“Let me tell you my formula for happiness in life: a car full of gas, money in my pocket, someplace to go, and a pretty girl by my side. That’s it,” says Scott Stephenson.
The “pretty girl” in question is Stephenson’s wife, Elizabeth, to whom he has been married for 41 years. Research shows that he just might be onto something with his “formula.” A study by the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institute found that husbands and wives who reported frequent date nights were 14% to 15% more likely to report being “very happy” in their marriages than those who reported less frequent date nights.
After raising two children and recently becoming empty nesters, the Stephensons still prioritize date nights, Elizabeth says, “because we like to spend time together, and it gets us away from the everyday grind.”
And while the Stephensons say their favorite date night is still the classic “dinner and a movie,” Happy Valley offers an abundance of alternative ways for couples of all ages to have fun together.
Friendly Competition
A few things the Stephensons enjoy doing together include antiquing and taking day trips to places like Jim Thorpe and Kinzua Bridge State Park, as well as regular game nights with friends who get together to play dominoes.
Game nights are also a favorite date for Amber Blose and her husband, Taylor, young parents of three children, ages 7, 5 and 2. This could entail playing board games either at a friends’ home or at an establishment like Boal City Brewing.
In fact, local breweries and pubs offer plenty of opportunities for friendly competition. Trivia nights are hosted at too many local bars to list, and places like Axemann Brewery, Voodoo Brewing Company, and Doggie’s Pub offer cornhole leagues and boards for casual play.
The Bloses also enjoy participating in Murder Mystery Nights, usually organized by a friend.
“They’re super fun. We love going to those. We recently did a ski-influenced one, so we all kind of dressed up in theme and then participated in that. … My friend buys a skit online; we all get into character and read our parts,” Blose explains. “You’re allowed to release certain clues; others you try to hide. … At the end, we gather around and try to figure out who did it.”
Live Theater & Music
Sock & Buskin Theatre Company offers similarmurder mystery events. On the schedule for 2025 is an interactive murder mystery party on Oct. 24 and 25 at the Speakeasy at the Gamble Mill and “Do Not Resuscitate,” a murder mystery dinner theater production running Nov. 13 to 16 at Titan Hollow.
The theater company also puts on plays, such as the upcoming “Night Watch,” running from Sept. 18 to 21 at the American Philatelic Society.
State College Community Theatre offers plays and murder mystery events as well. They will be performing “The Sound of Music” July 10-13 and Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” Sept. 11-14, both at the Boal Barn Playhouse. Then they will offer the murder mystery “Murder at the Renaissance Faire” Nov. 14-16 at the Arena Bar & Grill.
For couples looking for a laugh, The Blue Brick Theatre on Calder Way hosts improv comedy shows every Friday night, as well as other themed improv events at other times each month.
Penn State Centre Stage showcases the talents of the students in Penn State’s School of Theatre with a wide variety of performances throughout the year, while at Eisenhower Auditorium, Penn State’s Centre for the Performing Arts hosts national acts, from Broadway tours to opera, ballet, and symphony performances. Information for both organizations’ 2025-26 seasons is expected to be announced as Penn State’s fall semester approaches.
For live-music lovers, summer in Happy Valley has much to offer. On Sundays, free summer concert series are held at Talleyrand Park and at South Hills School of Business and Technology. Live musicians perform in MLK Plaza every Wednesday evening, and on Friday evenings, the Village of Lemont hosts its popular Concerts on the Village Green.
Although it does carry an admission fee of $15 at the gate ($10 online), Tussey Mountain’s Thursday night WingFest is a popular venue for live music during the summer as well.
The State Theatre also plays host to many live acts. Upcoming shows include Killer Queen, Rosanne Cash, Steel Wheels, Albert Cummings, Tusk, Keller Williams, and many more.
Stage West in downtown State College hosts national acts, including well-known DJs and, recently, musicians like Sean Kingston. Country star Redferrin will be performing there in September.
Spectate or Participate
For sports enthusiasts, one of the benefits of living near Penn State is the fact that there are year-round opportunities to watch at least 31 different sports here in Happy Valley.
Blose says she and her husband particularly enjoy going to Penn State baseball games in the spring, State College Spikes games in the summer, Penn State football in the fall, and Penn State ice hockey in the winter.
Sometimes it’s more fun to participate than spectate. Alex Stover and his girlfriend, Ellie Galinas, say one of their favorite date night activities is playing a round of golf at a golf simulator — an indoor virtual golf experience using real golf clubs, real golf balls, and replicas of real golf courses. Centre Swing 24/7, located on Benner Pike in Bellefonte, is one of their favorite spots.
“You reserve the bay time and they give you a code; you show up, punch in your code, and it’s very private,” Stover explains. “You can bring food and drinks. You pick whatever course you want to play and you’re on your own. It’s a nice change from being in a busy environment. We love to do it.”
They have also enjoyed the simulators at the Penn State Golf Courses’ Walker Clubhouse, Muddy Run Tavern in Huntingdon, and The Bull Pen Restaurant & Sports Bar in Tyrone.
If putt-putt is more your speed, Happy Valley Minigolf is open in the summer every day until 9 p.m. (10 p.m. on weekends), and the miniature golf course at Tussey Mountain Fun Centre is open Tuesdays through Sundays until 9 p.m.
Bowling is another date night activity Stover and Galinas enjoy. Northland Bowl is open until midnight every night of the week, while the hours vary at Bellefonte Lanes.
For an adventurous date, Climb Nittany is a rock-climbing gym in Boalsburg offering lessons and memberships. They’re open until 10 p.m. on weeknights and 6 p.m. on weekends.
Whether or not you consider dance a sport, it’s a fun physical activity. According to J Mundinger, artistic director, Centre Social Dance offers members of the community opportunities to dance approximately five nights a week, focusing on different styles including fusion, bachata, salsa, tango, and swing.
The schedule slows down in the summer but will pick up when Penn State’s fall semester begins, Mundinger says. Venues range from the HUB on campus to the State College municipal building and a dance studio above Mundinger’s garage. Beginners are welcome, and lessons are offered frequently.
“By far the best time to learn to dance is going to be in August. That’s when all of the scenes will be starting up; we’ll have beginner series in all of the scenes,” Mundinger says.
Country music fans might enjoy the dance options offered by Lion Country Line Dancing. They offer instruction for both country line dancing and partner dancing at Axemann Brewery and at Brass 16823, both located in Titan Energy Park.
Create Together
Stover says he and Galinas sometimes enjoy a date night at home, making pizzas while enjoying some wine. For a more social version of this activity, Taste Buds Kitchen offers weekly date night adult cooking classes, which owner Susan Passante says have become extremely popular.
“Our adult date nights are hot,” she says. “There has definitely been a big surge lately, and we are seeing all ages, from college kids through 80-year-olds; it’s a wide variety. The majority of folks are coming in as a date night.”
The evenings include a cooking lesson at a table of up to six people, and classes can be as large as 24. The menu varies each week, with recent offerings including “Rockin’ Moroccan,” “Rustic Italian,” and “Tasty Thai.” After the lesson, the groups sit down to enjoy the meal they have prepared. Water is provided but everything else is BYOB, including soda, beer, and wine. Private lessons are also available.
The Stephensons say they’ve enjoyed taking glass blowing classes and glass fusion classes together in Williamsport and Lancaster. Closer to home, couples can create art together at 2000 Degrees paint-your-own pottery studio, which is open evenings and is BYOB for those over 21. Couples can also learn to create wheel-thrown and hand-built pottery at 2000 Degrees’ sister studio, Main Street Ceramics in Boalsburg.
Pamper Yourselves
Couples looking to relax and rejuvenate together might enjoy a couples massage at Revive Modern Massage, which is open until 8 p.m. most evenings.
Before heading out on a more traditional date, visit Simply Health Rx, open until 5 p.m. most days, where couples can sit side-by-side for a warm footbath detox session, followed by relaxation on zero gravity chairs inside a private Himalayan salt cave.
Vitality Wellness Center, open until 6 p.m. most days, offers “contrast therapy,” which involves alternating between a hot sauna and a cold plunge. Owner Kyle Dake says this would make for a great double- or triple-date for physically active couples.
Look to the Sky
What could be more romantic than spending an evening looking at the stars together? Central Pennsylvania Observers hosts free skywatches on July 12, Aug. 2, and Oct. 4 (weather permitting) at the Arboretum at Penn State. Club members provide the telescopes and point out special features in the sky.
Penn State’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics also hosts monthly stargazing events on the roof of Davey Lab in the fall and spring semesters, as well as during AstroFest, which occurs in July in conjunction with the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
For the ultimate romantic date night, couples can take a private flight in a hot air balloon for $650. According to Sky’s the Limit Ballooning owner Kevin Witt, balloon flights are weather-dependent but generally plan to take off twice a day: at sunrise and two or three hours before sunset between May and November. He has seen proposals and weddings happen mid-flight.
“We’re still 100% on the proposals; no one has ever said no,” Witt says.
Classic Date Nights Reign
From empty nesters to 20-somethings, the old cliché of dinner and a movie still reigns as a classic favorite among all age groups.
“We do love going to the movies; that’s at the top of the list — just loading up on all the snacks and enjoying a movie together,” says Stover.
Ultimately, it’s the “together” part that matters most. T&G
Karen Walker is a freelance writer in State College.
