Back to my roots: State College, PA

I recently got the chance to take a trip back to the little town I spent the first three years of my life in, State College, PA. I didn’t remember very much about State College from the time I lived there (I was just a baby after all) or from the two times my family went back to visit when I was kid. So it was really fun to take it all in as an adult. My main impression of this little college town is how darn cute it is! Everywhere you look there are charming old houses made even more charming with glimmering, white snow and festive Christmas decorations.

I spent a lot of time on this trip relaxing with family, but we also got to get out and explore a little bit. We spent some time walking around campus at Penn State University, taking in all of the beautiful, old buildings, thinking about all the different people who have walked this campus throughout history. We also walked around the adorable downtown area, and stopped in for Chinese food at Little Szechuan which had many vegan options and was quite delicious! I think my favorite building in the whole town is the one housing The Corner Cafe because it’s just so charming, especially when it’s all dressed up for Christmas.

One of my favorite activities of this trip was a little hike in Shingletown Gap. The trail was snowy, but gorgeous with lots of beautiful trees and streams. It was a fairly easy hike with only a little bit of up-hill walking. Being the California girl that I am, I didn’t have proper snow shoes so I did slip a few times. Needless to say, if you’re going to be walking around in snow, you should probably invest in snow shoes!

I had a fabulous trip to my hometown and can’t wait to go back and visit again. It would be wonderful to visit in summer to experience a different season and to catch fireflies!