Eat and visit in Barree

The Klingsberg Aviary is part of Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, a Penn State Outreach site in Barree Township near Petersburg. It carries the names of Cyrus Klingsberg and his late wife, Vera. A $250,000 gift from Cyrus Klingsberg was significant to its creation, according to a 2022 Daily News report.

Visitors can see raptors in several mews, including the Barron Owl Mews, the Driftmier Eagle Mew and the Butey Soaring Hawk Complex. The page profiles bald eagles, barred owls, great horned owls, peregrine falcons and sandhill cranes, along with a black vulture named Matilda. The same Daily News report says the raptors are from rehabilitation centers and have permanent disabilities that prevent them from returning to the wild.

The page prints hours of 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with scheduled closures from mid-December to mid-January. It describes the aviary as wheelchair- and stroller-friendly, reached by a paved ramp, with compact gravel pathways that have a slight grade. Visitors are also invited on weekends from mid-June to November for Meet the Creek, a free public program with an interpreter.

• The page prints hours of 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with scheduled closures from mid-December to mid-January. source
• A $250,000 gift from Cyrus Klingsberg was significant to the creation of the aviary, reported February 3, 2022. source
• Rough-legged hawks Alder and Willow, injured by a car in Wisconsin, joined the aviary as ambassadors. source
• A Passenger Pigeon sculpture from The Lost Bird Project stands at the aviary entrance. source
• The page describes the aviary as wheelchair- and stroller-friendly, reached by a paved ramp, with compact gravel pathways that have a slight grade. source

“The Klingsberg Aviary offers an opportunity to see raptors in the Barron Owl Mews; Driftmier Eagle Mew; Butey Soaring Hawk Complex”Sydney Burns, StateCollege.com, 7 February 2022

“Sunny gives us an opportunity to bring people together to learn about all of the different birds of prey,”Paige Sutherland, Huntingdon Daily News, 16 June 2023

Penn State Outreach runs Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center at 3400 Discovery Rd in Petersburg. The center has operated since 1976 as a center for environmental education and outdoor recreation. Its grounds cover about 7,000 acres of woodland, hillsides and marsh, and the trails reach the shores of Lake Perez.

Inside the visitor center, the Litzinger Discovery Room has tanks of native snakes, turtles and frogs. Just up the hill, a raptor aviary holds about two dozen native raptors and owls that cannot return to the wild. Roughly six miles of trails run through the property, and a boardwalk leads to a pier over Lake Perez.

The center reopened by early June 2026 after a multi-month project that expanded parking from 70 spaces to more than 150. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a scheduled closure from mid-December to mid-January. Admission is free, and the center holds annual events such as the Maple Harvest Festival and the Fall Open House.

• Parking expanded from 70 spaces to more than 150, with accessible spaces closer to the building. source
• Roughly six miles of trails, including a boardwalk to a pier over Lake Perez. source
• Scheduled closure from mid-December to mid-January. source
• Admission is free. source
• Annual Maple Harvest Festival and Fall Open House, listed under Annual Programs. source

“Come hike a trail, see live animals up close, learn about conservation, and enjoy our programs.”Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, Penn State Outreach, 2026

“It offers some really interesting free amenities for the public including hiking trails, a raptor center, a visitor center, and more.”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 9 February 2020

“Shaver's Creek Environmental Center is a unit of Penn State Outreach and serves as a hub for environmental education, conservation and outdoor recreation in central Pennsylvania.”Altoona Mirror, 5 June 2026

Stone Valley Recreation Area is a Penn State outdoor area in Barree Township, Huntingdon County. Penn State describes it as nearly 800 acres with Lake Perez, more than 20 miles of trails, cabins, meeting spaces and boating. Its entrances are roughly 13 to 15 miles off campus.

Lake Perez has canoe and kayak rentals in the warmer months, and boat rentals typically run from the first weekend in April through the third weekend in October. Cross-country ski rentals run on winter weekends and need at least four inches of snow on the ground. Anglers can fish from the lake shore with a valid Pennsylvania fishing license, and picnic areas are first come, first served.

Penn State drained Lake Perez in 2008 after finding structural problems in its earthen dam. Reports from 2010, 2011 and 2014 described repairs planned or under way. A May 2026 Town&Gown article says boat rentals operate today on the Stone Valley side of the lake. The adjacent Shaver's Creek Environmental Center is a Penn State-affiliated facility.

• More than 20 miles of trails, including the Ironstone Trail, which connects with the Mid State Trail in Rothrock State Forest. source
• Boat rentals typically run from the first weekend in April through the third weekend in October. source
• 10 rentable cabins at the Red Rose Road entrance, generally available from mid-March through early December. source
• Lake Perez is a 72-acre lake that Penn State owns in Barree Township. source
• Entrances are roughly 13 to 15 miles off campus, and return rides to State College may not be available. source

“Stone Valley Recreation Area (SVRA) is an almost 800-acre outdoor recreation area featuring Lake Perez, more than 20 miles of trails, cabins, meeting spaces, boating, group programming, and seasonal recreation opportunities.”Penn State Campus Recreation, Penn State Student Affairs, 2022

“the surrounding Stone Valley Recreation Area have long been a favorite spot for local nature lovers.”Centre County Gazette, StateCollege.com, 17 February 2018

“Rent a canoe or kayak for a day on Lake Perez in the warmer months, or pick up cross-country skis when the trails turn white.”Penn State Campus Recreation, Penn State Student Affairs, 2022

The Sugar Shack is a maple sugaring building at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, a Penn State Outreach site at 3400 Discovery Road in Petersburg. The center's festival page says visitors can see sap transformed into syrup there. StateCollege.com reports that the shack was built in 1986.

The shack features in the Maple Harvest Festival, an annual spring event that began in 1984. The 2026 festival was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22. Students teach at stations on tapping maple trees and turning sap into syrup, and pancakes are served with real maple syrup. Timed-entry access is required for the festival and for visits to the center on those days.

Jim Cheney of Uncovering PA describes a short diversion off the Point Trail that leads to the Sugar Shack. The homepage and the archived festival page print no separate hours or admission price for the Sugar Shack.

• The sugar shack was built in 1986. source
• The Maple Harvest Festival began in 1984 and celebrated its 40th year in 2024. source
• The 2026 festival was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on March 21 and March 22. source
• Timed-entry access is required for the festival and for visits to the center on those days. source
• Visitors can see sap transformed into syrup at the Sugar Shack. source

“A short diversion off of this trail takes you to the Sugar Shack”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 9 February 2020

“In 1986, the sugar shack was built, and the program expanded to school children”Jason C. Klose, StateCollege.com, 11 May 2026

“students teach at educational stations where festivalgoers can learn about the history of maple sugaring, how to identify and tap maple trees, and how sap is collected and transformed into maple syrup.”Julie Noal, Centre County Gazette, StateCollege.com, 19 February 2026

The Maple Harvest Festival is held in March at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, an outreach of Penn State at 3400 Discovery Road in Petersburg. The festival page says the center has hosted it since 1984. Visitors can learn how to identify and tap sugar maple trees, see sap turned into syrup in the Sugar Shack, and watch costumed interpreters show sugaring methods used by Native Americans, pioneers and modern-day farmers.

Entry is by timed ticket, bought online before the event. The festival page says the event is held rain or shine and that tickets are nonrefundable. The 2026 tickets sold out. The program adds live music, live animal programs about resident birds, reptiles and amphibians, a climbing wall, and all-you-can-eat pancakes with real maple syrup.

Penn State students lead and interpret maple sugaring content at the educational stations and can earn two credits for it. The 2026 dates were March 21 and 22.

• Hosted by the center since 1984, according to its festival page source
• Timed-entry tickets are required, and the 2026 tickets sold out source
• Penn State students can earn two credits by helping lead and interpret at the stations source
• The center was founded in 1976 and is located in Barree Township source

“the Maple Harvest Festival is a well-loved community tradition that also features live music, pancakes with real maple syrup, wildlife programs, a climbing wall and more.”Julie Noal, Centre County Gazette (StateCollege.com), 19 February 2026