Hallmark Moments Await: Shop Small, Shop Local, Celebrate Downtown
Downtown State College is alive with excitement, and the holiday spirit fills the air. Lights twinkle spectacularly along Allen Street and beyond, creating Hallmark-style magic you cannot replicate with an app. It’s a feeling only those who come can experience.
Connect Happy Valley: The Warmest Welcoming Valley
In the heart of Pennsylvania, nestled among ridges and rich traditions, lies a place where hospitality isn’t just practiced—it’s lived. Welcome to Happy Valley, where every visit feels like coming home.
On November 5, the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB) brought together more than 300 hospitality leaders, community partners, and public officials for a moment that captured the essence of our valley. The 2025 Hospitality Awards weren’t just a ceremony; they were a celebration of belonging. The message that rang loud and clear: it’s not only about drawing visitors to our valley, but also about making sure they never feel like strangers.
The Little Engine That Does
The State Games of America, coming to Penn State July 24–August 2, 2026, will bring more than 8,000 athletes and thousands of fans to Happy Valley. Tens of thousands of room nights and millions in visitor spending are expected. For the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance (HVSEA), the small nonprofit that helped land the event, it is proof that measurable, visitor-driven growth works.
Out Front of the Parade: Lessons from Mimi Barash Coppersmith
By Greg Woodman Most of us are happy to be in the parade. Or content to watch the parade. We enjoy the music, the fellowship, the energy of marching together. But very few want to step out front, where the spotlight shines, where the risks are highest, and where the critics are loudest. Mimi Barash […]
Happy Valley Fall 2025: The Love Boat Semester at the ChatGPT Inflection Point
The curtain is going up this weekend, and the audience has arrived. Fifty thousand students. Parents and alumni. Visitors from every corner of the globe. Sidewalks pulse, cranes stretch the skyline, and Saturday’s kick off bar crawl starts at noon will hum with thousands wearing the same Line Leap t-shirt. This is the kickoff to fall in Happy Valley — our in-season.
Downtown State College Real Estate Is the New Oceanfront
In State College, what you hear isn’t waves crashing, it’s the roar of over 108,000 fans at Beaver Stadium, the energy of nearly 50,000 returning students, and alumni who aren’t merely visiting, they’re investing. With cranes set to rise this October, more than one-third of the 70 units at the Nittany Residence Club are already under contract, clear evidence that the market is speaking. Real dollars are validating demand for downtown living.
Follow the Money: Tourism is Happy Valley’s Economic Horse to go “all in” on.
1,117+ new hotel rooms.
14 new lodging developments.
Cranes rising. Rooms booking. Momentum building.
This isn’t a feel-good story. It’s a growth story—and the numbers don’t lie.
Tourism is the fastest-moving sector in our economy—and the smartest money knows it.
Downtown State College is Buzzing: Brooklyn Style Deli, New Eateries, and a Wave of Openings Signal Growth
Downtown State College is heating up with a wave of exciting restaurant and business openings, bringing fresh energy to the area.
Hotel Performance Puts Happy Valley on Growth Fast Track
A look at year-end 2024 data shows that Centre County was the fastest growing tourism economy in the state.
