Our Staycation at Camelback Resort

A view inside Aquatopia from the lobby

The days are getting shorter, the air is getting crisper and the leaves are slowly beginning to change. In the weeks to come, many will embark on scenic car rides through the Pocono Mountains to enjoy the seasonal fall foliage and kids will be daydreaming about this year’s Halloween costumes. Camelback Resort delivers big on spooky fun this October with the launch of Camelback’s Monster Mountain featuring the regions most epic haunted house, Kartrite’s Kurse, The Monster Coaster, Lights Out Ziplines and so much more.

Showing off their balloon animals by the fall decor

Kartrite’s Kurse Haunted House- Join Kartrite’s Eerie Expeditions when you embark on the trams of terror and find yourself in the middle of the faraway lands filled with pirates, skeletons & creatures that slither, crawl & fly. Escape each of the 17 rooms of doom filled with animatronic wonders, recreating the harrowing adventures taken from Kartrite’s own journal entries. Be sure to check the website to see when the attraction is open (see my tips below).

Mountain Coaster at 1:00pm with my little man

Zip, zoom and scream at Camelback Mountain Adventures with an after-dark ride on the Monster Coaster. Race through the woods past phantoms of the forest with ghouls, specters and things that go bump in the night on PA’s only Mountain Coaster. We experienced this during the day, and it was AWESOME! Such a gorgeous way to see the mountainside and perfect for a parent to do with a child, who is not afraid of heights. My 3-yr old loved it so much!

The bravest guests can race one another past the shadowy creatures below on Lights Out Ziplines – two 1,000-foot Dual Zip Lines that will be operating after dark where the only light is from passing fireflies and distant torches.

My quad squad checking out the indoor waterpark

Additional family fall activities abound for kids of all ages, including Kid’s Craft Zone, Pumpkin Painting, Apple Chuckin’, and more. And then, of course, there’s always the 84-degree Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark and the other dry activities inside the resort. My quad-squad had a BLAST at Aquatopia. They also enjoyed the mini-golf, rock walls, arcade, breakfast buffet at Hemispheres, and even the ropes course, though both of my big girls (2nd and 3rd grade) asked for help from the nice staff member to get back down. It was a challenging course!

Arcade fun!

Fall Fest activities run Sept. 29-Oct. 31. Hours of operation vary and are available online at camelbackmountainadventures.com. Guests staying at Camelback Lodge will receive up to four complementary tickets to one expedition of their choice with a room reservation in addition to passes to the 84-degree Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark. General admission tickets to Kartrite’s Kurse, Monster Coaster and Lights Out Ziplines are $10.00 each and can be purchased on-site at Camelback Mountain Adventures.

For more information about Camelback Resort and to make a reservation, visit Camelbackresort.com.

Having such a blast in the wave pool!

My Tips:

• Check-In time is 4pm. Get there early so you don’t wait in a long line! Even smarter, you can use the facility from 12:30pm on the day of check-in, so get there super early, stash your belonging with the bellhop and go play! We had a separate bag just for the swim gear. You don’t need towels, so one bag was plenty for our group of 5. Unfortunately, though we got there at 2pm to check in and play, we were told by the bellhop that our room would be ready in 10-15 minutes. So, of course, we waited… and waited… and waited. And 70 minutes later, our room was ready. Still, it was at 3:15, not 4:00, which was nice! And we were at Aquatopia until 8:30 and left fully satisfied!

Know before you go- before climbing 2-3 flights of stairs to go down the awesome Aquatopia water slides, ask an attendant what type of tube you need (double, single, or mat). I do wish there was staff at the entrance of the stairs, or detailed sig

My 2nd grader being rescued by an employee. She was too scared to proceed on the ropes course.

ns even, but we found an employee at the bottom of the slides and asked him what we needed. All worked out fine!

• If you’re a light sleeper, bring ear plugs. We had loud neighbors celebrating with a large group. I get it, it’s a great place to meet up with lots of family and friends!
• Finally, utilize the website for information about the resort. Not all staff is aware of timings, ages, etc and it takes some time for them to obtain that information. Or in our case, give out false info. We were given tickets to the Kartrite’s Kurse haunted house and I asked if they were timed. The employee said they weren’t and I “could go now”. So I did. At 11am. After driving around the Resort for 28 minutes, I surrendered, hauled the children back into the Resort lobby and asked what was up. I learned that it doesn’t open until 4pm on Saturday’s (which is clearly stated on the website, guess I should have utilized it more). So much for that!

• SO EXCITED to sleep in double bunk beds, in their own nook, in a hotel! The trip was a blast!

Disclaimer: In exchange for my honest review, my family was invited to Fall Stay and Play FAM event for media. I received no monetary compensation for this post.