Nestled in the scenic Pocono Mountains, Camelback Resort is a year-round recreational destination ideal for adventure-packed multi-generational family travel and experiences. Its wooded hills and valleys serve as the background for almost two million outdoor enthusiasts and nature loving visitors annually.
The resort includes Camelback Mountain for unsurpassed skiing, snowboarding, and snowtubing; Camelback Mountain Adventures for ziplining, a treetop obstacle course, and alpine mountain coaster; Camelbeach Mountain Waterpark, Pennsylvania’s biggest outdoor waterpark; and Camelback Lodge & Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark, the latter voted USA Today’s 2019 #1 Indoor Waterpark.
Camelback Lodge
We stayed at Camelback Lodge, an eight-story mountain modern-designed hotel with 453 guest suites, featuring many dining choices including ski-in/ski-out restaurants, Serenity Spa, a fitness center, and so much more.
Dining options include: Hemispheres, a family friendly all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant open for breakfast and dinner (however, because of covid our orders were brought to our tables); Trails End Pub & Grille, a ski-in/ski-out American brew pub open daily; Neptunes, open for lunch and dinner with a view of Aquatopia and an appealing kids menu as well as craft cocktails for adults; Graffiti Pizza, a New York graffiti-themed pizza spot; Berrelli’s Family Style Italian Restaurant offering authentic Italian cuisine and an extensive wine list in a fine-dining ambiance; Flyboys, the Poconos’ most unique indoor pool and swim-up bar reserved for guests 21 or older; and more you can see on Camelback’s website here.
Our Breakfast at Hemispheres
Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark
What I loved the most about Aquatopia was the light that poured in from the overhead skylight. I felt like I could have been outdoors in the tropics with the aqua water glistening and that 84 degree temperature. The sun shines through during the day from the transparent roof and at night it is beautiful lit up with LED lights.
It has plenty of exciting and innovative water slides – tube slides, body slides, mat, bowl and aqua launch slides as well as kiddie slides for the youngest thrill seekers and more. You can choose to ride the more thrilling rides and then float through the lost River. My eldest, Ryan, even went boogie boarding!
We were so excited to try all of the rides! We were soaked and loved every minute of it. Here’s a list of rides for adults and big kids:
VENUS SLYDETRAP- The only combination family raft ride of its kind in the world!
STORM CHASER- North America’s longest indoor uphill water coaster.
THE HIMALAYAN- The region’s only indoor head-first mat waterslide features AquaLucent lighting and high-speed drops.
OUTA-SPACE RACE- A high-speed, feet-first body slide.
MOUNTAIN MAYHEM- An enclosed and translucent tube slide.
CONSTRICTOR- The fully enclosed Constrictor swallows two-person rafts into its depths down through a series of narrowing then widening spirals.
PARADISE PLUNGE- A high-speed, free-fall body slide.
SKYDIVE PLUMMET- Riders step into the AquaLaunch at the top of the tower before a trap door below opens and the rider plummets into a 60-foot thrill ride.
BOMBORA FLOWRIDER- A great way for first timers to learn to boogie board or surf in a safe and controlled environment and a fun way for more experienced flow boarders to sharpen their skills.
All of my kids enjoyed KARTRITE’S QUEST too! It’s an immersive multi-level AquaPlay structure including geyser jets, rotating dumping troughs, hose jets, pull ropes, tipping cones, water guns, plunger jets, water wheels and water cannons with zero-depth entry pool at the base of the water play structure. The Platforms and stairs separate interactive zones designed for different age levels, giving guests a choice of going to the slides or the interactive water features.
Arcadia Adventures
Camelback Mountain & Snowtubing Park
Snowtubing sessions are two hours long and start every hour on the hour. We highly suggest purchasing tickets online in advance to secure your spot! https://www.camelbackresort.com/ski-tube/poconos-snowtubing-snowboarding/
All of this fun is just a short drive from both NYC and Philadelphia, in the beautiful Poconos Mountains. To learn more about Aquatopia and Camelback Resort, visit their website!
For Nearby and Preferred Dining Options:
For great dining experiences we recommend Desaki and the Frogtown Chophouse. They are only 15 minutes away from the resort and each have their own unique experience to offer.
Desaki
This family-friendly hibachi restaurant was beautifully decorated with chandeliers and fresh flowers, something you don’t typically see in a hibachi restaurant. The tables surround a wooden dance floor, inviting all to dance and enjoy the fun.
We ordered sushi, eggrolls, and calamari as appetizers and were so pleased with it all! They had so many choices and everything we ate bursted with flavor. They prepared all of our favorite dishes including filet mignon, lobster, scallops, salmon, chicken, NY Strip and jumbo shrimp and so much more; properly cooked and seasoned.
The Frogtown Chophouse
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience in this sophisticated ambiance. Everyone was genuinely kind and attentive. We felt very at ease.
I would recommend anyone visiting the area to come and dine here!
This looks like a great spot to have a family vacation. I know my kids love to play in the water.
My kids do too! We were so glad it had so many fun activities for them to enjoy 🙂
Now that’s what I call a family getaway. You’ve got fun on the slopes AND in the pool, and great place to chillax at the end of the day. Nice.
Yes! We loved that it just had it ALL
Camelback is amazing indoors and out. I must get there for the aquatopia and outdoor snow activities. The lodging and food also looks worth traveling for
This place is so fun! Even me as an adult will definitely enjoy this.
Hope you get a chance!
That looks like a blast! When my girls are older they will LOVE this!
Thank you! I’m sure they will!
Wow this place looks amazing! My 6 kids would love it there especially the water slides!
Yes they would! So much for everyone!
Wow, that is incredible. I can’t wait to be able to travel again. Will have to plan to visit.
That’s why we were so glad to find Camelback, only 1 1/2 away from NYC and we felt very safe as we were able to social distance and wore masks.
Looks like a fun resort for the whole family. I bet y’all had a blast.
We really did!
What a neat place to visit! I have heard a lot of things about Camelback. How cool that you can go to the waterpark and snow tubing all in one day!
Thank you! We loved being able to enjoy both!
Oh my gosh, this looks like so much fun! My kids are getting a little stir crazy. I just looked at reserving us a room!
We all have been feeling that way during this pandemic but good idea! You won’t regret it!
Wow! As in wow! I am loving this place! I will definitely bring my family here in Camelback Resort! The place is stunning.
I’m so glad you we were able to inspire you to make some great memories with your loved ones!
This looks like a fun place for a family vacation!
Oh what fun this looks like. What family wouldn’t love doing all those things together.
Yesss that’s what we were thinking!
This looks like such a fun place to take the family! I’m sure you were all exhausted by the end of it.
With the current state of affairs, I could do with a lovely vacation and this place looks absolutely amazing.