help with the Poconos or someplace else nearby
 

We are looking for some place to rent for ten or twelve people, ranging in age from ten years to eighty. I know nothing about the Poconos but that seems to be centrally located - some are coming from New York City and the rest of us from Ohio. Would love to stay someplace with a pretty view and some things to do. A little shopping might be nice and something fun for kids such as white water rafting or canoeing would be great. We would prefer renting a house over staying in a lodge or hotel. I looked on vrbo.com and was a little overwhelmed by all of the locations in the Poconos. I would really appreciate some tips as to merits of specific locations and also any help as to how to go about renting a place. I have no idea what the Poconos are like? Thanks!
Pam

The Poconos are a bit like going to camp. Not sure about your expectations, but I (personally) would look elsewhere. What part of Ohio & how much time will you have ?

I assume you're looking for a warm(er) weather vacation since you mention canoeing and white water rafting. If so, I'd agree with Brutforce about looking elsewhere. The Poconos are great for a short ski trip, but there are better options for spring/summer vacations.

The first thing that comes to mind is the Wellsboro/Williamsport/PA Grand Canyon area. There are lots of beautiful towns in central PA, but Brutforce is right, we need to know better where you're coming from and how far everyone is willing to travel.

We are coming from southeast Ohio - but we can travel further and longer as we do not work in the summer. The ones from NY have jobs in summer. I was afraid there was not much to the Poconos - since I seem to never read or hear much about them. We could go anywhere within four hours of New York City - we prefer forests and hills to beaches - maybe someplace in upstate New York or even Vermont? Would really appreciate any input

Pam

If you go to the Poconos there is a most lovely large lake - Lake Wallenpaupack (sp?) it is an Indian name and it is just so pretty to look at - you may want to contact a rental place - I have only stayed at Resorts around the lake that are for couples.

I would suggest that you look at the WV state parks that have lodging. Several of them would be more central for everyone and I think much more enjoyable.The closest might be Cacapon but Blackwater Falls/Canaan might have more to do.

Pam1951 - Please don't dismiss the Poconos until you check out their web site -

www.800poconos.com

There are lots of things to do in the Poconos which will fit your criteria... shopping, white water rafting, canoeing.

You will find white water rafting, canoeing & kayaking on the Delaware River, or on the Lehigh River near Jim Thorpe.

A different type of water sport, there are several waterparks, with water tubing and wave pools, which have been installed at some of the ski resorts (a source of summer revenue).

In Tannersville is The Crossings Premium Outlet Stores, over 100 stores in one shopping center (Pennsylvania does not charge sales tax on clothing). You can also find many Antiques shops scattered around, and many of the smaller towns have a nice downtown shopping area (Jim Thorpe particularly).

There are links to all of this information on the pocono web site, as well as all types of lodging.

I really can't recommend lodging, since I live just west of the Poconos and have never had a need to stay there.

Robyn :)>-

I'd probably consider the Finger Lakes region. I grew up in SE Ohio (McArthur, actually), you should check out SKYbus, their NY Airport is north of the city.

I've stayed at my in-laws' timeshare in Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA and it was a nice relaxing trip.

I think you should check out the website that was mentioned and find a town that is near things you want to do and then choose lodging. The Poconos is a pretty big area.

Hello! What time of year would you be coming? I have a vacation house in PA and we love it there. There are tons of things to do. Right in the area we have our house there is rafting, hiking, biking, outlet shopping and good restaurants. It's also not far from the town of Jim Thorpe and 30-40 minutes from the Delaware Water Gap. There is also great hiking in Hickory Run State Park. We don't rent our house but it is a big development and there are a lot of large, beautiful houses for rent. For house rentals you can also check out Lake Harmony or if you have an e-mail address I can give you a couple of realtors that handle rentals in our development.

Take the vacation that's best for you but don't make the mistake of believing that the Poconos consists of the Ceasar's Resorts.

Speaking of Jim Thorpe, there's a big paintball place near there if you like that sort of thing.

You've gotten some really good suggestions. There are literally hundreds of places that fit your wants/needs.

I'll throw Bucks County and New Hope, PA into the mix. Bucks County is beautiful and New Hope is a very cute town with lots of great shops and restaurants. There are also tons of outdoor activities in the area. The closer you stay to New Hope, the more expensive though. It's also not too far from Philly if anyone would be interested in spending the day in the city.

For upstate NY, this is a great website to get you started with the more popular areas:

http://www.newyorkstatedestinations.com

Good luck!

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