From Teresa Plowright,
Your Guide to Family Vacations.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

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 - with indoor waterpark
  The Great Wolf Lodge family is on a building spree, and this one in the Poconos has rustic chic, Grand Lobby, Aveda spa, 401 all-suite guest-rooms including Family Fireplace Suites and themed KidCabins. Signature indoor waterpark has 11 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 Pines
  Four-season resort has family meals; varied lodging including vacation home rentals; many lakeside activities in summertime; in winter, ice skating, snow tube hill, and nearby downhill skiing. Look for family packages.

• Caesar's Pocono Resort Brookdale
  Myriad activities; Kids Kamp; all-inclusive pricing.

• Sterling Inn
  100 years of history, and 100 acres of gardens, lawns, and wooded trails.

• Split Rock Resort
  Four-season lakeside resort with 500 acres and many activities.

• Meadowbrook Inn & Riding Club For families with horse-lovers; photogenic Inn built in 1843; big country breakfasts; seasonal activities include tennis, fishing, ice-skating and skiing at nearby Camelback.

  Hillside Lodge and Resort
  Despite the occasional heart-shaped bathtub, much of the clientele is families; stay in suites or cottages, enjoy thirty acres, and mountains with miles of trails.

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.