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HARRISBURG, PA

Back again care of a rerouted flight (go University Park Airport!).

To make the most of our unscheduled excursion, we had brunch at Capitol Diner. A really classic old joint with standard but fun diner food. Best features are the shiny metal facade and the multicolored crayon.

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PHILIPSBURG, PA

We took our canoe on its inaugural voyage at Black Moshannon State Park. It was a beautiful slightly overcast day, and our son loved it. The lake has a lot of diversity, but, most importantly, he didn't jump out of the boat.

Much more successful than the other time we visited: he was 8 weeks old, shivering in overcast weather, and screamed when his toes touched the sand. This time he was trying to pull the canoe back in the water after two great runs!

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ALTOONA, PA

After many drives past Altoona, we finally took a day to putter around and break up the winter monotony. We still have not hit the major site - Horseshoe Curve.

But, not unrelated, our son is getting way into trains so our first stop was the Model Train Museum (great photos on website). We were a little thrown off when we walked into the giant, dark antique vendor depot where it is housed, but eventually found it. They have ten or so tables of super intricate model train setups, all scales, all terrains. The two coolest things to me were a working amusement park from the 1950s and several tables in various states of construction so we could see the structure for sculpting the landscape and electronics for the tracks.

The hard thing for our little guy was not touching them! Fortunately, they had a kids play area with ride on trains and several train tables. He is used to going to our local library where ten kids elbow each other over one train table. He merrily skipped from table to table overwhelmed by the options and exclusivity.

Next stop, the Altoona Mall. Insert lots of city folk snarkiness here. I'm not the biggest shopper, but the malls in central PA are so so weak and - perhaps worse - redundant. Basically the same stuff as our tiny little mall in SC, but on two levels. Alas, it was a long winter, and we needed a new place to run around. Trains yes, mall no.

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LANCASTER, PA

Another fall excursion - we visited the Landis Valley Museum for their Harvest Days. There were lots of great things to taste like interesting apple varieties and traditional baked goods. You could participate in making apple butter or grinding peanuts. Lots of other hand crafts, pumpkin patch pick your own, and beautiful clydesdale carriage rides. We spent most of our time with our son in a corn box. Is this the third time I'm mentioning a corn box? Weird.

The other reason (excuse) for our visit was to check out my friend's shop / studio / event space: It's Modern Art. I had been watching all of their cool stuff online - art bikes, gallery shows, graphic design, etc. - and was psyched to check it out in person. Our son got an awesome Grrrr... Bunny t-shirt.

It's such a fun, dreamy place that it makes me want to open a store of my own - some architecture, some crafts, some events, some silliness. They seem to be fostering a really awesome community with great energy and playfulness. Wouldn't hurt State College, no?

Clearly a lot more to do in Lancaster. The downtown looks really cool with other shops and restaurants. Little did we know. On the return list.

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SELINSGROVE, PA

I surprised my husband on Father's Day 2013 with a day trip to the Selin's Grove Brewing Co. First we took a long walk along the river - our first time getting a sense of the scale of the Susquehanna. There are some kayak outfitters and some small islands to play around, but we didn't have enough time. Instead we walked the residential road that parallels the river. Man, what a nice place to have a home. Why didn't they build PSU near the river?

The brewery is housed in a stone home that was the PA's Governor's Mansion in the early 1800s. The restaurant and bar are in the grotto-like basement. We sat on a small patio surrounded by flowers with enough space for kids to goof off. We sampled a flight of their beers (lovely) and their root beer plus a soft pretzel and local cheese plate. Yum. Really special cheese plate. Definitely worth a return trip, especially with some kayaking!

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PINE GROVE MILLS, PA

My colleagues and I went hunting for artifacts for our incoming architecture students to draw. We visited an antique store in McAlevy's Fort owned by another member of our faculty. After looking at some of the exquisite things inside the store, the owner helped us paw through the affordable toasters and record players in the beautiful barn out back until we accumulated enough for all of the freshman.

On our way back to town we stopped for a coffee at the then brand new Naked Egg Cafe. A nice moment to chat with my new colleagues.

Since then, we're there for brunch many weekends. Easily one of my favorite places nearby. The staff is so nice, the coffee is awesome, and I just don't get tired of the menu. Oh, and the tatter tots. Our son will quietly sit and eat an entire bowl of them. Quietly. Sit. Keeps us coming back.

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PORT MATILDA, PA

File this one as a bit obvious, but Way Fruit Farm is one of my favorite places near State College. They host seasonal festivals, some pick your own crops, and have a huge range of apples. The store is full of food products from all over the county (Tait Farm, Vale Wood Farms, etc.) so it's a nice spot to bring visitors. The cafe will hook you up with coffee and sweets as well as a full lunch and breakfast menu. There is plenty of space for little ones to roam including a corn box.

These pictures are from a visit last fall - the perfect place to get a pumpkin and celebrate the harvest season. Our son had just started walking, and we let him run free in the field next to the store.

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CLEARFIELD, PA

One lovely day last summer, we played hookey. We dropped our son off at daycare and went kayaking. We got really spectacular professional quality boats from McCracken Canoe. The owners are very knowledgeable and nice folks.

They shuttled us up the West Branch Susquehanna River to Elliot's Park, a quirky, sweet privately run public park named for the dog that helped the owner through cancer. From there, we kayaked 11 miles of incredibly private and lush river to our pick up across from a giant power plant.

...And then, it was so beautiful, we did it again. Mr. McCracken kindly shuttled us back to Elliot's Park for another run.

We had just barely enough time to get a snack and a beer at Denny's Beer Barrel Pub. They are famous for some really gnarly burger challenges. We had some demure fried vegetables.

We got to the daycare just in time, though suspiciously damp and sun kissed.