The Poconos, located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, is a mountainous vacation spot that offers several attractions including elaborate resorts, extensive skiing trails and natural scenic surroundings. One hundred-fifty lakes, historical towns and many nature trails surround the mountains, making them a popular travel destination. The Poconos offers fun things to do during all four seasons, especially summer.
Every year the Poconos presents several summer festivals and fairs complete with music, food and cultural themes. The Greene Dreher Sterling Fair, an agricultural event, occurs for one week at the end of August. It promotes all aspects of farm life and includes small amusement rides for kids, live music and farm animal displays. The Shawnee Celtic Festival in May explores the sights and sounds of Irish culture and includes Celtic bands performing on three stages, a bagpipers' parade and Irish step dancers.
Claws 'N' Paws Wild Animal Park is a zoo located in the wooded area of the Poconos. Open from May to October every year, the park offers a petting zoo where visitors can feed some of the animals. Two animal shows occur daily allowing visitors to see and pet alligators, pythons and many other animals. There is also a dinosaur dig where kids receive history on prehistoric animals and participate in fossil hunts.
The Poconos has several water parks that offer water slides, wave pools and thrill rides. Camelbeach Water Park includes 22 waterslides, several family activity areas, and a special area called Pharaoh's Phortress, a mini water park especially for kids. Great Wolf Lodge is an indoor water park and resort with 401 suites for lodging, an arcade and a shopping emporium.
The Poconos offer a host of summer outdoor activities including white water rafting, golfing, fishing and horseback riding. Adventure Sports specializes in rafting and kayaking excursions and offers two hour trips or overnight multi-day camping trips that consist of rafting on the Delaware River. Deer Path Riding Stables has guided horseback riding trips for beginners or advanced riders on trails winding through the most scenic areas of the Poconos. Sprawled out over four counties, Pocono Golf Course provides a scenic playing field with courses for beginner's as well as more advanced golfers.
