Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!
No person, business or attraction has paid us for an endorsement.
Population: 6,089
Founded: 1795
Average income: $70,506
Average price of housing: $193,600
Median age of the population: 43 years
https://www.visitpa.com/region/alleghenies/bellefonte
Geographically Bellefonte is a town located on I-80 in almost the direct center of north/south and east/west in Pennsylvania. It sits in the middle of the Alleghanies. We also visited Curtain Village and State College.
Bellefonte and the Surrounding Area
Home Base: The Campground
For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers! We stayed on site 109 at the Bellefonte/State College KOA in Bellefonte, PA. The campground was clean and well maintained. The staff was friendly. Our full hook up (water-sewer-electric) site was on level packed gravel. We stayed in the “new” section, the sites were much longer and wider than the original section. Our pull through site was long enough to leave the Jeep hooked up and still have both vehicles off the road. 30 and 50 amp service was available. There was good cell phone coverage (Verizon) and a good open southern sky for our satellite. Easy off and on I-80.
Downtown Bellefonte
We are always drawn to quaint, unique downtown areas. Bellefonte didn’t disappoint us! The Chamber of Commerce talks about Bellefonte being “Central PA’s Victorian Secret” and it is so true! Everywhere you look there are these amazing old Victorian buildings! Bellefonte is the county seat. It has an amazing courthouse built 200 years ago. It is still functioning as a courthouse today. Downtown Bellefonte is located on a hill. You are either walking up or walking down a hill!
Railroads played a large role in this area. The Chamber of Commerce is the old downtown train station. Be sure to walk around Tallyrand Park. It is one of the few flat (nonhilly) walking areas downtown!
There is a brick pumphouse on the spring at Tallyrand Park. We saw a blue tarp covering what we thought was an unused swimming pool. No! The tarp covered a natural spring that pumps 13 – 15 million gallons of water per day. It supplies the water for the towns of Bellefonte and State College.
Food and Drink
We always gravitate toward small locally owned restaurants. Two of the places we visited were the Diamond Deli in downtown Bellefonte and the Big Spring Distillery in a rehabilitated factory setting. The woman running the Diamond Deli is a gem. She is a true sole proprietor! She was the cook, cashier, waitress and dishwater. Relatives come in to help her for the breakfast and lunch rush.
The Big Spring Spirits Distillery has a light menu and flights for all of their alcohol and premade cocktails. The atmosphere is relaxed with indoor and outdoor seating available. There is a nice variety of alcohols. Of course, we brought some home!
Attractions
Curtain Village: We are history buffs and really wanted to learn more about the iron making history of the area. Specifically, the Eagle Iron Works in Curtain Village. We were lucky enough to stumble upon a private tour of both inside the main mansion and the outside grounds. When most iron works businesses closed after 15 years, the Eagle Iron Works was in operation for 112 years. It was the last surviving charcoal-fueled iron furnace in Pennsylvania. It is a fascinating place! If you are interested in history, we would encourage you to checkout their website and then visit Curtain Village. https://www.curtinvillage.com/
State College: State College is only about 15 or 20 minutes south of Bellefonte. It is the home of Penn State University. It is hard to tell where the college ends and the town begins. A special thanks to Jenny Lynn, a gate attendant who spent time talking with us about the things we had to see on campus! We could not believe how big Beaver Stadium is! Penn State was founded in 1855 because the local farmers wanted a good education for their children. When it started offering agricultural classes, it was called “The Farmers High School”.
Fun Facts
Eagle Iron Works was called an “iron plantation”. We had never heard of the term before! It is a plantation because the workers lived onsite. It is a similar concept to the cotton plantations in the south.
If you worked for the Iron Works in the 1800s you were given free housing and enough land to have a cow, chickens and your own vegetable garden. Your pay was not in cash, but in store credit at the company store.
Summary
We were only in Bellefonte for a few days. We didn’t get a chance to see everything we wanted to see, or explore everywhere on “our list”, Easy How to Guide for Exploring. The town is easily accessible on I-80.
Be prepared! Driving on I-80 in Pennsylvania is mountainous! You are either going up or you are going down! In spite of I-80 being an expensive toll highway, the condition of the road was “iffy”, especially in the truck driving lane.
Bellefonte is a town we would highly recommend visiting. We really enjoyed our time exploring the area. If you happen to go to the Big Spring Distillery, say hi for us to “Boomer”, the owner’s bull mastiff!
Your partners in travel,
Kathryn, Dave and Lucky
RVing Nomads
It’s a lifestyle
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If you haven’t checked out our Great Service and Value, please do so. If you are in their area, you may find these places as enjoyable and rewarding as we did!