the patio at your favorite restaurant, nothing beats sitting outside in great weather enjoying a good meal. There are so many great restaurants across Happy Valley, and those bites are even better when you can take in all the sites and sounds of nature.

Elevated on a hill overlooking busy College Avenue, the Centre Furnace Mansion has witnessed a lot. Now serving as the Centre County Historical Society’s (CCHS) headquarters, the mansion offers a glimpse of what life was like when Happy Valley was just beginning to develop.

Philipsburg is distinctive in many ways: the town’s forefather, Hardman Philips, was exiled to “the wilderness town” after taking part in a duel in England. Before that, Hardman’s brothers, Henry and James, both of whom died young, “lured” settlers to the unimproved lands by good old-fashioned false advertising.