Pennsylvania's Poconos

Travel America, Sept, 2000 by Paul Hurd

This refreshing mountain empire is one of the East's favorite escape hatches

Our flight touches down at the busy Newark Airport in New Jersey. The terminal is a hubbub of activity. The airport is surrounded by urban everything! The skyline of New York looms just across the Hudson. I'm in the rush of humanity bound for the rental cars. My car is there with my name on the keys. In minutes we're on the Interstate and pointed west. In little over an hour we zoom across the Delaware River and into Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains.

The hills are a lush green. There are farms with white clapboard homes and huge red barns. I find the Lake Harmony exit and meander along the lake to the REsort at Split Rock, a sprawling hotel/resort/time-share community. There are deer on the golf course ... in fact, there are more deer than golfers! I've forgotten about Newark already.

Proximity to the New York-Philadelphia megalopolis has always been a key selling point attracting tourists to the Poconos. After all, here is a rural environment, filled with lakes, rivers, waterfalls, wildlife, parks, golf courses, hiking trails and ski runs, dotted with picturesque hamlets and historic sites, situated within an easy drive. Not only do the Pocono Mountains provide an escape for East Coast urbanites, they serve as an excellent base for busloads of middle-American tourists bound for day trips to the big city.

The first tourists to the region stayed at riverside boarding houses in the early 1800s. By the turn of the 20th century, many of New York's and Philadelphia's gentry "summered" with their families beside the cool mountain lakes. World War II soldiers, bound for overseas duty, sought last-minute rest and relaxation in the mountain resorts, and, with fond memories, many of the GIs returned as newlyweds soon after the war.

One enterprising post-war hotelier, Rudolf von Hoevenberg, opened the Farm on the Hill, the area's first "honeymoon hotel." In 1963, Life magazine published a photo-feature highlighting the Cove Haven Resort's honeymoon novelties, including heart-shaped beds and bathtubs. Apparently a picture is worth a thousand bookings! Demand for honeymoon lodgings sky-rocketed and the Poconos earned the title "Honeymoon Capital of the World."

Each year over 200,000 honeymooners head for the Poconos. Most stay at an all-inclusive "couples only" resort like The Summit in Tannersville, Penn Hills in Analomink, Strickland's Mountain Inn or the Poconos Garden Lodge in Mount Pocono, or one of the famous Caesars Pocono Resorts: Pocono Palace, Paradise Stream, or Cove Haven. Of course, one need not be a honeymooner to enjoy a romantic weekend lounging in your suite by a cozy fireplace or relaxing in your private champagne-glass whirlpool tub.

Though honeymooners receive the most publicity, the bulk of visitors to this popular four-county region of northeastern Pennsylvania are families, much like my own, in search of an active vacation. The landmark Shawnee Inn, built in 1912, and the venerable Skytop Lodge (1928) are both famous for their family programs and activities. The Shawnee Inn, overlooking the picturesque Delaware River near Stroudsburg, has its own summer water park, miles of hiking trails, canoeing, tennis, horseback riding, 27 holes of championship golf, and a Broadway-quality Summer Playhouse. The Skytop Lodge sits on 5,500 lakeside acres, with over 25 miles of hiking and biking trails, golf, tennis, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and the award-winning "Camp in the Clouds" children's program. Caesars Brookdale caters to both couples and families. Other resorts with family-oriented facilities include Fernwood Resort, Tamiment Resort, Pocono Mano, Mountain Laurel Resort, Mount Airy Lodge, Woodloch Pines Resort, Pocmont Resort and Conference Center, and the afore-mentioned Resort at Split Rock.

Colorful country inns and B & Bs are found throughout the region. Some of the best known include the Crescent Lodge in Cresco, where each room has distinctive floral accents; the elegant French Manor in South Sterling, with its classic French cuisine; the top-rated Inn at Meadowbrook in East Stroudsburg; Frog Town Inn in Canadensis; and Settlers Inn in Hawley, close to Lake Wallenpaupack.

There are four seasons of fun in the Poconos. Ski areas like Camel-back, Alpine Mountain, Big Boulder, Shawnee, Jack Frost, Tanglwood, and Blue Mountain come alive in the winter. As the snows of winter melt, spring run-offs mean thrilling whitewater adventures as experienced guides lead rafting expeditions through the frothing waters of the Lehigh River Gorge. Throngs of tourists come in late spring, when the pale pink blossoms of the mountain laurel blanket the hillsides.

The Poconos' cool mountain lakes and rivers offer sanctuary from the summer heat. Anglers like the streams stocked with walleye, bass, trout, and salmon. Outfitters, like Kittatinny Canoes in Dingman's Ferry, rent kayaks, rafts, tubes, and canoes for trips through the scenic Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Our family packed a picnic lunch and leisurely paddled 10 miles down the gently flowing Delaware River to our rendezvous point for transport back to Dingman's Ferry.