I have a confession to make. I'm a local, a townie if you will, and I'm OK with it.

I grew up in a town consumed with all things Penn State and still managed to think it was a good idea to spend another four years here. But after spending the majority of my 21 years in the same place, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's getting out of State College.

Yes, you read correctly. I said "getting out." Why would anyone want to leave Happy Valley? It sounds scary and horrible, but hear me out. There are things to do outside of our happy little bubble, as I'm sure many of you from far away and exotic places can attest.

Take it from me: a girl who used to drive to Philadelphia with her friends just to go shopping; whose parents used to plan vacations to coincide with Arts Fest in order to escape the craziness that overcomes State College; and a girl who fled the country for a month over the summer because of a desperate need for a change of scenery. I love this town, but sometimes we all need a little break from it.

If you want to take a day trip or pack up for the weekend, there are many fun things to do in the area that don't involve cruising College Avenue for the millionth time, trying to avoid the police and convincing everyone within earshot that you are, in fact, not drunk. I tried to come up with places that were less obvious than Pittsburgh and Philly, and hopefully, some of them will be unfamiliar to you.

We'll start off with an old standby, the Garman Theatre, 116 E. High St. in Bellefonte. They show great independent and foreign films, as well as blockbusters like the Harry Potter movies. Stepping inside takes you back in time. Bellefonte has a much different vibe than State College and being there can make you feel like you're much farther away than you actually are.

The next place I love to go on bright, sunny days is Bald Eagle State Park, 149 Main Park Road in Howard, Pa. It offers boat rentals and tubing, all great for hot days. During my freshman summer at Penn State, I was enrolled in the LEAP program, which puts a group of about 20 kids in the same two classes and living areas. At the end of the summer, we all decided to go tubing at the park. We rented a boat and had a great afternoon. It's also one of the closest places you can go that offers tubing and motor boats. It takes roughly 40 minutes to get there.

Prince Gallitzin State Park, 966 Marina Road in Patton, Pa., is another great place for water sports. In another life, before class and the Collegian took over my days, I used to sail. In the summers, my sister, father and I would drive up to the park and sail on 1,600-acre Lake Glendale. They also have a beach for swimming, which stays open from May until mid-September, hiking trails and campgrounds for those who are so inclined. It's a bit of a drive, but well worth it.

And for those of us with even less than an afternoon to spare, places like Lemont and Boalsburg are even closer than Bellefonte, and they have their own distinct shops and restaurants. When Halloween comes around, I highly recommend going on the haunted granary tour in Lemont.

Hopefully, you now have some ideas for where to go when you need to head out of town, and remember that coming back into town after being away makes you that much happier to have a place like Happy Valley. So grab your friends, pack up the car and hit the road.

Kelsey Maxin is a senior majoring in psychology and she is the assistant copy desk chief. Her email is ktm133@psu.edu.