Pocono Talk

Skiing in the Poconos

The Poconos has a bunch of things to do whether you live here or vacation here.  The Winter months especially offer a large variety of things to do.Here is my Top 5 list of of Winter things to do in the Poconos.Some of these are really obvious, and others are not so obvious, but all of them are a ton of fun!

1.  Skiing/ Snowboarding
This is probably the most obvious and a large reason that many people visit the Poconos during the winter months.  The Poconos are about a 2-3 hour drive from most parts of New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia so it makes it very convenient for a weekend trip.  There are 5+ places to ski and snowboard in the Poconos, that number varies because some of the ski resorts (namely Alpine Mountain and Tanglewood) have undergone some economic hard times in the past few years.  Although I believe they’re both operational this year I would still double check locations before making plans.  Some of the bigger names are: Jack Frost Big Boulder, Shawnee, Jack Frost, Camelback, Blue Mountain and Big Bear.

2.  Snow Tubing
Most of the locations that offer skiiing/snowboarding also offer snow tubing.  I listed this separate since it’s something that is really cost effective, requires little/no skill and is fun for all ages.  With  “magic carpets” at many locations to take your tube back to the top it sure beats sledding in your backyard!

3.  Shopping
The Poconos offers great shopping including The Crossings Premium Factory Outlets with stores offering 25%-50%+ discounts on designer and name brands like Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, BCBG Max Azria, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Coach, Cole Haan, Gap Outlet, J.Crew, Liz Claiborne, Movado, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.  There are also a bunch of great places to see things made like House of Candles and Callies Pretzel Factory and also to some unique stores like Switzerland Old World Gifts (with a $1300 beer stein) and Stained Glass Creations (both located next to each other on Route 611).

4.  Dog Sledding
Here is where it gets interesting…Dog Sledding!  What is a more fun, unique and cool thing to do then to try Dog Sledding.  I think even for the teen that thinks its “so uncool” to hang out with their family on vacation they couldn’t resist getting excited about a trip to the Poconos if you threw in dog sledding.  Artic Paws Dog Sled Tours offers dog sledding at the Inn at Pocono Manor and at $50/person/hour it is a bit expensive but it’s completely worth it for a once in a lifetime experience.

5.  Indoor Water Park
If the thought of being outside in the cold and snow doesn’t excite you then a trip to an indoor waterpark might just do the trick.  Great Wolf Lodge offers year round indoor fun at their indoor water park.  There are a ton of things to do including the waterpark with a four story treehouse water fort, “MagiQuest” a mystical based game, a spa, a game room with the most popular console platforms and tons more!

Don’t see your favorite winter activity listed?   Be sure to leave a comment and share what you love to do in the Poconos in the winter!

It’s here!!  In early October we got about an inch or two of snow, and now in early December we are finally getting our first snowfall that is much needed.  Right now the Pocono ski resorts are rejoicing, every skier, snowboarder and snow sports lover are getting ready to take advantage of it.  I am far from a snow bunny, I am definitely the “grab a cup of hot cocoa and watch everybody else ski” type of gal, I didn’t grow up in the area so I wasn’t born with that snow sports mentality but the excitement of friends and family says it all.

My 6 year old learned how to ski at Shawnee Mountain last year, he took part in their ski-wee program and I was overly impressed as to how much he learned in such a small amount of time.  My husband is an excellent skier and was an instructor at Shawnee for a few years but as any parent knows a child typically listens and learns better from other people.  So we signed him up for classes late in the season, he went for 3 sessions and I was skeptical as to how much he could actually learn.  My husband had taken him to Alpine Mountain (or hill as he likes to refer to it) a few times and in the backyard but nothing substantial.  By the end of the 3 ski wee sessions at Shawnee Mountain he was able to ski down from the top of the mountain.  In my “ski-newbieness” I would consider the top of the mountain the top of the bunny hill, but I mean the actual top of the mountain, ya know up the ski lift to the very top.  As a mother who can’t get down the bunny slope without running over some kid sitting down and texting on the mountain(that’s a whole nother story), to watch my 6 year old go up and come back down (not that I could actually see to the top) I was pretty darn impressed.  If only I had the lack of fear of a child, I would be a magnificient skier!  Alright, that’s dreaming but at least maybe I could get down my own driveway.

If you’re looking for ski classes for kids I’d highly recommend Shawnee, we priced out other classes and it was actually cheaper then most and they have the “carpet” that allows the kids to get to the top of the mountain without needing to actually take a lift which I think is great for kids, or anyone, that is just learning how.

Camelback was blowing snow today as I’m sure most other Ski Resorts are doing, so if they’re not ideal conditions yet they will be soon enough.  One of these days I will work up the courage to take advantage of living in a Ski haven and actually take some lessons, until then you can find me inside enjoying my hot cocoa.

If you drove through downtown Stroudsburg at night this week you would notice that the Christmas lights are up on the trees!  I love the “old town” charm of the christmas lights on trees in winter, the flower baskets hanging off the poles in summer, those things that give Stroudsburg that  ’small town’ charm feeling that so many of us long for.

So a heads up – The Friday after Thanksgiving is the annual tree lighting in Courthouse Square in Stroudsburg.  Festivies include Christmas Carols, an appearance by Santa Claus, the Mayor of Stroudsburg lighting the tree.

Looking for that extra special holiday feeling?  Take a ride around town in a horse-drawn carriage!

Shawnee Mountain has a variety of events throughout the year, one event that I wanted to get to but I’m just way too busy this weekend is the Timber & Balloon Festival.  This past week has been a mess weather wise – snow, rain, cold.  The festival ran from Friday night through Sunday, Saturday morning it was snowing so it probably would have been pretty miserable, but today seems like it would have been a nice day.  It’s definitely on the cold side with the wind, but it would be a nice day to get out before winter really sets in.

Adult tickets range from $8 in advance on Friday to $15 at the gate on Saturday & Sunday, and kids tickets range from $6 in advance on Friday to $12 at the gate on Saturday & Sunday. You can also purchase multi-day passes to save some money as well.

So what do they have?  It’s the Timber and Balloon Festival – the Timber part consists of “IRONJACK Timber Team Lumberjack Shows: As seen on OLN; Log Rolling, Pole Climbing, Axe and Chainsaw Competitions, Buck Sawing and More.” http://www.shawneemt.com/s_timberballoonfestival.html and the Balloon part consists of Hot Air Balloon Launches as well as Hot Air Balloon rides(limited availability purchase in advance).

I think for both kids and adults alike Hot Air Balloons are one of those hidden fascinations – seeing how large the balloons actually are, the logistics of how they operate, the thought of being up so high (or actually being one of those brave souls that take a ride) and the awe of their brilliant colors.  I hope to be able to go next year, and I definitely want to hit up the Garlic Festival at Shawnee as well(unfortunately we were sick this year and highly disappointed we didn’t get to go – but there’s always next year).

If one thing is for sure, there is never a shortage of fun and special things to do in the Poconos!

Monday was Columbus Day so we left work a little bit early to head out to do some pumpkin and apple picking.  The problem is I really couldn’t find anywhere that had both available.

PUMPKIN PICKING
When “pumpkin picking” you really need to be sure that you read the fine print so that if you’re actually expecting to pick pumpkins off the vine that they have it available.  Many “pick your own” places pre-pick the pumpkins then lay them out in a field for you to choose from.  It’s a fun step up from getting them out of a bin, but there is something great about being able to actually pick them off a vine.

Places I know of that you can actually pick them off a vine(please call them to make sure, late in the season they have them pre-picked).

OFF THE VINE
Klingels/Mazezilla: We took my son there with his preschool and they take you on an open hayride of sorts out to the patch to pick your own pumpkins:

http://www.mazezilla.com/patch.html they are probably the closest in the Poconos.

Donaldson Farms (NJ): Again, we took our son out there last year with his preschool, we actually got to walk in the field and pick out our pumpkins.  They also have flower picking early in the year(I really want to try that as well!)  http://www.donaldsonfarms.net

PUMPKIN PATCH
Strawberry Acres(near Allentown): They are available off the vine but for the rest of this season YOU CAN NOT GET THEM OFF THE VINE.  If you want to go there be sure to go early in the season. They have pumpkins available to choose from in a field.   http://www.strawberryacres.com/pumpkins.html

Old Homestead(in Leighton): They are also available in a field, there are farm animals, a pumpkin sling/shooter thing, they also have food stands. http://www.oldhomestead.com/ppatch.html

APPLE PICKING

Apple Picking

So I really really really wanted to go and pick apples this year.  I am constantly teaching my 6 year old son about where fruits/vegetables come from and it’s really cute to see his reaction of  “so carrots are in the ground?” or “bananas in trees?”.  I searched around and found that many places that normally have apple picking available do not have it this year due to the weather(I assume the rain).  I also wanted to combine that with pumpkin picking – but I unfortunately could not find a place that did both at this time of the year that was close.

So we headed down to Strawberry Acres which is right past the Allentown mall to do some apple picking.  Like many of the places we visit it had farm animals(I love llamas), a big “tube slide” for the kids(if you haven’t seen/tried one they’re a good laugh), pony rides, pumpkin picking(available off the vine usually, but we went to late in the season so they were in a field), a farmers market with Mums, fresh fruit, and of course APPLE PICKING!  We grabbed 2 boxes and hopped onto what I can only best describe as a school bus convertible…it’s like a hayride in a school bus, with the top off, minus the hay…you’d have to see it…and were taken a few minutes up the road to where the trees were.  I was slightly disappointed that the trees are so close to houses…it looses that “outdoor” feel that you get with being up here in the Poconos.  It is about an hour away though and should be expected, but it seems that their pear trees are a lot further out so if you went there to do pear picking(you can also do cherry picking and peach picking) it would seem a lot more rural.

Regardless, once you’re in a sea of apple trees everything else seems to fade away.  I’ve been apple picking before where you use baskets on a stick to collect them since the fruit is up so high.  In this case the trees were on the “small side” being that the apples went from almost the ground all the way up to about 20 feet or so.  It was great for my son since he could grab the apples himself and it really gave him a hands on feel.  Since there were a lot of riper apples up top my husband hoisted him up a few times to grab them off the trees which delighted him.  All in all we picked probably close to 40-50  apples which ended up costing us about $35.  more expensive then store bought but definitely worth it for the experience.

Needless to say I’ll be baking a lot of apple pies in the next couple of days…

Lastly, Christmas is quickly approaching so I thought I’d mention that if you’re looking for a place to cut your own Christmas Tree in the Poconos   that Old Homestead Tree Farm has tree cutting available:  http://www.oldhomestead.com/xmas.html I have yet to cut my own Christmas tree so maybe we’ll try it this year!

Apple picking, pumpkin picking, cutting your own Christmas tree…they’re all great ways to get some quality family time together and to create some lasting memories.  It takes a lot more time and money then the pre-cut/picked stuff, but it’s well worth it!

I recently found out about this program that provides free ski passes for 4th and 5th graders through the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association Website http://www.skipa.com.  There is a $15 processing fee and requires the purchase of an adult ticket for most resorts as well but it’s a great opportunity if you’re a skier and looking to get your child involved.

You sign up on their website, or can pickup a form at some schools, and after giving required information(including a copy of their report card or other identification) and will be given a booklet that contains  three free lift tickets for participating ski resorts in PA.

You DO NOT need to be a PA resident in order to get the free passes, so even if you live in NY or NJ and are planning a vacation you can still apply.

The tickets are good at the following ski resorts:  Alpine Mountain, Bear Creek Mountain Resort, Big Boulder, Blue Knob Ski Area, Blue Mountain, Camelback Ski Area, Eagle Rock Resort, Elk Mountain, Hidden Valley Resort, Jack Frost Mountain, Liberty Mountain Resort, Mystic Mountain at Nemacolin Woodlands, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Shawnee Mountain, Ski Big Bear, Ski Denton, Ski Roundtop, Ski Sawmill Family Resort, Sno Mountain, Tussey Mountain Ski Area and Whitetail Mountain Resort

For more information visit www.skipa.com

If you are looking to access wireless internet in the Poconos you and are a PTD(penteledata) customer here is a current list of wi-fi spots:

Alaska Pete’s
Route 209
Marshall’s Creek, PA. 18335
570.350.7300
www.alaskapetes.com

Barley Creek Brewing Company
RR 1 Box 185 Sullivan Trail & Camelback Rd.
Tannersville, PA. 18372
570.629.9399
www.barleycreek.com

Best Western Pocono Inn
700 Main Street
Stroudsburg, PA. 18360
570.421.2200
www.bestwesternpocono.com

Blakeslee Inn & Restaurant
Rt. 940
Blakeslee, PA. 18334
570.646.1100
www.blakesleeinn.com

Camelback Ski Area
Exit 299 I-80
Tannersville, PA. 18372
570.629.1661
www.skicamelback.com

CamelBeach
Exit 299 I-80
Tannersville, PA. 18372
570.629.1661
www.camelbeach.com

East Stroudsburg University–Stadium Fieldhouse
200 Prospect Street
East Stroudsburg, PA. 18301
570.422.3211
www.esu.edu

Four Seasons Restaurant & Diner
5000 Milford Rd.
East Stroudsburg, PA. 18301
570.460.7974

Jubilee Restaurant
Route 940
Pocono Pines, PA. 18350
570.646.2377
www.breakfastking.com

Lakeview Pool & Country Club
33 Leisure Lands
East Stroudsburg, PA. 18301
570.223.9429
www.lakeviewpcc.com

Nibors Coffee
Rt. 209 & Monroe Plaza
Brodheadsville, PA. 18322
570.992.8458

Nibors Coffee
Rt. 209 & Schaffer Lane
Brodheadsville, PA. 18322
570.992.8458

Nibors Coffee
Rt. 611
Tannersville, PA. 18372
570.619.4019

Resorts USA, Fernwood Resort
Rt. 209
Bushkill, PA. 18324
570.588.6661
www.resortsusa.com

Rocks Smoke Shop
7 Liberty Square
East Stroudsburg, PA. 18301
570.223.6534
www.rockssmokeshop.com

Siamsa Irish Pub
636 Main Street
Stroudsburg, PA. 18360
570.421.8434
www.siamsairishpub.com

Subway
Rt. 611 Fountain Ct.
Bartonsville, PA. 18321
570.620.9007
www.subway.com

Subway
601 Rt.940
Mount Pocono, PA. 18344
570.839.5833
www.subway.com

Werry’s Cottages, Motel & Pub
Rt. 209
Marshall’s Creek, PA. 18335
570.223.9234
www.werrys.com

West End fairgrounds
Fairgrounds Road
Gilbert, PA. 18331
610.681.4293
www.westendfairgilbertpa.com

West End Lanes
209 S. & Weir Lake Rd.
Brodheadsville, PA. 18322
610.681.9000
www.westendlanes.com
If you are not a PTD customer I know the Panera Bread on 611 has free wi-fi (no account needed) as did the Starbucks right next to it.  The Starbucks on Main Street in Stroudsburg should as well.  If anyone else knows of any spots feel free to leave a comment, thanks!

First Significant Snowfall
It’s snowing!  We got a little bit of snow last week but this week is the first significant snow fall – we already have about 6 inches and we’re suppose to get heavy snow for at least another 4 hours.

I am definitely a “get the bread, milk and eggs” type of person – growing up I always giggled at those people and their ‘overreactions’ to being prepared for a snowfall when they usually turned out to be nothing.  As I’ve gotten older, and moved further away from the city, you start to realize that being overprepared far outweighs being underprepared. It never fails – the entire rest of the month you could care less about having bread, milk or eggs on hand – but in the middle of a snowstorm it’s inevitable – you get the great idea to make cookies…but don’t have any milk to drink(come on you can’t possibly have milk without cookies).  Let alone eggs to make the cookies.  Any other day if you were out of bread – no big deal, you’ll just find something else for lunch…nope, when it’s snowing not only do you want that sandwhich but hubby is jonesing for french toast, the kids can’t live without pb & j for the day…etc.

Besides the inconvenience of not having those items(which I’m sure you can suck it up and get past), it’s that if you decide you really want to go get them…it’s usually not the best idea.  Before I had kids getting stuck in the snow was laughable – it was a good story to tell people and I could live with the embarrassment of needing to be pushed out by strangers.  Now, the thought of getting stranded with 2 young kids in the car I always prepare for the worst so even if it only ends up being a dusting I’m better off safe then sorry.

The snowstorm last February in PA and on Route 80 was a worst case senario (some people were stuck for over 20 hours),  but just solidifies my new “better safe then sorry” mantra I’ve developed over the past few years.

“Fun Box”
My son’s “fun box” is something I put together 2 years ago not only to ease the above worries, but it’s kept a lot of calm for other situations as well.  The “fun box” is a small plastic container that is solidly built but was inexpensive to buy and contains some necessities as well as some luxuries.  There are always at least 4 or 5 juice boxes, individual snack packs (pretzels, chips, cookies), granola bars, trail mix(store bought), small coloring books & crayons, party toys and a few basic toys.  Whenever my sons goes to a party there are usually a few random toys in the party bags – small coloring books, stickers, whistles(although that may not be the best toy for inside a closed vehicle) – that would normally end up going unused or missing.  So I put them in the “fun box” which makes them that much more enjoyable(as they usually pale in comparison to the other tyos at home) and makes sure they get put to good use.  It’s came in handy many times – for those days he’s really hungry on the way home from school, when we’re out shopping and forget his juice cup and for longer trips.  It provides a feeling of safety(incase we’re stranded longer then needed) and sanity(no food/drinks available makes for cranky kids) that’s well worth the few minutes it takes to throw it together.
Christmas Lights
Around the holidays I’m always on the lookout for places that have great Christmas displays – I love just driving around the neighborhood and seeing everyone’s home displays.  This year we are planning to go up to Scranton and visit Nay Aug Park to see their drive thru Christmas Lights display for the first time.  Their website boasts:
“Don’t miss the incredible light show this year in Nay Aug Park. Every year we add to the display and this holiday season is no exception. You’ll see the newest addition, the Electric City sign. The display is a replica of the Scranton landmark that you can see up close. This special addition reflects the pride that scrantonians feel about the history of our wonderful city. The light show can be seen from 11/23 -12/31. The lights come on at dusk and will be illuminated until midnight. While you can drive through the park to admire the lights, a walk in the park will be a spectacular experience.”

I am all about being able to stay in our nice warm car and view Christmas lights – Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA has a beautiful outdoor display(as well as indoor) but it typically is pretty cold and takes too long to fully enjoy it and bring the kids along.  We were able to take our then 4 year old last year and we did alright(they sell hot cocoa outside so that helped), but this year we have a new 2 month old so we’re going to pass this year.

Christmas Lights in the Poconos
This year we’re staying pretty local(hoping to make it up to Scranton if the weather holds up), and while looking for a list of Christmas light displays in the area I stumbled across this: Christmas Lights map from Pocono Record which is a local contest for the best Christmas lights displays but currently only has 2 houses listed.  I wish it had more listed – maybe if it wasn’t a contest it’d spark more interest – so if anyone knows of a more complete local map (or even within 30 minutes or so) let me know!

The Pocono Mountains Run for the Red is an annual marathon and 5k road race in which the profits are given to the American Red Cross of Monroe County to be used 100% towards disaster relief in Monroe County.

This is the third year running(pun intended) and the race will fall on May 4th, 2008.  If you are a runner the race is an official Boston Marathon qualifer.  If you’re not a runner but would still like to help they are always looking to volunteers to help out not only on race day but throughout the year as well. 

If you are visiting the Poconos that weekend or even if you just live in the area you should really take note as to what roads the course runs on.  It covers a large area that can be seen on this map: http://www.poconomarathon.org/coursemap.html  From what I remember of last years race the roads they use are completely CLOSED so you will want to find alternate routes in advance – especially if you know you have somewhere to go so be sure to add a detour to your travel time.

The event overall is great for both the runners and the community as well, so keep your eye out on the 4th if you’re not a runner to see a great cause at work.   http://www.poconomarathon.org

If you’re looking for fall fun in the Poconos look no further then Klingel’s Farm and Mazezilla – it is a must for all ages.  My husband and I attended our sons field trip there this past Monday and everyone had tons of fun.  When you arrive the Farm stand is directly next to the parking lot with all kinds of fresh produce and wide variety of affordable fall products.  I will have to take better notes next time but off the top of my head I believe the hay bales were $5 each and mums were 3 for $10.  Great prices and EXCELLENT quality! 

Shortly after we arrived we boarded a tractor that took us over to the Mazezilla section, it took a loop around the pumpkin fields showing off the large amount of available pumpkins and really getting the kids excited.  When we arrived the kids set loose and had a ton of fun doing activities that they don’t get the chance to do on a daily basis.  A few favorites of my son were they hay bales to jump on, a mini corral with bikes, pipe slides, and a sandbox filled with corn.  My personal favorite was seeing the mini horse, they are just too cute!

continue reading »