Touching down at Altoona Blair County Airport in Altoona keeps you central, with railroad landmarks, mountain parks, and a university town an easy drive away. Altoona was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a shop town in the Allegheny Mountains, and trains still define it, from the famous curve above town to the museum downtown. It is unpretentious and proud, home to Sheetz, Mallo Cups, and a minor league ballpark with a roller coaster peeking over the outfield wall.

Standout experiences around Altoona: - Watch freight trains grind around Horseshoe Curve from the trackside overlook - Tour the Railroaders Memorial Museum in the old master mechanics building - Ride Leap-the-Dips at Lakemont Park, the world's oldest operating roller coaster - Catch an Altoona Curve game at Peoples Natural Gas Field - Walk the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site near Gallitzin - Grab a bag of Benzel's pretzels or a box of Mallo Cups from Boyer Candy - Swim, paddle, or hike at Canoe Creek State Park - Ski or mountain bike at Blue Knob, one of the highest peaks in the state

Altoona is well placed for central Pennsylvania. Hollidaysburg and its courthouse square are 15 minutes south, State College and Penn State are about 45 minutes northeast, and Johnstown, with its Flood Museum and inclined plane, is about an hour southwest. Bedford and its covered bridges are 45 minutes south. Order a Sheetz made-to-order sub where it all began, and visit in October when the Alleghenies turn orange around the curve.