As the story goes, explorer James Potter climbed central Pennsylvania’s Nittany Mountain in 1764 and upon "seeing the prairies and noble forest beneath him" from its crest declared to his attendant, "By heavens, Thompson, I have discovered an empire!"
Roughly 3.5 hours by car from Philadelphia and five hours from New York and Washington, D.C., that "empire," named Centre County in 1800 for its central location within the state, is worth the leisure escape alone. With the town of State College as its main base, the core "Happy Valley" area is a pastoral paradise of sweeping valleys backboned by densely forested Appalachian Mountain ridges.
"Natural scenery is our No. 1 draw and a major factor in our high rate of return and repeat business," says Betsey Howell, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania CVB.
State College is home to the main University Park campus of The Pennsylvania State University or Penn State. While synonymous with football and coaching legend Joe "JoePa" Paterno, Penn State is a multifaceted brand with loyalists galore. Football dominates a powerful athletic heritage that engenders profound devotion in its graduates, who form the largest dues-paying alumni association in the nation; to hear the Nittany Lion student body roar "We are…Penn State!" on game day is electrifying.
Sports are just part of the story. Founded in 1855, this world-class learning community is the largest single driver of Pennsylvania’s economy, its 24 statewide campuses generating more than $7.4 billion in direct and indirect economic output annually. Internationally recognized in fields including medicine, engineering and dairy science, Penn State budgets more than $717 million for research and development every year, including more than $86 million in industry-sponsored research.
Add cutting-edge meeting facilities, big-city cultural offerings, agenda-boosting adventure programs, welcoming hospitality—and that irresistible Nittany Lion energy—and as Howell says, groups can look forward to a "best of both worlds" experience blending a country setting with full-service metropolitan amenities.
Street Smarts
Central to the university’s mission is the sharing of knowledge. Operating the largest outreach initiative in American higher education, Penn State delivers programs to 35 million learners worldwide.
From medical conferences to sports camps, this means an advantageous link to Penn State’s preeminent research and services.
"Quality is inherent in our conference offering," says Roxanne Shiels, an associate director with the school’s Conferences and Institutes group, which organizes more than 300 conferences and programs annually.
"Every year, we host nearly 50,000 delegates from around the globe, with our 24-campus system and technology-distributed conference capabilities helping to maximize our reach," Shiels says.
Ranging from astronomy and archeology to workforce education and youth summer sport camps, Penn State’s year-round congressional offering runs the gamut, with the National Autism Conference one of the school’s signature annual events.
Complementing delegate access to education and training are state-of-the-art facilities, headlined by the modern Penn Stater Conference Hotel and the historic Nittany Lion Inn.
Just minutes from the main campus in Innovation Park, a purpose-built, 118-acre business complex supporting the transfer and commercialization of university-generated knowledge, the 300-room Penn Stater is a smart, technologically sophisticated facility with major market appeal. Opened in 1994 and expanded in 2004, the IACC-approved center boasts more than 58,000 square feet of space, including 38 dedicated meeting rooms, a bilevel conference wing and landscaped outdoor areas. Light and airy with tasteful decor throughout, the center offers sweeping area views from its upper floors, and an indoor pool, a fitness center, a pub and a restaurant are among the amenities.
Steps from the touchstone Nittany Lion Shrine in the leafy northwest corner of campus, the 233-room Nittany Lion Inn is a local treasure and National Historic Landmark. Its stately exterior resplendent in Penn State blue and white, this fetching Georgian-style property has been a social, wedding and business destination since 1931.
Designated "Penn State’s Living Room" by a former university president, the inn, a member of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America, offers 25,000 square feet of general session space, including 13 conference rooms and a ballroom seating 500. With a bell-towered interior done in Pennsylvania cherrywood, Whiskers Bar is a convivial gathering spot, while the Dining Room is renowned for its wine collection, and the Atherton Street patio provides a scenic stage for outdoor gatherings.
"The two properties offer distinct options for planners," says Fran Levin, director of sales and marketing for Penn State’s Hospitality Services, which owns and operates both hotels. "In keeping with the overall theme of the State College area, it’s the best of both worlds."
According to the Central Pennsylvania CVB, which is located in the state-of-the-art Centre County Visitor Center, State College offers more than 180,000 square feet of meeting space and 3,400 guest rooms.
Other full-service meetings hotels close to campus include the 102-room Toftrees Golf Resort & Conference Center, the 103-room Hilton Garden Inn and the 285-room Ramada Conference Center. In downtown State College, which parallels the campus along College Avenue, the 150-room Atherton Hotel and the 186-room Days Inn Penn State are conveniently located choices.
Fan Base
While the university, then known as The Pennsylvania State College, adopted the Nittany Lion as its official mascot in 1904, the school’s football stadium is known as Beaver Stadium. The name, which has accompanied the football field through four moves and seven expansions since the late 1800s, honors James Beaver, an early supporter of the football program.
With a capacity of 107,282, Beaver Stadium today is the largest stadium in North America and the third-largest stadium in the world. From its commanding spot on campus, it anchors an athletic complex that includes the multipurpose Bryce Jordan Center.
Accommodating groups of from 10 to over 16,000, the center is equipped for a range of events, including Penn State basketball, banquets, tradeshows and concerts. From Aerosmith to Jay-Z, this is the home of big-time entertainment in Central Pennsylvania. It is also where Penn State students hold their annual 48-hour nonstop Dance Marathon, or "Thon," which raised more than $7.4 million last year for families of children stricken with cancer.
Nearby, Medlar Field at Lubrano is home to Penn State baseball and the State College Spikes, a minor-league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. According to Scott Walker, director of group sales for the facility, rental options include hospitality suites, the locker room and indoor batting cages, and the field and concourse levels are available for picnics and other gatherings. With 15 men’s and 14 women’s sports teams playing from September to May, planners have myriad options to include a live sporting event on the itinerary.
Equally a cultural destination, State College and the University Park campus are home to venues including the Palmer Museum of Art, The State Theatre, Center for the Performing Arts and The Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, an intimate 150-seat theater in the heart of downtown. No Penn State visit is complete without stopping for ice cream at the world-famous Berkey Creamery. The university’s newest attraction is the Arboretum, destined to grow into a world-class botanic garden and woodland preserve.
Attendees can also take advantage of a diverse menu of outdoor adventures (see sidebar, page 16) and off-agenda excursions, including several worthy heritage destinations. Nearby Boalsburg, for example, is the birthplace of Memorial Day, after three women there decorated the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers with flags back in 1864. The town is also home to the Pennsylvania Military Museum, the Boal Mansion Museum and Christopher Columbus Chapel, and Duffy’s Tavern, an old stagecoach stop. Founded in 1785, Bellefonte is loaded with attractions, including its Victorian-era downtown. Located in a restored grist mill, the Gamble Mill is a local dining destination. Should you be visiting State College on July 4th, the fireworks show is considered one of the best in the nation.
With Penn State as its beating heart, Centre County is constantly abuzz with activity; the simplest agenda item here is pure discovery.
Offering rates that are especially affordable during the winter months, the area also provides groups with a unique value-added bonus that does not cost a dime—the spirit of the Penn State experience.
"There is a good reason why this area is nicknamed ‘Happy Valley,’" says Jill Shockey, manager of the news bureau in the university’s public information department—and like many of her fellow alumni, a Penn State graduate who came back to work for the university. "State College has the world-class amenities usually found in large cities and the safety, charm and open space of a small town."
Team Heilman—captained by frequent Meetings East contributor Jeff Heilman and starring two of his Nittany Lion-loving sons—recently enjoyed a victorious visit to the "Happy Valley."
