Penn State Behrend is located in Erie, Pennsylvania, a mid-sized city that offers the culture and entertainment options of a large metropolitan area with an abundance of natural resources and the friendly ease of a small town.
Pennsylvania’s fifth-largest city, Erie is located on Lake Erie’s beautiful Presque Isle Bay. Nearby, the 3,200-acre Presque Isle State Park offers seven miles of sandy beaches, boating, and a 13.5-mile paved multipurpose trail for walking, jogging, bicycling, inline skating, and cross-country skiing.
The downtown area offers a variety of cultural and historical attractions, including the Erie Art Museum; the Erie Playhouse; and the U.S. Brig Niagara, a reconstruction of Oliver Hazard Perry’s relief flagship in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Erie is also home to the Erie SeaWolves, a Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. A variety of shopping and dining options are available along the Peach Street corridor, about a 15-minute drive from the Penn State Behrend campus.
This very drivable city is conveniently located about two hours by car from Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and about four hours from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Penn State’s University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania. Driving times vary with traffic, weather, and border crossings.
Learn about other things to do in Erie, helpful websites for your visit, how to get here, and places to stay.
