I am super excited to share about our trip to the Pocono Mountains. This was our first big trip as a family with three toddlers. It was a great family vacation and we actually came home feeling rested and ready to get back into our routine. Where, in the past, we’ve needed a vacation from the vacation. I will review our resort in another post. First, I wanted to share the various activities that we did in the general Pocono area.
Pocono Indian Museum
This little museum was only a five minute drive from the resort. While the museum is small it has a huge gift shop filled with all sorts of things. They had everything from your typical souvenirs, to Indian style clothing, to historical literature on the Pocono area. The museum itself is a self-guided tour. You are given a small handheld speaker with prerecorded information. It was very informative and we learned a lot about the area and the Indians that used to reside in the mountains. The only downside was that it was a not a stroller friendly place and I picked the wrong twin to wear on this trip!
Bushkill Falls
Bushkill Falls was by far the highlight of our stay and this area. We met up with my parents first thing in the morning for our hike. The hiking trails are very well marked and have decking and rails throughout. The shortest trail took less than fifteen minutes to get to the turn around point. It seemed so short that we switched to a different path to see more of the falls. Had we been kid free I would have loved to taken the longer path which leads to another waterfall. As it was was, we were able to see 180 degrees of the main Bushkill falls.
With it being the off-season, we actually missed out because some of the other buildings and exhibits did not open until later in the day. We visited the gift shop and a small historical building before leaving. The gift shop was very nice and had all types of things in it. There was also a eating area inside where food was for sale. The historical building was dedicated to showing what Bushkill Falls looked like in the past. The buildings we did not get to visit were a museum, sweet shop, and mining for kids.
Sesame Place
A long visit to Pennsylvania would be remiss without a trip to one of our favorite places. While the drive wasn’t any shorter (still about 2 hours) and felt a bit longer due to the country roads, it was still worth the trip. In comparison to our first visit, this time I knew exactly which things I wanted to see. My two must dos were the new Our Street is Sesame Street show and my favorite character Snuffy. Aside from that we let the two-year-old decide what she wanted to do most. She rode several rides and met some characters. At one point I even separated off with the twins and we met Super Grover. We are now season pass holders and will be back later this year.
Golf
I am not a golfer. However, my husband enjoys a good round of golf. Unfortunately, because of his schedule and our kids he doesn’t get to go near as much as he would like. So when its offered on a vacation he tries to play. He was able to play nine holes and from what he told me it was a nice course and he enjoyed the chance to play. He wanted to go back another day and play the back nine, but did not get the opportunity. There were multiple golf courses throughout the Pocono area so if that is something that interests you, then this might be a good choice.
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed our trip and were able to balance going out and doing things with relaxation inside. If we were to plan another trip, it would probably be in the winter or summer when there are more activities available. However, vacation, like life, is what you make it and we had a wonderful time on this trip.
Martina