Fun Things To Do With Kids: Indoor water parks PA

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Big Changes Coming to Kalahari Resorts in the Pocono Mountains

Fun Things Kids Family Travel , Indoor water parks PA

If you ever visited Kalahari Resorts before, you will want to plan a return trip. If you haven't been there before, it's time to start planning your trip.

This past week I got a sneak peak of all the new things coming to Kalahari Resorts. The resort will truly have something for everyone in you family, no matter what age they are.

This March, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions in the Pocono Mountains will become the home to America’s Largest Indoor Waterpark – dethroning the current title holder, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions in Sandusky, Ohio.

The indoor waterpark will have 8 new slides

Screaming Hyena:

Sahara Sidewinder:

Kenya’s Korkscrew:

Zig-Zag Zebra:

Cheetah Race Mat Slide:

During this expansion, Kalahari has added 520 rooms. They also added a few suites so you can bring your whole family and even your extended family, with the option of 3 bedroom suites or five bedroom suites. With the addition of these suites, you will have plenty of room to relax and spend holidays or special occasions with your family.

Kalahari will be adding some new dining options too. I had the chance to try samples of food that will be served at the restaurants and guest will be in for a special treat. This is not your typical resort food, you will be enjoying gourmet food.

Double Cut Charcoal Grill/Liquor Bar:
Kalahari’s signature steakhouse experience featuring: premium cuts of meat, craft cocktails, family style sides and more

Sortino's Italian Kitchen:
The menu will include: wood-fired pizza, Italian family dining, a large variety of wines and more.

Marrakesh Market:
Grab and go convenience bazaar style shopping, unique gifts, authentic-African items and everyday needs.

Even more family fun:

If you get tired of the waterpark you will be able to check out the new virtual reality experience, The Arena. Guest can step into the virtual reality and play with other guests.

If you want some outdoor adventure check out Gorilla Grove Treetop Outdoor Aerial Adventure Park (now open)

Kalahari Resorts continues to be a top-notch family friendly resort for families looking for a weekend getaway or a family reunion.

For more information: https://www.kalahariresorts.com/pennsylvania

Disclosure: Thanks, Kalahari Resorts for arranging for our complimentary stay to facilitate this article. As always all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Water Parks in the Tri-state Area

Fun Things Kids day trip ideas with kids in PA , Delaware County Summer Fun

Beat the heat this summer and head to the water park. Most of the water park offer day passes, but a few require overnight stays. Please check ahead to see their specific requirements.

CoCo Key Water Resort
915 Route 73
Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054

CoCo Key Water Resort is the ULTIMATE in indoor water resort adventure located in Mt. Laurel NJ.

Camelbeach Mountain Resort
309 Resort Drive

Tannersville, PA 18372

Camelbeach Mountain Waterpark is the biggest water park in Pennsylvania, with over 37 rides slides and attractions.

Sahara Sams Oasis
535 North Route 73
West Berlin, NJ 08091

Sahara Sam’s Oasis Indoor and Outdoor Water Park offers families of the greater Tri-State community entertainment the entire year with 58 of its 68-thousand square feet under a retractable roof system.

Great Wolf Lodge
1 Great Wolf Dr
Scotrun, PA 18355

This indoor water park offers 4 restaurants and a Starbucks. Other amenities include a spa and free parking, while adventure activities and mini-golf are also available. This water park does require an overnight stay.

Kalahari Resorts and Conventions

250 Kalahari Blvd.

Pocono Manor, PA 18349

Experience the 100,000 sq. ft. Indoor Waterpark featuring a retractable roof, stand-up surfing or body boarding on the FlowRider, the twists and turns of the Anaconda and Swahili Swirl waterslides, relaxing lazy river and indoor/outdoor family hot tub, tons of activities for the little ones and much, much more!

H20ooohh!
428 Moseywood Road

Lake Harmony, PA 18624

H20ooohh!! is an indoor family water park adjacent to the Galleria at Split Rock Resort in beautiful Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania. With 53,326 square feet of water attractions to enjoy, H20ooohh! has five exciting body, tube and raft slides, a wave pool, activity pool, fun play structure, crossing activity, snack and Tiki bar, and more.

Photo from Kalahari

Review of Kalahari Resorts in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania

Fun Things Kids Family Travel , Indoor water parks PA

Entrance of the resort

If you've been following me on Twitter or Instagram you may saw that I visited the new indoor water park located in the Poconos called Kalahari Resort. Kalahari is just under two hours away from the Philadelphia area. When you visit Kalahari you certainly feel like you've been taken on a tour to Africa.

This family resort is owned by the Nelson family who own two other Kalahari Resorts located Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin and Sandusky, Ohio. This is truly a family oriented place and they have thought of everything to keep all members of the family happy and occupied while on vacation. When you first arrive at the resort you will notice the decor of the resort is African themed. The family traveled to Africa to bring authentic experiences back to the US.

Facts about Kalahari Resort

The resort is home to Pennsylvania’s largest indoor water park and also includes:
457 guest rooms containing one-, two- and three-bedroom suites
An outdoor water park with a huge outdoor pool, a large sundeck for relaxing, indoor/outdoor whirlpools and a swim-up bar
30,000 sq. ft. family entertainment center with dry activities such as mini-bowling, cutting-edge arcade games, a 5-D theater and black light mini golf
Three full-service signature dining experiences
Spa Kalahari & Salon
100,000 sq. ft. convention center
6,000 sq. ft. of retail

Hotel Rooms

1 bedroom suite

The hotel rooms keep with the African theme of the resort. There are many options for rooms they have one-, two- and three-bedroom suites. We stayed in a 1 bedroom suite. It had 2 queen sized beds and a pull out couch. The room also had a large tub and shower. The rooms are equipped with a microwave and a small fridge. We also had a room that had a small balcony that overlooked the Pocono Mountains.

Lazy River

Water Park
Kalahari is home to the largest water park in Pennsylvania. There is truly water fun for everyone in your family. If your not into slides then take a ride on the lazy river. Want a drink, swim up the the adults only swim up bar or take a dip in the outdoor pool. Babies and toddlers will enjoy their own special water park with age appropriate slides, lazy river and so much more. Older kids and adults will enjoy all the choices of slides and pools. There is plenty of seating around the water park. There are also lockers available to rent and a locker room to change in.

Delicious Food

Dining

There are plenty of options at the resort for your family. There are nine different dinning options at the resort. Buffet, quick service and sit down options. There are so many options for everyone in your family.

Plenty of choices in the water park

Conclusion
Overall my family and I fell in love with the resort, we loved that everything was in one place and we didn't even have to carry money or credit cards around with us while staying. We had our credit card linked to our wrist band. The wrist band was our room key and allowed us entrance to the water park. Before we left the resort we talked about special occasions that were coming up and how we would love to come back for a visit.

For more information: www.kalahariresorts.com/pennsylvania

Disclosure: Thanks Kalahari Resorts for arranging for our complimentary stay to facilitate this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Review of Great Wolf Lodge

Fun Things Kids East Coast Family Vacations , Indoor water parks PA

Looking for a place to take the kids over Spring Break, or for the perfect summer vacation? Well look no further than the Poconos at Great Wolf Lodge. Recently my family and I went to Great Wolf Lodge to check out what they have to offer for families.

lobby area

When you arrive, the fun starts the minute you step onto the property. Check in was easy and simple. Everyone staying in your room will be given a bracelet that they wear the entire time you are on the property. This serves as your room key and you have the option to charge food on the bracelet too. I like the fact that the bracelet was our room key and I didn't have to worry about carrying a key-card around. My kids loved that they could unlock the door without asking me for the key.

family suite

We had a family suite that had plenty of room for my family of four. We also had a balcony outside that overlooked a mountain that was beautiful. Once we settled in, we hit the water park.

Water Park

The water park is a huge indoor playground for the whole family. It is divided into different sections. There is a water park for the little ones with small slides, and spray and play features. They also have a giant tree house that kids can climb, spray and slide through. Older kids can take a turn on the many slides like the double barrel drop or the hydro plunge. Tweens/Teens will have fun on the Coyote Cannon (think of a toilet bowl because it drops you into a big bowl that you swirl around in and fall out the bottom) or Alberta falls that twists you in and outside of the indoor portion of the water park (even in winter time). The whole family can enjoy Crooked Creak (a lazy river) or take a ride with the family on River Canyon Run. And don't think you won't get wet. If you hear a bell that sounds like a train you may get soaked. I did and my kids loved it!

I was happy to see that the life guards really watched the pools, they walked back and forth constantly looking at the pool. They take safety very seriously at Great Wolf, which made me feel safe while my kids were swimming.

Other Activities
You would think that the only thing to do at Great Wolf is the water park, but you would be wrong. There are plenty of activities for your family to do outside the water park. Each evening there is a story time in the lobby, along with face painting, dance parties and much more. I loved that I saw kids walking around the lodge in their pajamas waiting for story time.

Bowling Alley

There is also indoor Glow Golf, a bowling alley, an arcade, a kids spa, and much more. Something that I saw that kept the kids really engaged was MagiQuest. With MagiQuest you purchase a wand in the store and you go on a magical adventure to unlock clues.

Food
There is a snack bar in the water park area, you can buy drinks, sandwiches and snacks. There is also a sit down restaurant in the lodge, the evening we went it was a buffet and there was plenty of choices even for the picky eaters in your family. If your craving Pizza Hut pizza, or a sweat treat they have you covered. You can also order a pizza and take it back to you room and relax. Oh, and Starbucks lovers don't fear, they even have a Starbucks in the lodge.

Dinner Buffet

Tips:

Go during the week for less crowds
Pack at least 2 bathing suits so if you go back to the water park later in the day you can put a dry bathing suit on
No reason to bring beach towels they have towels in the water park
Once you check out of your room on your departure day, you can stay and enjoy the resort amenities until 9pm.
There is a locker room in the water park to change
You can rent lockers in the water park
Rooms all have small refrigerators in them for drinks and food

Check out some of the highlights from our trip

For more information: http://www.greatwolf.com/poconos/waterpark

Fun Things Visits the DoubleTree Resort in Lancaster, PA

Fun Things Kids Hotels in Lancaster PA , Indoor water parks PA

Recently I had the opportunity to spend a few days at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton™ in Lancaster, PA. If you are familiar with the area, the DoubleTree Resort was formerly the "Atrium Building" of Willow Valley Resort. This 185-room resort is very family friendly, but it's also perfect for a weekend get away without the kids.

I have always been a big fan of DoubleTree resorts and have stayed in a few of their hotels over the years. The chocolate chip cookie that you receive when you check in almost saved my life once, after a bad experience at another hotel chain and a late night hotel change in Florida. It's amazing what a cookie can do to welcome you and lift your spirits. This was a also a huge hit with my kids! The hotel is about a 10-15 minute drive to the Strasburg Rail Road, Choo Choo Barn and other Lancaster attractions.

Check In: It was easy to check in and we were warmly greeted by the staff. They offered us a room overlooking the atrium but warned us that their would be a wedding there until 10pm and we might hear some of the noise. I loved the fact that they gave us the option to switch rooms, but I knew my kids would love to watch a wedding from their room.

Room: Our room was larger than most and nicely decorated with plenty of towels available and a small refrigerator They had a desk in the room, which is perfect for a business traveler. They had a chair and ottoman in case you wanted to relax and watch some TV. I also loved the free wireless Internet that allowed me to get some work done while the kids were sleeping.

Pool: For kids, this is the highlight of the hotel. The hotel has 2 indoor pools which are perfect for families with kids. The indoor water playground, which is basically one large pool with a large enclosed slide, some water spray attractions and a small slide for young ones, will keep the kids entrained for hours. It beats the basic hotel with a pool but don't expect a large indoor water park. If you want to take a more relaxing swim there is also a large pool adjacent to the indoor water park.

Other Amenities:

Two on-site restaurants

State-of-the-art fitness center
Victorian chapel
9-Hole Golf Course
Lighted tennis courts
Full-size basketball court
Duck Pond
Free bus tour
Horse-drawn wagon rides

Getaway Contest

And if you have stayed at the DoubleTree Lancaster Hotel within the last year, you have a chance to win a 2 night stay. Lancaster Great Family Vacations Getaway Contest announces this summer’s most exciting family vacation giveaway – The Double Treat at DoubleTree Family Vacations Getaway. In celebration of the one-year anniversary of DoubleTree Resort, you can win a 2 night stay at the DoubleTree Hotel in Lancaster

This contest will run from May 13-July 31, 2011. Two winning families will win a grand prize of not one but two two-night stays at DoubleTree Resorts. Visit www.Willowvalley.com/lancaster-pa-doubletree/doubletreat-contest/ for contest details ans more information. Remember this contest is only open to families who have stayed at this resort within the last year.

We really enjoyed our experience at the DoubleTree hotel in Lancaster and I would recommend it to families with children because it is close to all the area attractions and of course you can spend the day at the water playground.

Watch our video to see all the Lancaster DoubleTree hotel has to offer before you go!

Disclosure: My family and I received a complimentary stay at the DoubleTree Resort in Lancaster.

Big Changes Coming to Kalahari Resorts in the Pocono Mountains

Water Parks in the Tri-state Area

Review of Kalahari Resorts in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania

Review of Great Wolf Lodge

Fun Things Visits the DoubleTree Resort in Lancaster, PA

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