Camelback Resort is about 90 minutes away in the Poconos and somewhere I had not visited since I was a kid. I had heard about all the cool additions and renovations to the resort since I was young, including Aquatopia and have been meaning to check it out for a while. We gave Tommy a night at Camelback for his 8th birthday. Camelback Resort and Aquatopia truly got a thumbs up from everyone in our crew and is a place I’d highly recommend for a fun family weekend. Here’s why:

Camelback Resort and Aquatopia

Location

Camelback Resort is 90 minutes from NYC in the Poconos. It’s so easy to get to right off of route 80. We left after school on a Friday and we were up there in time to get dinner and enjoy the resort that night. We did one night and had a lot of fun but you could easily have enough to do for a weekend or a few days.

The Rooms 

There are a number of room types at Camelback Resort. From one bedroom suites to condos. We were in a King Bunk Suite and had plenty of room. There was a king bed and then a little bunk room that had 4 beds. There was also a couch/sitting area, table & chairs, mini fridge, microwave etc. The couch was a pull out queen so even if all 4 kids didn’t want to be in the bunk room we had an extra bed if we pulled out the couch.

Aquatopia

Aquatopia is Camelback Resort’s indoor waterpark. It’s in a huge dome and feels very open. There are some really huge slides for the big kids (and adults) and areas the family can enjoy together like the lazy river and wave pool. We didn’t bring Teddy on this adventure but I did notice a really cute little area for toddlers/little ones.

Our favorite slide was the Venus Fly Trap because we have never found a slide that 6 of us could do on one tube! It was a blast. There are also tons of options for 2 people, so we all took turns riding with one another and could take the boys with one of us if they were scared to try alone. Overall I was really impressed with all the slides, options, etc for our crew: ages 6, 8, 11, 12, adults.

We had a cabana for the day which was a fun thing to add onto Tommy’s birthday gift. It was our own little spot where we could hang out, keep our stuff and order food and drinks. You get a server dedicated to your cabana which is a huge perk for getting food and drinks throughout the day. There is also a family food option which was awesome: it came with more than enough food for all 6 of us, we added on a pitcher of soda for a real treat and Tommy felt like it was a party!

The Arcade 

The arcade at Camelback Resort is the biggest, best arcade we’ve seen in a hotel. It was also super clean. Everything is on the game cards from tokens to play the games, tokens to do the other indoor activities and then your “tickets” to redeem for prizes.

As a parent, I tend to dread the end of the arcade time where the kids huddle around the glass counter to pick out what prizes they want… at Camelback there is a store! It’s inside the arcade but wide open and set up like a little store. The kids can clearly see what each item “costs” with their tickets and they scan the game card to see what they can “spend” and then use it to “pay”. This was a major highlight for the kids!

Other Indoor Activities 

I couldn’t believe how much there was to do indoors besides just the arcade and indoor waterpark. When I was making Tommy a card for his birthday that would tell all about where we were going I saw on their site how many activities there were! The indoor ropes course was my kids favorite. There is also rock climbing, escape rooms, bumper cards, laser tag and more.

The Food 

We had dinner at Graffiti Pizza. It’s a cool spot down near the arcade where you pick toppings and create your own personal size pizza. There’s fun, decor and it’s a easy spot for a meal.

For breakfast we did the buffet at Hemisphere’s and it was excellent. We ate lunch in Aquatopia (see below) and next time we go I want to try Trails End Pub. 

The Mountain Coaster

Saturday morning we had tickets to ride the mountain coaster right when it opened at 11am. We bundled up and walked over (it’s a quick walk from the back of the hotel). Tommy and Miles each rode with one of us and Maggie and Alex rode on their own. The kids had a BLAST. It’s a beautiful ride up to the top and a fast, fun ride down. You can control the speed so it’s really fun for any age that’s tall enough.

Winter Activities 

We went to Camelback Resort just a couple week’s too early to enjoy all of the winter activities. Camelback has always been known as an excellent place for families to ski. We used to ski there was I was younger. It’s a beautiful mountain and has tons for families in the wintertime. Camelback has a new high speed lift this year, a terrain park, ski school and their awesome snow tubing park. You can ski in/ski out from the resort. We can’t wait to get back to Camelback Resort!

Looking for more ideas? Here are some other spots we love in the area:

Smithville, NJ // Hershey Park, PA // Cape May, NJ