Madison Eisaman     Staff Writer

Looking for a new experience or even an adventure? Check out this list of road trips one tank away from Penn State for your next excursion!

1. Gravity Hill: This semi-remote road in Bedford County makes you feel like you’re “defying gravity” …cue the Wicked musical soundtrack. At Gravity Hill, park your car on the spray painted “Start,” put your car into neutral and feel gravity floating away as your car moves up the hill. As the foliage change into fall colors, the country roads to to this location become even more breathtaking. For directions and more information about Gravity Hill, check out their website, https://www.gravityhill.com/.

   

2. Wopsy Mountain: Though Wopsy has a beautiful outlook and scenery, it is also home to the Legend of The White Lady. Also called Wopsononock Mountain, Wopsy has a dangerous road curve called Devil’s Elbow. This stretch is where people report seeing a ghostly woman wearing a pure white dress. The story is that her family was traveling when they crashed at Devil’s Elbow, killing her husband. The White Lady went to try to find her baby and was “never seen again,” unless of course you believe in ghosts. Find out for yourself at the mountain just eight minutes away from campus. For a longer version of the legend and testimonies, visit https://seeksghosts.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-white-lady-of-wopsy-mountain.html.
3. Horseshoe Curve: Located near campus is a geological and mechanical masterpiece named Horseshoe Curve. For railroad or history enthusiasts, Horseshoe Curve shows an incredible view of a curved railroad finished in 1854. Throughout the years, this location has been a target of Nazi spies, a main railroad for travel, and a go-to tourist destination. For more info, visit https://www.railroadcity.org/curve.html.
4. Coral Caverns: The Coral Caverns is a cave full of fossilized coral reefs. The fossils are embedded in the surrounding walls where you can see them much better than ever possible in a museum. Located in Bedford County, the cave has unique formations created from when the town was under sea level millions of years ago. For hours and info, visit http://www.city-data.com/articles/Coral-Caverns-Manns-Choice-PA-Fossilized.html.
5. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: Located in Pittsburgh, Phipps houses some of the most beautiful flowers in Pennsylvania. Throughout the venue, the gardens feature glass art, sculptures, and historic art. Not only is Phipps an amazing and gorgeous place to visit, but students with ID also get a discounted rate for tickets. As someone who has visited, I can definitively say that Phipps is a must see! For tickets and to preview events, tour their website, https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/.

   
6. Carnegie Museum of Natural History: This museum houses several real dinosaur fossils in their Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibition and an ancient sea creature exhibition, The Cretaceous Seaway. They also have several halls of American Indian and Ancient Egypt culture. If history is your thing, Carnegie is worth the road trip to Pittsburgh! For tickets (students with ID get a reduced rate) and more, explore their website, https://carnegiemnh.org/.
7. Penn’s Cave and Wildlife Park: Located in Centre County, Penn’s Cave is a gorgeous underground cave with a mysterious legend attached. The legend follows an Indian woman named Nita-nee, which happens to be how Penn State’s Nittany Lion got its name, and her suitor, Malachi. In a tale of forbidden love, they were caught, and Malachi was thrown into Penn’s Cave. After you go on a boat ride through this cave, go to the guided wildlife park tour where you can see wolves, bison, and the Penn Cave star, mountain lions. For more info, check out https://www.pennscave.com/.
8. Fallingwater: Fallingwater is an architectural gem. Frank Lloyd Wright built this house, located in Mill Run, that seems to sit right on top of a waterfall. The peaceful mix of nature and humanity is shown throughout the location. It’s shown especially inside where the sounds of rushing water are infused through the house because of its stone walls and rocky structure. To view directions and more info, visit https://fallingwater.org/.

   

9. Flight 93 Memorial: This memorial honors the crash of Flight 93 during the 9/11 attacks. The memorial features the Wall of Names, which houses the names of all forty crew members and passengers inscribed in marble stones. It also presents the Plaza Walkway, a quarter mile stretch next to the crash site. The crash site itself is separated and protected by this walkway so that only the families of those involved can visit the site. The Flight 93 Memorial is located in Stoystown and requires no entry fee. For more information and events coming up, visit https://www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm.
10. Gettysburg: Another place for history lovers, Gettysburg is overflowing with stories of the battlefield. Located in the town of Gettysburg, you can visit the Gettysburg Cemetery, where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, and the immortalized battlefield. If you time your visit right, you can go on a Haunted Gettysburg Tour to view the spookiest places of the Gettysburg battlefield. For planning your visit, tour the website, https://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm.