Clarion, PA is just about 1.5 hours away from Grove City. Would give you a chance to see the town and university. It is right off of 80. Slippery Rock University is only 20 minutes away from Grove City as well. You could get a bunch done in a short period of time.
^Per Google maps, Clarion is closer to Grove City (44 miles, 45 minutes).
I’d definitely recommend stopping by Slippery Rock - it was pretty nice during our brief drive-by. We talked to very nice admissions people after missing the tour by hours (Bloomsburg took longer than we expected). It’s a nice place!
Not to make you crazy but Allegheny College is in Meadville. That is the location that 80 connects to 79. You have many options.
If you’re going for the Oct. 14 open house, you don’t have to worry about Penn State game traffic. It’s a bye weekend.
@kidzncatz , @bester1 , @Gatormama , and @mommdc , thanks for all the info.
I’d probably prefer the turnpike because it’s easier for me to get to.
If we have time, I’d like to see St. Vincent College more than Slippery Rock or Allegheny. That has really good merit and science options. But that seems south of Pittsburgh while Grove City is north.
Well, you can take the turnpike directly to Cranberry Township. There you get 79N and it is about 25 minutes to Grove City. You are also very close to Westminster College and you can get that down to about $22,000/year and it is very highly regarded in the sciences. St. Vincent is cool, but it isn’t easy to get to Grove City from there. Depends on what you want. There are many hotels near Cranberry Township(where turnpike runs into 79). Gove City, Westminster and Slippery Rock are all very near each other. Thiel college is just a bit north along with Allegheny College.
@bester1 , Westminster sounds like a nice option. I’ve had it on and off the list so it might be a good chance to just take a look.
Thanks for the Cranberry Township tip.
The people in the Westminster music Dept I emailed with were super nice.
@MACmiracle I think you need more time!
Messiah is in Mechanicsburg, a few miles west of Harrisburg, it is supposed to be a nice school.
I think they have theology.
They also have engineering which I think is great for a LAC.
Wait, what magic are you using to get Westminster down to $22k, @bester1?!
My daughter considered it last year. She was accepted and recruited to swim. After academic money…it was $22plus. I loved it… although small…which she didn’t want. Nice grounds/buildings/facilities. Near the Grove City outlets(good, large shopping area). They need students just like the PASSHE schools.
One of the nicest visits we had was at Westminster. Genuinely kind and helpful. I felt like you could get a very good education there.
I know you are pressed for time but Gannon is in Erie and that is only about 1 hour north on 79 from Grove City. Just another one to consider.
@bester1 What is Erie like?
D wants rural or suburban.
Gannon is Catholic, so D might be interested but yeah, not in one trip.
Erie is a city. Gannon is an urban campus.
Are you ready for another question?
Not Pa, but Maryland. 
We are going to visit Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg. It’s not too far from Pa. We’ll probably do it in a day but if we decide to stay over, any suggestions about where?
I second @mommdc 's suggestion of Messiah. It is less than 15 minutes from my home. Very, very nice Christian school. Definitely faith-based but emphasizing growing in faith rather than a dogmatic/narrow viewpoint.
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/things-around-emmitsburg-md-101894.html
This link says Emmitsburg is close to Gettysburg National Military Park.
I don’t know anything about Messiah’s science programs.
@mommdc WOW! That Emmitsburg area seems really nice. Kind of perfect for D actually. If we go in October, it will be beautiful.
I don’t know too much about their science programs, either, though they do offer quite a few majors. The chemistry program is approved by the American Chemical Society.