Getting a place to stay for football weekends may have just gotten a little easier for those who travel to Happy Valley for home games.

Area realtors, including State College Park, 349 W. Clinton Ave., and Nittany Crossing, 601 Vairo Blvd., are renting empty apartments for up to eight occupants each. This is the first year College Park Communities, the company that owns these complexes, has rented apartments to non-tenants.

"It has been going very well," said Vanessa Gahagan, area manager for Nittany Crossing. "We have been getting a very positive response."

Renee Stauffer, property manager for State College Park, said the company would continue this endeavor as long as there is a demand. Both Stauffer and Gahagan said these apartments would likely be available to rent year-round.

"We've been selling out for some of the games, including this weekend's against Wisconsin," Stauffer said.

Gahagan said prices depend on the number of people renting and demand for the room and can range from $250 to $650 per weekend.

"Some games are busier than others," she said. "The price depends on a variety of factors."

Stauffer said the company would make its apartments available for other events, which could include Penn State basketball games and graduation.

"Even if families want to come up to visit students, we will be able to accommodate them if there is space," she said.

Some area hotels, such as Atherton Hotel, 125 S. Atherton St., have so much demand that they can book up to a year in advance for certain football games.

"We are booked for the rest of this season," said Maggie Patt Biddle, general manager of Atherton Hotel. "Rooms are hard to get for some home games; we sell out a lot," she said.

She said, "time will tell" if the opening of apartment complexes for football fans would affect the hotel's bookings.

Jeff Nelson, sports information director, said that this was a positive step for the Lions' out-of-town football fans.

"The more rooms available, the better," he said. "Any way we can accommodate more people for Penn State athletic events is certainly positive."

Nelson said that although there has been an increase in the number of hotels the past couple of years, there are always many people that cannot find lodging on weekends when more than 100,000 people descend on Beaver Stadium.

"It serves the fans better," Nelson said.

More information on room availability and bookings is available at www.collegeparkweb.com, or by calling 814-238-3030 for Nittany Crossing information and 814-237-1600 for State College Park.