Blogs

That's right, it's been one whole year since our social media strategy was launched and our Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Blog accounts appeared. Throughout the past year you've collected Foodie Friday recipes from some of the best chefs in the area on Twitter, learned about the first announcement of table games on Facebook,  went inside our Fantasy Football Destination Draft on Flickr, met our PR Personality (That's me!) on countless YouTube videos and followed five bloggers who recounted spooky tales on Halloween.  And throughout all of that craziness, I am proud to say we have over 1,000 likes on Facebook and close to 1,000 followers on Twitter.

I can't wait to see what year two brings! However, we can't improve without your help. As always, we appreciate feedback on what you like, dislike and want to see more of. With your guidance, we hope to make PoconoTourism even better this year. So happy first birthday PoconoTourism, it's been one heck of a ride!

P.S. My birthday is currently 9 months and 30 days away.

This sport is quickly gaining popularity among the young and old adventure crowd.  It's kind of like skateboarders using a half-pipe.  The tour is becoming bigger by the day.  In total, over the course of the 2010 Tour, over $25,000 will be given out.  It's exciting to watch and tons of fun to try.  So when the events are over this weekend, get yourself some passes at Camelbeach and H20ooohh and try it for yourself.  

This trend continued well into our late 20's and early 30's.  The only thing that changed is we were soon old enough to add alcohol to our evenings and the DJ's fell by the wayside happily replaced by live bands. This brings me to one of the most exciting things to happen to Pocono Mountains nightlife in years!  Every Friday night desaki presents it's Summer Band Series with extraordinary live dance bands.  Last Friday when Sweetwater took the stage I was thrilled!  They played everything from Lady Gaga to Michael Jackson to Heatwave and my feet immediately pulled me to the dance floor. If you haven't been to desaki to enjoy their Japanese hibachis, then boogie your buttocks down there on a Friday night and dance the night away.  They have drink specials from 8-10 pm and the bands start at 9pm!!

The best part of the summer band series is that if you mention PMC or the Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center your $5 cover charge will be donated to the Pocono Health Foundation.

Hope to see you soon!  Ciao for now...

If you enjoy listening to live music, you don't want to miss the Milford Music Fest! Music of all genres will be drifting through the summer air in the historic town of Milford from Friday, July 30 through Sunday, August 1.

I am having a difficult time trying to figure out a plan... in order to be able to take in as much of this fantastic festival as possible, without having to clone myself. I think that I may start the weekend off by having dinner at one of the many fine dining establishments that the town of Milford has to offer (any guesses?), and then head to the Black Walnut Inn to check out the sounds of 84 West Classic Rock.

On Saturday, I'm considering an early lunch at Dawney's Soup Creations (311 W Harford Street) while listening to some tunes performed by In Spite of Ourselves from 11am to 1pm.

Just following, you will probably be able to find me at the Harrington House as White Light will be front and center. If you like classic hard rock, you'll definitely want to check out this band!

I'll probably wrap up the weekend on Sunday with music in the park between 2pm and 4pm and enjoy a little of the blues with Lee Delray.

This is not my only itinerary for Milford Music Fest as there will be so many great bands to hear, and so many things to do. Let me know if you see a band that I should catch.

You may also want to plan on doing a little shopping! In addition to all of the great musical entertainment, the Milford shopkeepers will be holding their annual Sidewalk Shopping Festival along Harford and Broad Streets, the Historic Upper Mill and Old Lumberyard Shops.

Plan to spend the entire weekend wandering around the beautiful music filled streets of Milford. Visit http://www.800poconos.com/ for near by lodging and dining facilities.

As always, I would enjoy hearing all about your weekend plans and adventures in the Pocono Mountains! I hope to see you at the Milford Music Festival!

Fortunately, for us, the festival will be going on until the weekend, and I am HOPING to take him. The family fun carnival offers yummy festival food, traditional carnival games, and rides for both children and adults. One of my favorite features about the carnival is free admission! I'm totally excited to pick on cotton candy, play carnival games, and take Nicholas on the children's rides. Seriously, who doesn't love a carnival?

The Fernwood Carnival will be held until August 1, 2010. Carnival hours are 6-10pm during the week and 2-10pm on the weekends. Like I mentioned previously, admission is free and the rides are ‘pay as go'. Until next time... Celebrate family, friends, and traditions. 

What is the summer season without the classic festivals and events that everyone loves from infancy to adulthood? Every weekend the Pocono Mountains plays host to numerous festivals and events, and I encourage you to follow my fellow blogger, The Weekender, for all the upcoming event news. However, I'm here to tell you about two new festivals this August, and you're going to want to mark your calendars now.

The first up is the nine-day Buck Hill-Skytop Music Festival. Yes, you heard me correctly, and nine days was way longer than my last vacation. This festival will bring the spotlight to high caliber opera, chamber and jazz music. Boasting open rehearsals, box-lunch discussion, master classes, song-writing session, jam sessions, twilight concerts and more, the goal is to present musical and educational programming to the community. Now, I may be the most non-musically inclined person I know, but I'm always up for trying something new, and I sat second chair back in fifth grade when I played the flute, so why not indulge in some classes. Either way I can appreciate extraordinary talent when I hear it, and you'll want to check out their full schedule line-up.

The next up is the Wally Lake Fest on August 27-29. A celebration of our largest lake in the region, this festival screams summer fun packed into three days. From a microbrew tasting to a boat parade to cycling bike ride, there are plenty of ways to honor the lake region and its amenities. Check out their full schedule of over 15 events. However, you must take some time out of this festival to recreate at my well-known favorite spot, the Palmyra Beach.

So while these last few weeks of the season come to an end, be sure to savor summer with some of the greatest festivals around. Be part of these inaugural events and make them legendary for years to come in the Pocono Mountains!

I'm sure many motorcycle aficionados have a mapped out plan of their intended course, we never do.  The conversation usually goes something like this. "We should go for a motorcycle ride today.  Yea, we should.  Long or short ride?  Long ride.  Ok."  The significance of determining the length of the ride is critical to me as it means I'll be trading sunglasses for clear riding glasses, a tank top for a hoodie and leather coat and open toes for socks & boots.   With temperatures hovering around 90 degrees on Sunday, I'm sure you are thinking I'm crazy, but when you're on the back of a bike cruising the winding, tree lined roads, most often near a body of water, that 90 degrees can quickly turn to 60 when the sun goes down, and it did!

We began our trek by traveling north on Route 447... intending to head to one of our favorite restaurants but it quickly became apparent that Mark needed sunscreen so we stopped in the delightful town of Mountainhome to grab some, lube up and get going.  We soon found ourselves at The Hotel in New Foundland where we enjoyed a feast of nachos and one of the best cheesesteak sandwiches I have ever had, and refreshments of course.  We hopped back on the bike and took one of the most breathtaking journeys through Hamlin & Lake Ariel, over to Honesdale via the Owego Turnpike where we stopped at Yatsonsky's Farm for fresh tomatoes and homemade black raspberry ice cream, it was fantastic! 

We traveled down US Route 6 and onto Beach Lake Highway where we passed roads with descriptive names like Tree Trail Lane and Steephill Road.  We stopped along the banks of the Lackawaxen River (PA's 2010 river of the year) to marvel at the Bald Eagles nests perched high atop the pine trees. That was about the time we realized we had inadvertently crossed state lines and were now in NY with no helmets on.  We made a hasty retreat back down Beach Lake Highway, onto US Route 6 and continued into Hawley, PA.  Again we found ourselves cruising along the banks of the Lackawaxen just taking in the natural beauty the Pocono Mountains offers its residents and guests.  We found ourselves in Greely, PA where I have fond memories of "band camp" and eventually made our way onto Route 402 for the last leg home.  One more stop was made at Peck's Pond Inn, where I bundled up and wished that I had brought boots, thank BMW for heated seats! 

If you are a NEPA resident, please take some time to escape into our natural landscape and if your aren't; you must plan a trip to one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Check out 800poconos.com for help planning that trip!  Ciao for now...

Another weekend, and of course there's another great festival in the Pocono Mountains! If you love the blues as much as I do, I'm sure that you won't want to miss the 19^th Annual Pocono Blues Festival at Big Boulder this weekend!

If you're a true "Blues" fan, you will think that you're in heaven as this unbelievable, three day, outdoor festival unfolds in front of you featuring 20 national acts on three different stages! I'm hoping to attend the entire three day event, as Big Boulder is the perfect place to get lost in the "Blues" with surroundings that create the perfect amphitheater!                                                          

There will be plenty of free parking, and the gates will open approximately one hour before Jimmy "Duck" Holmes gets the weekend started at 7:30pm on Friday from the tent stage. You may want to bring a comfy chair or blanket to sit on while you enjoy the great lineup of music that the weekend has in store!  I'm especially looking forward to The Fabulous Thunderbirds' performance on Sunday at 3:00pm on the main stage! Visit http://www.poconoblues.com/  to check out the entire venue and to purchase tickets.

Along with all of the class act Blues artists, you might enjoy a scenic chairlift ride or just wandering around the grounds as there will be over 70 vendors offering a wide array of awesome foods among other great items. There will also be cold beer available for purchase, so make sure to bring your ID.  

Don't forget to stop in at Festival Headquarters to purchase a festival t-shirt; and above all remember to fill out your registration coupon as you may be lucky enough to win backstage passes! If I'm not one of the lucky winners, I hope you are!!

Plan to spend the entire weekend! Visit 800poconos.com for a list of near by accommodations.

As always, I want to hear from you and know where you're feeling the "Blues" this weekend in the Pocono Mountains! I hope to see you having a great time at Big Boulder and the Pocono Blues Fest!

The No. 9 Mine and Museum is a local landmark that has been preserved so that the public can experience the heritage of Anthracite Coal Mining.  When visiting No. 9 you can tour the museum, which displays many coal mining artifacts such as tools, gear, and employee record books.  The museum also shows examples of a typical coal miner's kitchen.  The museum is actually located in the original "wash shanty" of the mine!

After visiting the museum, be sure to get your ticket for the guided mine tour.  Guests can experience a ride into the mine and get a firsthand look as to what the everyday work environment looked like for a miner.  Be sure to wear your sneakers and bring a light sweater; temperatures range from 52-54 degrees year round.  To learn more about the PA Coal Region, visit http://www.stonecoalway.com/ or http://www.pacoalhistory.com/.

The Coal Miners Heritage Festival was a success.  We listened to old time miner's music, toured the museum, checked out all the exhibitions, took a ton of pictures, and had a lunch that warmed the soul.  I felt like I was back in my mom's kitchen with every bite I took.  Since Nicholas and Carl ate up every bit of their lunch, I knew I had to learn all the secrets of cooking the way they do in the coal region.  We are definitely looking forward to next years festival.  Until next time... Celebrate family, friends, and traditions. 

I myself have only thrown a few dollars into a slot machine and I can't wait to embark on a table games adventure! You will probably find me on the main gaming floor this weekend wishing for a new pair of shoes at the craps table or trying my hand at roulette. The designated Poker Parlor, offering over 6 different kinds of poker seems slightly intimidating to this amateur, but if Poker is your game it is the place to be. I also want to check out the Asian-themed room which boasts 17 tables of baccarat, Pai Gow tiles, poker and blackjack. I plan on brushing up on my Mandarin first though, considering staffers in this room are fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin, as well as 12 other dialects.

In the works since Mount Airy Casino Resort's opening in 2007, table games seem to be the icing on this cake, but wait there's more! (I feel like the ShamWow salesman.) The resort is looking to move forward with additional plans including 200 more hotel rooms, expansions to their conference facilities, several new businesses, a possible second hotel and concert arena. 

For now, the region is booming with excitement for the games and I am right on board. It's a good thing that yesterday was pay day, because I'm off to hit the tables!