From sky-high thrills to subterranean wonders, the State College area has long enjoyed the reputation as an adventure destination. Here are some area choices for enlivening any group outing.
Billed as Penn State’s "outdoor classroom,"
Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center (814.863.2000) is an educational and recreational resource located just 12 miles from campus in the Stone Valley Recreation Area. Multifaceted programs include unique team-building and leadership development challenges, such as an arcade-style "crane machine" requiring 12 people to operate.
With 11 year-round rental cabins and event facilities for up to 100, including a lodge and picnic pavilion,
Stone Valley Recreation Area (814.863.1164) is itself a group resource, with programs including Vertical Adventures. Billed as "one of the biggest challenge course facilities on the East Coast," this multifaceted resource includes linear- and tower-based structures for team development.
Started in 1975 by world-class gliding experts Doris Grove and Tom Knauff,
Ridge Soaring Gliderport (814.355.2483) provides exhilarating flights in two-seat modern gliders with FAA-certified instructors. Located in the town of Julian about 10 miles from University Park, Gliderport is a business retreat favorite offering experiences lasting up to one hour, including a pre-flight briefing, the flight and landing, and a debriefing session.
Limestone-rich Centre County is home to 127 caves, including several of the state’s nine commercialized caverns. Worth the 45-minute drive alone from State College,
Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park (814.364.1664) is located in a veritable Eden of an agricultural valley. Since 1855, groups have taken boat tours of this ancient all-water cavern, which today passes through to outdoor Lake Nitanee and back. The 1,500-acre preserve includes a working farm, wildlife tours by bus and a pavilion for outdoor events. The antique farm machinery show staged here each fall is a local classic.
According to Tim Morey, a specialist with Pennsylvania’s Department of Conversation and Natural Resources, State College is an ideal hub for exploring the state’s great outdoors.
"We have over 2 million acres of state forest in Pennsylvania, most of it within reach of State College," he says.
Four state forests—Moshannon, Sproul, Bald Eagle and Rothrock—are among the area’s most popular destinations.
It’s some two hours north of State College in Potter, Pa.—but a must-see is the group-ready
Cherry Springs State Park. Known as Pennsylvania’s Dark Sky Park, this spellbinding, 48-acre wilderness is a mecca for stargazers; even the Northern Lights can be seen when conditions are right.
