Vacation venues close to home and not too costly

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of Dec. 12, 2008 / 15 Kislev 5769

The downward spiraling economy means many families won’t have the luxury of packing up and boarding a flight across the country for an extended trip this winter. Instead of breaking the bank for a week-long excursion, here are some economical vacation spots just a few hours away.

The Great Wolf Lodge, located in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, offers indoor recreation for the entire family. The main attraction is a four-story, 12-level indoor water park with slides, a river, several pools and a selection of water sports.

“There are six swimming pools, an activity pool for basketball and water polo, a zero depth pool for little kids, two oversized hot tubs and 11 water slides,” said Laurie, a vacation planner for the Great Wolf Lodge. “The park is heavily lifeguarded and is always kept at a temperature of 84 degrees.”

The water park, at 79,000 feet, is known as Fort Mackenzie, and is open to guests of the resort only, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. The resort also boasts a 100 game arcade, a fitness center and spa, and various indoor programs.

“One of our popular activities is MagiQuest, an interactive video quest, that is like a huge scavenger hunt throughout the lodge,” Laurie said. “We also have our Cub Club program, sponsored by National Geographic, which teaches about nature through crafts and stories.”

Older kids can enjoy the resort’s “Gr8 Space Tech Center” which is outfitted with Xbox, Wii stations, movies, Internet access, kareoke, and the option to download songs onto an iPod.

In keeping with its name, accommodations at Wolf Lodge are designed for kids to enjoy. Whether you’re in a log cabin, camped out in a tent, or laying low in the wolf den, each suite’s decor corresponds to the all-encompassing theme of the Great Wolf Lodge.

Several theme restaurants are on the premises, and pre-packaged kosher meals can be ordered in advance.

Great Wolf Lodge is about a two hour drive from New York City and guests typically visit for an overnight, two-day stay.

Once you’re there, other day trips can be taken to a paintball facility called Skirmish, the Poke-a-Nose pottery studio, Bushkill Falls, the Pocono Indian Museum and the Crayola factory in Easton, PA. For more information on Wolf Lodge and nearby attractions, go to www.greatwolf.com or call (800) 768-9653.

Also in the Poconos are a variety of places to engage in winter sports, including snow tubing, snow boarding and snowmobiling. Camelback Resort is known for its snow-tubing park, which has expanded this season with a new snowmaking system and six new lanes for tubing.

Guests can register for three-hour sessions. Tubes can accommodate individuals in single or double tubes and larger families and groups. The park is open seven days a week, after Dec. 25, and on holidays. Group rates are also available for 15 or more people, and reservations can be made up to 48 hours in advance.

Camelback also offers the only Learn to Ride Snowboarding facility in Pennsylvania. For the first time this year, Camelback is offering programs for children and adults, in addition to women’s and free-style programs. 250 new snowboards are available.

For experienced athletes, Camelback gives terrain park lessons to teach skiers and snowboarders how to “jib, throw tricks, and ride the pipe,” according to skicamelback.com, the resort’s web site. Snowboarders can also develop skills with lessons offered in Camelback’s Bailey Progressive Park. For more information about Camelback, visit their web site or call (570) 629-1661.

In addition to Camelback’s activities, families can sign up to rent a snowmobile from Pocono Manor Golf Club in Pocono Summit, any day of the week. For reservations, call (570) 839-6061.

Even closer to the Five Towns is the Rocking Horse Ranch, located 75 miles North of New York City, in the Hudson Valley, minutes from the NYS thruway off exit 18.

The Ranch, known for its extensive horse-back riding program and scenic trails, also offers other winter sports for the entire family to enjoy, including ice-skating on the lake, horse-drawn sleigh rides and a beginner’s ski slope.

One advantage of the Rocking Horse Ranch is that it provides guests with three meals a day. For two weeks each season, the resort becomes completely kosher, this year from Jan. 19-23 and from Jan. 25-29. At other times, pre-packaged kosher food is available upon request.

Indoor amenities at the ranch include a heated swimming pool and a spa, where guests can receive massages and facial treatments. One unique indoor activity is the Red Ryder shooting range, where adults and children can practice shooting with BB guns. Guests can also enjoy the indoor climbing wall and a Super Wii room featuring four Wii stations.

There are also activities designed specifically for young children, such as the Fun Barn, and Ballocity, “a netted in area with foam balls shooting out of cannons, where kids can jump around,” explained Beth, a vacation consultant at the Rocking Horse Ranch.

“For younger kids, there is an activities director running games and contests during the day,” Beth said. “There is also daycare available for kids aged four to 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and a nursery tikes program for children under four.”

Almost all the activities are included in the initial price of the reservation, Beth said, adding that “there are very minimal incidental charges, aside from the gift shop, and the arts and crafts program.”

For reservations, call (800) 647-2624 or visit rhranch.com.

For skiing enthusiasts who don’t mind traveling a bit farther, Mount Snow is the place to go. The resort offers great skiing opportunities and accommodations ideal for relaxing after a cold day on the slopes.

Mount Snow is about a five hour drive away in West Dover, Vermont, and boasts 28 open trails and four mountain areas for skiing, including a novice trail, intermediate trails and North Face, one of the steepest trails in the New England region.

But what may set Mount Snow apart from other ski resorts is a family-friendly atmosphere.

“Over and over, our guests tell us that they vacation here with their families because Mount Snow is a safe mountain,” says the resort’s web site, mountsnow.com. “The mountain layout provides a unique ‘back-to-base’ trail system that keeps the entire family together, run after run.”

Mount Snow also offers Cub programs for younger children, which provides them with beginning skiing lessons in the mornings, followed by indoor recreational activities in the afternoons. Older children can also sign up to learn how to snowboard and to go snow tubing.

Other activities on the resort premises and nearby include sleigh rides at neighboring Adam’s Farm, cross country skiing across the street, snowshoeing on site, a moonlit snowmobile tour and a movie theater.

Mount Snow also has various lodging options, including luxury hotels with pools, homier lodges right near the mountains, and condominiums with all the amenities of a house. For reservation information, call (800) 451-4211.

Also in Vermont is the popular Killington ski resort, featuring 200 slopes, 31 lifts and 87 miles of terrain. But if you want a break from skiing and other winter sports, Killington is located near the villages of Quechee and Woodstock, Rutland and Manchester, known for their shopping opportunities and outlet malls. For more information about Killington and the surrounding areas, call 800-621-MTNS or go to killington.com.

Whether you’re looking to be active in the snow or just want to unwind in the comfort of a hotel this vacation season, the right place may be waiting for you just a few hours away.

Many resorts, including those mentioned above, offer holiday and weekend discounts, so book today and treat your family to a few days of well-planned fun this winter, without depleting your savings.