Have you ever gotten ready to go hang out with your friends, full of energy and plans, only to end up sitting together with no idea what to actually do? You throw around a few suggestions, pause, think—and then it hits you: there really isn’t much to do after all.
I, along with hundreds of others have had this same experience of trying to find something to do that isn’t the same old thing. We’ve all experienced it when hanging out with friends, family, our significant other and more. When we step back to take a look, we find Altoona to be very bare bones.
There are two places in particular that people in Altoona previously associated with fun more than any other place: The Logan Valley Mall and Lakemont Park
The Logan Valley Mall is a shell of its former self with many stores closed down, broken escalators and baron places that don’t make it feel inviting or like a mall at all. It is supposed to be the biggest mall in Altoona yet feels like there is barely anything in it.
“I think it’s quite sad, it’s just a bunch of rundown stores with basically nothing else to do,” senior Logan Wuckovich said.
The mall will likely never return to its former glory which really hurts the atmosphere of Altoona as a whole as it is very shopping heavy. The mall used to be the place everyone would go and would be filled everyday, but now, you’re lucky to find really anyone in there shopping.
Lakemont has been going through a difficult stretch. Since 2024, all of its amusement rides have been shut down, stripping away much of what once drew people in. What’s left—mini golf courses and basketball courts—can be found elsewhere such as DelGrosso’s. Without its rides, Lakemont feels like it’s missing the very thing that made it stand out.
“I always enjoyed going on the amusement rides,” sophomore Andie Kephart said. “I feel like that was the core of Lakemont and now it just feels a bit empty with not much to do.”
While two of the most major spots in Altoona aren’t in the most ideal condition, there are still various sites like the Horseshoe Curve and various museums that provide many with fun and enjoyable activities.
However even with that, Altoona remains a baring wasteland compared to other cities just in Pennsylvania alone. It needs a real mall, it needs true amusement parks, it needs places where people can go to enjoy with friends and family. The lack of diversity in activities leaves so much to be desired and with so much potential in various spots, it’s disappointing to see Altoona in its current state.
