Tons of families converge in State College for one main reason in the fall: Penn State football. But many alumni who are happy to be back in the valley for a few days bring with them something they didn’t have when they were Penn State students: Kids!

State College may be the heart of Centre County, but the rolling farmlands, meandering creeks and quiet beauty of the surrounding valleys is part of what makes this area such a great place to live and visit. And it doesn’t get prettier than Penns Valley.

As home to Penn State University’s main campus, State College gets most of the glory in Centre County. But a beautiful borough 12 miles to the north has been an important piece of Pennsylvania’s history. Bellefonte, settled in 1795 and incorporated in 1806, is the county seat and has produced five of the Commonwealth’s governors plus two others who served as governors elsewhere (in California and Kansas). The contributions of all seven are commemorated with a memorial in Talleyrand Park.

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.

Central Pennsylvania’s State College is a truly happy place for avid anglers. It’s recognized as one of the Keystone State’s best trout fishing destinations with more than 216 miles of trout fishing waters. But trout is not all you can catch in the areas waterways, perch, catfish, and bass are also abundant. Whether you fly fish or cast a line from the shore, here are the places to drop a line in Centre County.

Wanna do a little exploring on the cheap, and learn something along the way? Check out one of these local museums or specialized libraries. None cost more than $10 to get in, and all will show you something you’d never seen before.