Poconos: background
Just a few hours from New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington DC, the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania have been offering city-slickers a family getaway for nearly as long as the cities have been slick.
It's true that the area is also popular among NASCAR fans and romantic couples who like heart-shaped bathtubs. But for many, the draw is the Great Outdoors, the numerous state parks and nature trails, the fishing, canoeing, rafting, waterfalls....
Amid all this are family resorts, with playgrounds, pools, and myriad activities, kids' programs -- see below.
Wintertime brings skiing at eight Poconos ski resorts including Big Boulder and Camelback.
Also of interest in the area:
- Outings: Eckley Mining Village ("living history" that depicts life at the time of the strip-mining pits), classic car museum, Pocono Indian Museum, and more.
- seasonal events -- see This Week in the Poconos
- Amish country: see Amish.net, to learn about the Amish in Pennsylvania.
Poconos Resorts for Families
• Great Wolf Lodge Poconos - Water Park Resort
Part of the Great Wolf Lodge brand of water park resorts; rustic chic, Grand Lobby, Aveda spa, all-suite guest-rooms including themed KidCabins. Indoor waterpark has waterslides, water roller coaster, wave pool, kiddie pool, lazy river, 12-level waterfort play zone, 1,000-gallon tipping water bucket.
•Skytop Lodge
Dutch Colonial stone lodge, seventy years of history, and 5500 acres of forest. Outdoors recreation, kids' programs, theme weekends. Winter recreation includes cross-country skiing and (gentle) downhill in a private mountain, ice-skating in a covered rink.
•Woodloch Resort
Woodloch Resort & Golf Community is a 100-acre four-season resort in the popular Poconos area of Pennsylvania, with lots of outdoors activities -- the kind of place that gets 4th generation returning guests. Lakeside activities in summertime, and a Splash Park geared to younger kids; in winter, ice skating, snow tube hill, and nearby downhill skiing. Many lodgings options, including vacation homes; look for family packages.
• Split Rock Resort
Four-season lakeside resort with 500 acres; many summer and winter outdoor activities including skiing in winter; and a (modest-sized) indoor water park.
•Hillside Lodge and Resort
Despite the occasional heart-shaped bathtub, much of the clientele here is families; stay in suites or cottages, enjoy thirty acres, and mountains with miles of trails. Open year-round; winter fun includes skiing, tubing, etc., at Camelback or Big Boulder mountains.
These brief profile is meant to introduce this resort to family vacationers; please note that the writer has not visited in person. Always check resort sites for updates!
