 The Pocono Mountains, once dubbed “The Honeymoon Capital of the World,” had a reputation as a tacky tourist spot sprinkled with hotels featuring heart-shaped beds and hot tubs in the form of martini glasses.
But the area is currently going through a renaissance as a family-friendly vacation destination, and the Great Wolf Lodge is leading the pack.
As the largest indoor waterpark in the Northeast, the Great Wolf Lodge’s Poconos location is accessible via car to people living in New York, New Jersey and throughout Pennsylvania. The lodge also attracts guests from the Washington, D.C., area and Virginia.
Setting Sights on Families
Opened in 2005, the four-story, 401-suite lodge located in Scotrun, Pa., was the first resort built in the Poconos in almost 30 years geared specifically toward families. In fact, the Poconos’ resurgence as a fun-for-everyone destination is a reflection of the vision of Great Wolf Lodge’s corporate company, Great Wolf Resorts, headquartered in Madison, Wis.
“Many women in senior management are moms,” said Chris Salerno, director of sales and marketing for Great Wolf Lodge-Pocono Mountains. “Therefore, they’re able to offer a first-person perspective of what they want a family vacation to be.”
Embracing the Poconos’ transformation, the Lodge welcomes the new attractions, viewing them not as competitors but as partners who further emphasize the area’s focus as a family vacation destination, Salerno said.
“Families will use the Great Wolf Lodge as a base camp for fun off the property,” he said. “We have no problem with people who want to take day trips away from the property and then come back to use the waterpark at night.”
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