This is what I posted on the Pitt board before their game against us this year. Hopefully you guys can find some us of it! I'll post it again somewhere on here closer to game time in case this thread gets buried.
Parking/Tailgating:
http://www.gopsusports.com/tickets/m-footbl-parking.html
This site has all the information you will need regarding parking. As far as getting into the tailgating lots, I personally believe that taking Park Ave from Atherton Rd is the best way to get to where you are going on game days, as it will take you to practically any of the lots you may be heading, and they keep it moving about as well as can be expected. Be aware that certain parts of campus will be closed to automobiles, particularly curtain road by east halls, but it shouldn't be a huge issue as there are always alternitive routes to where you are going. If you are looking for more of a party atmosphere to tailgate, I definitely recommend lot 12, as that is where a lot of the students tailgate, and is always a wild time. Other than that lot, you will find a good mix of everything from college students to the elderly in the other lots, but I can assure you music will be blasting and beer will be flowing pretty much as far as the eye can see. In all seriousness, do not be shy going up and asking pretty much anybody if you can have a burger or beer or something. Despite what has been posted in other threads, aside from a few friendly jeers, most people are extremely welcoming to anybody that happens to stumble by. For the Pitt game, we had a group of 10 or so Pitt students that stopped and asked for directions, and ended up staying for an hour or so to do jager shots. Sure you may run into a drunk ******* here or there, but those kind of things happen at every stadium (aside from Nebraska, those people are saints). The gates to the stadium will open up one hour prior to kickoff. If you want to make it into the game by kickoff, I recommend heading to the stadium half an hour or so minutes before kickoff. PSU recently hired a new company this year to handle the gates and scan tickets. Things have been running smoothly for the most part, but it has definitely been a problem in the past. I also highly recommend you try and avoid the gate A area as much as possible, as that is where the students enter, and it can get mind boggingly crowded in that area around the time of kickoff.
Transportation:
https://www.catabus.com/index.htm
The best way to get around on game day is on the CATA busses. The two main busses are the blue loop, which runs clockwise around campus, and the white loop, which runs counterclockwise around campus. Both of these busses are free of charge, but can get quite crowded on game day. There are also several other CATA busses that run at various times practically anywhere around the state college area, like out Vairo Blvd by Walmart, or out towards Toftrees and Waupelani Dr. These busses do cost money though. If memory serves me correctly it is $1.50 per person, but the CATA website should have all that information. There is also a CATA mobile app that gives live updates on bus location and seats available, and it can be extremely useful. Uber and Lyft are both also readily available in State College at a fair rate (at least it was the last time I was in State College). It is about a 20 minute walk from the stadium to the heart of downtown, and maybe an additional 10-15 if you are heading over towards Atherton.
Bar Scene/ Restaurants/ Other things to do:
http://www.statecollege.com/bartour/
Finally I get to the topic I know the most about! The biggest thing is that on football weekends, more likely than not (especially play a team so geographically close) there will be a line for a lot of the bars downtown. Im going to run through as many of them as I can off the top of my head. The most popular bars in State College among students are Primanti's and Champs. Both are sports bars that are great if you want to catch the other CFB games that are happening. Both are reasonably priced, and have typical bar food. I can assure you they will be hopping pretty much all weekend long, and will get quite crowded. The Phyrst is nothing short of a dive, but their drink prices are dirt cheap, and they often have live music if that is your kind of place. Local whisky (one of my personal favorites) and Adam's Apple are both a bit pricier, but they shouldn't have the raucous and spirited atmosphere like a lot of the other bars in State College will on weekends, and are a nice place if you just want to chill out, and have a couple drinks. Zeno's is another one of my favorite bars in State College. It is a bit dive-y, but they have an absolutely incredible selection of craft and IPA beers at reasonable prices. I personally highly recommend the Neshaminy Creek IPA if you head there. Indigo is what could be considered the "club" in State College, where there is a huge dance floor and modern music. Lion's Den is another bar that will have a ton of people dancing, with a lot of hip-hop/modern pop music if that is the kind of thing you enjoy. The last two bars I want to touch on are Rathskeller and Cafe 210 West. I find a lot of people in their 40s and 50s really enjoy the Rathskeller. They will be playing 70s and 80s rock music, and have a ton of beer on tap at a reasonable price. You won't find a ton of students at this bar, but it should still have a high energy feel that you may enjoy after getting your butts whooped by the lions (sorry had to take at least one shot). The last bar is Cafe 210 West. This is a bar that has live music quite a lot, typically 70s and 80s cover bands, and has a decent amount of outdoor seating, right on College Ave, so this is your bar if you like people-watching drunk idiots.
Outside of the typical bars, Otto's Brewery, and Happy Valley Brewery are both great and have AMAZING food (especially Otto's). The Waffle Shop (there are 3, but the best original/ best one is on Atherton towards walmart) has great breakfast food. They get huge lines that they shuffle in and out fast. American Ale House is also up there amongst my favorite restaurants in State College, along with the Allen Street Grill, and Letterman's sports grill.
If you are looking for kid-friendly activities to do while in State College, there is the Discovery Space of Central PA, which is geared towards hands on activities for younger kids, and my niece absolutely loved when she went. There is also a laser-tag arena in downtown that i've heard good things about. And I believe we also recently got an escape room, though I'm not 100% sure what that is all about. I am not sure about hours or prices for those type of places, so I would definitely do some research online if that is something you are planning on doing.
Lastly, and I cannot recommend this enough, hike Mt. Nittany if you have the opportunity. It is not a difficult hike, and would take about 2-3 hours. You get an absolutely stunning view of the campus, sports arenas, etc from the top of the mountain. One of my favorite things to do on a nice fall day when the leaves are beginning to change.
I sincerely hope you guys have a wonderful time in Happy Valley. I know we get labeled a "cult" or what have you, but a large majority of us are good people that just love getting drunk and watching PSU football, much as you guys love Scarlet Knight football. I'll be in the purple lot (on the map), near Medlar, the baseball field, flying my Penn State American Flag thing, and a Jameson Flag. If you happen to wander through or find yourself over that way, feel free to stop by for a beer and a brat.
