Blogs

(Photo Credit: Russ Schleiplman)

As a professional who works in an extremely creative field, I understand how hard it is to come across that great idea. You know... that AH HA moment when you know something is going to be a smash hit. I can promise you that idea doesn't usually come from sitting at your desk. It comes on the weekend when the last thing you are thinking about it is work. 

This is exactly why it is so important to get your staff out of the office and into a new environment. The Pocono Mountains offer great meeting space and teambuilding activities to foster those great ideas and brainstorming sessions for your next big hit. Imagine having your next meeting lakeside, steps away from an outdoor oasis.  

We boast over 20 great accommodation facilities to meet any needs, in addition a wide variety of unique attractions and venues. Last week, we had several Road Show presentations from a very small intimate setting at the Hampton Inn in Lehighton, ideal for a small group and effective Q&A, with another session held at the Chateau Resort & Conference Center in Tannersville. This facility offers eight different spaces with endless configurations for a total of 14,127 square-feet of meeting space.

All of our facilities offer state-of-the-art equipment with a myriad of activities and amenities to suit every budget and size.  So lose the cubicle and reconnect with nature. I assure you will have that AH HA moment!

There's no time like show time.  The PMVB will be at another travel show this Saturday and Sunday.  The Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show is sure to attract thousands of vacationers from the Liberty City and beyond.  It is being held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. 

 As we often do, the PMVB will be giving away plenty of great prizes at this show.  These include overnight stays, tickets to our great attractions and many others that are nothing to sneeze at.  Plus, be ready for free giveaways like hand sanitizers, hats and other useful items.  Look for live entertainment like magicians and dancers while you're walking around.  Most importantly, save yourself the time and money of researching your next Pocono Mountains vacation by meeting face to face with us.  We can book your trip right then and there.

This travel show is a great way to plan your next vacation and make important contacts at the same time.  Saturday the hours are 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. - 4p.m. If nothing else, come to meet me!  I hope to see you there!

Once again it's time to make plans for the upcoming weekend. As usual, there are so many fantastic things to do!

If you happen to be a wine connoisseur, you will definitely enjoy being at the Big A Grillehouse in Marshalls Creek at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 20 for a wine tasting event. Damian Dinan of Capital Wine and Spirits will be there featuring six of the newest wines to delight your taste buds. Light appetizers will also be served.

The cost of this fabulous wine tasting event is $20 and after sampling some of the finest of wines, you may want to stay for dinner. The Big A has a great menu offering a variety of tempting dishes and as an attendee of the event, you will receive ten percent off of your dinner check. Please call the Big A at 570.223.1700 as reservations for the wine tasting are required.

Perhaps beer is your beverage of choice. If this is the case, plan to attend the Great Brews Classic Beer Festival at Split Rock Resort in Lake Harmony.

This two day event will take place on Saturday, November 21 and on Sunday, November 22 from noon - 4 p.m. and will be featuring approximately 40 of the finest of both local and imported breweries.

In addition to all of the ice cold, thirst quenching beer there will be a variety of activities available for your enjoyment. Musical entertainment will be performed on two different stages, seminars will be held on various beer related topics and plenty of food and crafts will be for sale.

In order for you to gain entry to the festival, you must be at least 21 years of age. Everyone attending will receive a souvenir beer tasting glass to take home. Tickets are limited and may be purchased online, in addition to weekend packages.

I absolutely love sharing the many events and activities that the Pocono Mountains has to offer for your weekend excursions. I would really like it if you would share some of your adventures with me.

Now that I am older with a family of my own, I can't help but wonder what it is going to be like when it is my turn to host the big feast.  All the planning and prepping, making sure the table settings are just right and the big mess to clean up afterwards will be all mine. 

Cooking a large meal like that is slightly intimidating.  The thought makes me a bit nervous to be honest; I never made a meal that size before.  If you are intimidated like me, or just don't want to deal with all the stress, there are plenty of restaurants, hotels and resorts in the Pocono Mountains that offer wonderful Thanksgiving Dinners for you and your family. 

• A Traditional Shawnee Thanksgiving Buffet at Shawnee Inn and Resort
       800-SHAWNEE
• Thanksgiving Buffet at Ehrhardt's Waterfront Banquet Center 
       800 678-5907
• Thanksgiving Buffet at The Big A Grillehouse- 570 223-1700
• Thanksgiving Feast at The Inn at Pocono Manor - 570 839-7111
• Thanksgiving Day Buffet at Fernwood Hotel and Resort - 570-588-6661
• Thanksgiving Buffet at the Meadowbrook Inn - 570-629-8800
• Thanksgiving at Hotel Fauchere - 570-409-1212

So if you are looking to start a new tradition or ready to say good-bye to the current one, be sure to check out the properties that I previously mentioned.  As for me, I better learn how to cook a turkey. Nicholas is counting me!

Director of Public Relations, Alicia Quinn and I explained our Social Media Campaign and how members can make the most of our sites. We received a great deal of feedback from numerous properties, so I figured I'd discuss with you some of the most frequent issues: 

Facebook

Make sure you have a fan page. As an organization, you need to register a fan page and not a friend profile or Facebook will shut down the page and you will lose all of your followers and work.

Save time by linking to your Flickr and YouTube pages. These tabs will display your images and videos, so you don't have to repost the same content in two places.

 However, do not link your status to your Twitter account because due to the character limit, you will not be able to see the full status and you will discourage people from following you on both sites.

Twitter

Use a free URL shortening site with tracking. Although there are many sites out there for condensing URLs, many of them will not trace the number of clicks and where they originated from. Our organization uses bit.ly.

Tweet popular hash tags, such as #traveltuesday as long as they are relevant and not overused. In doing so, all individuals searching these popular tags will see your tweet.

The sincerest form of flattery on Twitter lies in the retweet, so retweet the information you like and is of interest to your followers. However, do not retweet so much that you are no longer twittering your own information.

General

Take the time and formulate a strategy before going live. Even the smallest things, such a responding to a negative comment or how many posts you will make a day are crucial to your success. Also, be sure to create benchmarks and goals to keep your account growing. 

Reserve a name as soon as possible. Chances are the one you want is already taken, so even if you aren't going live just yet, create your profile. It also helps if all of your social sites can be found at the same name.

Have fun! Social media is a great, enjoyable and FREE way to get your organization's voice heard.

Lately, I've been seeing ice on my car in the mornings. Snow is great, but ice is a nuisance or at least that's the general consensus regarding winter weather. But ice can be your friend, too. Take ice fishing for example. This is a sport with a loyal following here in the Pocono Mountains.  

It's never too early to start preparing for ice fishing season. Start with clothing. You'll need boots that are comfortable, warm and insulated to keep your feet from freezing. Dress in thin layers to trap heat and make sure your outermost layer is water and wind resistant. And wear a hat of some kind. Your body releases warm air out the top of your head, up to 80% of the body's heat actually, keep it in with a beanie or at least a hood. Complete the ensemble with a pair of warm gloves.  

Favorite ice fishing spots in the Pocono Mountains include Mauch Chunk Lake, Lake Wallenpaupack, Beltzville, Tobyhanna, Promised Land and Gouldsboro State Parks in addition to Peck's Pond. But really, you can go anywhere its safe. Four inches of solid ice is the lowest thickness recommended for ice fishing.  And remember to follow all rules and regulations. This is a great way to continue to fish as the thermometer drops.  It won't be long now.

I think it's an unwritten rule that if you play softball on a team during the summer months you must retire to a bar as soon as the game is over.  Lucky for me, our team wasn't sponsored by a bar so we could move around town.  One of "my" team's favorite places to go after a sweaty seven innings is Main Street Lounge on lower Main Street in Stroudsburg.  It's a hidden gem with parking in the rear and grilled cheese sandwiches that are better than mom used to make.  If we didn't hit the Main Street Lounge, there's a good chance you could find us at the Cinder Inn, where Veronica always made us feel like family.  Iced cold beer, a scrumptious steak sandwich or quesadilla and life couldn't get any better.  You can also find live music or a DJ on Friday nights at the Cinder Inn. Check out my sexy hair in the pic from the 80's night I attended there.  Oh what a night!

Moving up route 80 west to the Bartonsville/Tannersville area you can sometimes find me at the Original Pocono Pub on route 611 in Bartonsville.  There is something to be said about a bar that you can almost always find a Harley Davidson parked outside, it usually means there are pretty great people on the inside!  Fantastic food, great music and awesome people make for the perfect ending to a not so perfect day.

Last but not least the bar that I have actually referred to as home on more than one occasion is Pub 715 south.  If you want wings this is the place to go!  Shawn, the self-proclaimed "King of Wings" or "Wing King" will knock you right on your rear end with his hot sauce and leave you wanting more of his Soco garlic or Jack Daniels wings (two of my favorites), you may want to try his newest creation, peanut butter & jelly wings!  Steven, Bobby, Steph and Shawn will make you forget the troubles of the day and ease you into a restful night.

If you will be at any of the aforementioned establishment drop me a note, I just may be inclined to join you for one to take the edge off.  Ciao for now...

The part of me that absolutely loves fine dining would like to head out on Friday, November 13 to The Blakeslee Inn & Restaurant. The Inn will be hosting its Annual Autumn Wine Dinner consisting of a five course meal and of course an assortment of wines to please your palate. Tickets are $80 per person.  After a delicious meal a nap is always in order, so plan to spend the night. Visit www.blakesleeinn.com for details.

The next day you'll be ready for some live entertainment. If you like Led Zeppelin, Get The Led Out will be on stage Saturday, November 14 at Penn's Peak in Jim Thorpe. The doors will open at 6:00 p.m. and the show begins at 8:00 p.m. with a night dedicated to recreating a total Led Zeppelin experience. 

If you're more the R&B type, Fernwood Hotel and Resort in Bushkill is the place to be on Saturday, November 14. Bee Bop the night away while the original Sugarhill Gang, Tavares and Black Ivory, along with other fabulous R&B and Hip Hop bands, perform for you at the Third Annual Northern Classic R&B Extravaganza. The Event Center's doors will open at 7:00 p.m. and the show will begin at 7:45 p.m.  General admission tickets are $49.95 and may be purchased by visiting the Fernwood Gift Shop or simply by calling 888.337.6966 and pressing 5.

I've really enjoy sharing my weekend wish list with you.  How about sharing yours with me? 

Come and enjoy the beautiful Pocono Mountains and have a great fun-filled weekend!

Typically when I think of the month of November, I think of brisk air, blustery wind and thick sweaters.  However, this weekend was the total opposite.  The temperature was in the high 60's, and the sun was brilliant.

One of the best things about living in the Pocono Mountains is the abundant outdoor activities that you can choose from...especially on unseasonably warm days.  This weekend, my husband and I decided to relax a bit and take our son to the park for the very first time.  He loved the swings and the slide, but his favorite part was digging in the dirt on the soccer field.  I must admit I was a little worried about all the dirt on his little fingers, but my husband assured me that a little dirt will not hurt him. 

After he had his fill of pulling grass and digging in the dirt, we went on a nice walk in the woods.  He relaxed like a little king in his stroller as his dad showed him the squirrels and birds that scampered around on the leaves. 

Sometimes, there is nothing better than a nice afternoon at the park.  Not only do your kids enjoy it, but you normally get plenty of exercise and fresh air; best of all, it's friendly on the wallet.  Looking forward to a nice day at the park?  Here is a list of my favorites:

• Smithfield Township's Waterfront Park: Twin Falls Road, East Stroudsburg
• Ann Street Park: Ann Street, Milford
• Central Park: Church Street, Honesdale
• Mountain View Park: Sullivan's Trail, Tannersville
• Mauch Chunk Lake Park: Lentz Trail, Jim Thorpe
• Tobyhanna State Park: Route 423, Tobyhanna
• Beltzville State Park: Pohopoco Drive, Lehighton

Be sure to visit one of the National, State and Local Parks in the Pocono Mountains.  No matter what time of year you are visiting, a day at the park is always a good time.

If you know me personally, you know I am extremely passionate about food. I am generally a very light-hearted person but when it comes to meal time, I am all business.  If I could, I would probably spend the entire day eating, which is why Saturday's 6^th Annual Local Flavor Harvest Lake Stroll at Skytop Lodge is the perfect day for me!

Walk the stunning lake at Skytop Lodge while sampling the best of the local harvest from executive chefs at Andrew Moore's Stone Bar Inn, Skytop Lodge and The Frogtown Inn & 6 Acres Restaurant. These chefs will be presenting eight different stations full of palate pleasers such as Apple Cider French Onion Soup to Cedar Board Roasted Wild Salmon to Grilled Blue Tomato Filet and much more. My mouth is already watering from just talking about it! Each station is also paired with the perfect wines and do not forget about my favorite course... dessert. The Warm Apple and Cranberry Cobbler is sure to be a home run (Sorry for the baseball reference, I am still coping with the Phillies' loss). 

And do not feel any guilt about indulging in this delicious feast! Not only are you burning calories as you walk the lake, a donation of $25 from each ticket will go to the United Way of Monroe County to help local children and families. So head to Skytop Lodge on Saturday and indulge!