A three-foot tall bobble head is one of the many ways Penn State fans show their love for Joe Pa. Michael Woytowich/ SI

AFTER 2 A.M.: Late night revelers generally settle around Beaver Canyon for $1 slices of Canyon Pizza or -- when the team's doing well -- good ol' post-win mayhem.

MUST-EAT: Tourist-types gorge on Peachy Paterno ice cream at the Creamery and skillet-grilled sticky buns at Ye Olde College Diner. Well-versed students are more likely burning off that post-Saturday football hangover at any of three Waffle Shop locations.

DOSE OF CULTURE: Class may be out of session, but summer schoolers and out-of-towners flock to the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts (mid-July) for street-fulls of art, potato pancakes, cherry streudel and other local faves. (Oh, and they party pretty hard, too.)

RULE #76: Mint chocolate chip and cookies-and-creme? Nuh uh. Don't even ask to mix flavors at the Creamery. It's only been allowed once -- for then President Clinton.

MUSIC MUST-STOP: Crowbar lures with a mixture of local and national acts and liquid specials like Nickel Nights: five cents for an eight-ounce tap.

GETTING AROUND: East College Avenue and East Beaver Avenue form the rectangular core of downtown. The Loop, a free four-bus shuttle system, can get you most anywhere until 2:30 a.m. on weekends. Beware nasty traffic on Park Avenue after football games. (Getting dropped off a few blocks away is a smart play.)

TICKET MASTER: Try the message boards at the Willard and Thomas Buildings.

ONLY AT PENN STATE: Don't even try the grocery store or the gas station for a sixer of somethin' special. They're not allowed to sell.

POSTGAME: Tailgating encircles Beaver Stadium and parents of players get their own tailgate lot, between the Lasch Building and Holuba Hall. (You'll find their little varsity stars hanging their heads or high-fiving here afterward.) The most potent postgame may be at the Rathskellar, where you can get an 18-pack of Rolling Rock ponies for $18.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: PSU--Ohio State football, Oct. 8 under the lights.

PACK YOUR: Muzzle. Appropriate as it may sound, Paterno-trashing just isn't tolerated.

RITE OF PASSAGE: Pop a picture with the 13-ton Indiana limestone Nittany Lion statue, across from the Recreation Building.

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