Penn State is making its first appearance in the Peach Bowl this year, meaning lots of Nittany Lions are gearing up to head to Atlanta. With flights as expensive as ever, many people will likely elect to load up their cars to take the scenic route, rather than fly.

Driving the most direct route, folks can make it from State College to Atlanta in about 12 hours, meaning you could wake up early, hit the road, and make it to the Peach State in a day. But what’s the fun in that?

So, I propose what I’m calling the “fun way.” The “fun way” involves a one-night stay in Roanoke, Virginia, about halfway through the drive to allow time for activities and detours along the way.

If you took the “fun way” on the way there and drove the most direct route home, the round trip would be about 1,750 miles. Since the national gas price average is currently $3.10 and the average car will get you about 25 miles per gallon, the total cost for gas will be about $217. If possible, try to plan for a gas stop in Tennesee, which has the lowest average price per gallon of any state on this drive.

State College To Atlanta: The “Fun Way”

Because everyone will want to get home for the evening of New Year’s Eve, we recommend taking the “fun way” on the way to Atlanta. If you can, leave on the morning of December 27. This allows you to get to Atlanta on the evening of December 28, leaving you a full day in the city before the game on December 30. However, if you don’t particularly care about tourism in Atlanta, leaving on December 28 will be just fine.

Leg One: State College To Roanoke

Wake up relatively early and hit the road from State College. If you can, drive straight through to Front Royal, Virginia. This is a nice town with good food options at the gateway to Shenandoah National Park. After grabbing some food and refueling, head into Shenandoah.

Drive along the famous Blue Ridge Parkway and take advantage of the sweeping views of the Shenandoah Valley. While you don’t have time to stop and hike, the advantage of this park is there are plenty of great overlooks to pull the car over and enjoy the scenery.

Exit the park at the Swift Run Gap entrance and head for Charlottesville, Virginia. Charlottesville is home to the University of Virginia but also has a large pedestrian-only downtown section filled with great shops, ice cream parlors, and places to grab dinner.

From Charlottesville, continue on to your hotel. On the map, I marked Roanoke as a place to stop with lots of hotel options, but there are plenty of other nearby towns that will also likely have accommodation options. Roanoke itself is a cool town to walk around if you have time, but don’t sweat it if you don’t.

If you’d rather spend the night in another college town, Blacksburg, the home of Virginia Tech, is about 40 minutes down the road from Roanoke and an eight-mile detour off the route to Atlanta.

Leg Two: Roanoke To Atlanta

Wake up and grab some breakfast in Roanoke or nearby Blacksburg before continuing your journey on I-81. This is a particularly scenic part of the drive, taking you through different stretches of the Appalachian mountains.

Eventually, detour off the direct route toward Asheville, North Carolina. Stop for some of the best barbecue you’ve ever had at Luella’s, a joint the Onward State crew stopped at on our way to Auburn in 2022. Yes, it really is good enough to detour just for this food.

From there, carry on to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Here, there are multiple great tourist options. Dolly Parton’s theme park Dollywood, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the honky-tonk attractions of downtown Pigeon Forge are some of the highlights.

This is the last real “fun” stop, so play it by ear with your timing when deciding what you want to do. Once the sun sets and you feel you’ve overstayed your welcome in Pigeon Forge, start heading for Atlanta. The rest of the drive isn’t very interesting, visually, so it’s OK to do this stretch at night.

A Day In Atlanta

If you do have a day in Atlanta on December 29, there’s plenty to do. Right in downtown Atlanta, adjacent to the Olympic Park, sits many of Atlanta’s main attractions. There you’ll find the Georgia Aquarium, one of the largest aquariums in the world, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the World of Coca-Cola.

Across town sits Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, a prominent historical site and museum honoring the life of Dr. King. If you’re in search of some extra sports action in the evening, the Atlanta Hawks take on the Sacramento Kings at State Farm Arena.

If you’re willing to drive a bit outside of downtown, Atlanta is also home to a world-famous zoo and the nation’s first Chick-fil-A location, a fitting attraction for your journey to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Atlanta To State College: A Direct Trip Home

The drive home, assuming you take the most direct way, will be much more boring. You could double back on the “fun way” and hit more attractions you may have missed, but you’ll likely be spending your New Year’s in rural Virginia.

If you want to be home when the clock strikes midnight, we recommend taking the most direct route home. This will take you north through Charlotte before getting back on I-81. You’ll go past (but not through) Shenandoah National Park again before getting back to State College.

If you want to add one fun stop that will detour you a bit, you can detour through West Virginia and stop at New River Gorge National Park. The main visitor center for this park is right off of a major highway, making it a relatively quick stop.

Overall, if you’re used to driving through midwestern fields of corn for Penn State’s away games, this drive will be a nice change of pace. If you’re able to, we certainly recommend taking your time and stopping for some fun along the way. Happy travels!