I came here for a church retreat, and let me start by saying: the drive in was traumatic. One-lane,…read morewinding road. Aggressive fog. Zero streetlights. I don't know if Pennsylvania is cutting costs or testing faith levels, but the drive absolutely required prayer. That said, and this is important, that was the worst part of the entire experience. Once you arrive, it's like stepping into a completely different reality. Parking is plentiful, clearly marked, and right in front of the buildings (including handicap and short-term spots, which we love to see). The facilities themselves? Beautiful. Clean. Extremely well maintained. No "rustic surprise mold" vibes here. Each room has its own bathroom, a thermostat, and AC, which means you're not stuck freezing, sweating, or silently resenting whoever controls the temperature. Huge win. There's also a cute little fire pit (weather permitting), a gym/fitness center, and a dining hall tucked under another residence building that honestly deserves applause. Because let's talk about the food. 10/10. Retreat food is usually a gamble, but Spruce Lake did not come to play. AND, possibly my favorite detail, the beverage machines. Coffee, drinks, and cups you can reuse or grab-and-go, which means you can take your coffee with you like a civilized adult. In the same building, there's a gorgeous space to sit and relax, complete with multiple fireplaces that make you feel like you should be journaling or having a deep conversation. There's also a bookstore with beautiful religious items if you feel like browsing or taking something meaningful home. Staff were consistently polite, helpful, and clearly knew what they were doing, everything ran smoothly the entire stay. Final verdict: Yes, the commute tried to humble me. But once you're there? It's peaceful, comfortable, thoughtfully designed, and genuinely enjoyable. I had such a great experience that I'm already looking forward to my next visit. That drive isn't stopping me, and that's saying something.

Visit Dates: August 21, 2023 to August 25, 2023…read more I came here with my family and my church Grace Reformed Baptist Church for a camping trip and retreat. I opted for camping in a tent (my first time) and the meal plan (do not recommend). Mostly everything was great. The campsite was fairly easy to find I had a water hookup and an electricity hookup so I got to charge my phone. I set up my tent fairly easily and was happy about that. The nature was pretty, the camping site was great, the bathrooms and shower stalls were well maintained and clean. My family stayed in the rooms. The rooms are way more pricey and I heard a few church members complaining about the beds. I stayed in the room on my last night because my dad was worried about me going home with my son alone even though I would have been okay so he stayed past the point of my sisters going home and kept the room my sisters stayed in with him. My son got scared of camping on the last night so we ended up in my dad's room the last night, I didn't think it was so bad. This is a Christian Camp so if you aren't Christian be prepared for the Jesus. I'm not sure if they allow individual stays but I was with the church. They gave us a designated space for devotional time, we had two devotional sessions a day. I love Jesus and am a Christian so when I got here I was like oh so much of Jesus loves you, so much of God loves you and I loved it. But if you aren't Christian and book a camping trip here you may not like it, you may be surprised so I'm just specifying. Spruce Lake itself is on the small side, I got to check it out but I found the woods and campgrounds more impressive. They have a snack shop that's open for a few hours a day. The snack shop food was great. My son and I missed the snack shop the first few days but we got to go on Wednesday and Thursday. So the dining hall and meal plans. That's the one thing I wouldn't recommend. I opted for it because I didn't know how camping was going to be I wanted to try the tent thing first before I went gun-ho with bringing my own coolers and food. Next year I'm getting a stove and bringing all my coolers and my own food. I basically paid $100 for my kid to drink soda because he would not touch anything in the dining hall to eat during our stay. I had a lot of snacks for him, my family bought a lot of snacks for him as well and he ate fries at the snack shop so he was fed. Some of the meals were okay, some of the stuff was kind of awful. So everything about this resort except for the food was great and if my church comes back here again I'd like to go!

I've been to Promised Land multiple times love it. I was sitting down in a park ranger came up to…read moreme and he asked me if I've been here before and I said yes and I was taking pictures of my wife my daughter from afar and he asked me is that your family when I said yes but the way he said it he made it sound like I was a creep my daughter is like complected my wife is Caucasian and I'm Mexican so he thought I was up to no good didn't like his attitude

Have been here a couple of time and have loved it. This is a great state park with tons to do. They…read morehave great camping, both tent and RV/trailer, Great Lakes to fish/kayak/boat on and awesome, well makes hiking trails. The campsites and restrooms are well maintained. All of my interactions with the park rangers have been fantastic. This is an easy drive off I-84 and the signage to get around is great. Definitely a place to hit if you are looking for a getaway.

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would…read more We rented boats for 3 consecutive days from Dennis at Rubber Duckie. From start to finish it was a wonderful experience. Dennis was extremely accommodating and let us have our choice between a pontoon boat and a ski boat each day. The boats were clean, well taken care of, and ran well. The staff at the dock were also amazing. They couldn't have been nicer, more honest, or harder working. Every time we pulled up to the dock, no matter what our issue, someone was right there to help us. They helped my elderly mother load and unload from the boat, they traded out our skis for a tube.... They were full service all the time. Are there bigger outfits on the lake with fancier boats? Yeah, there are. But I'd rent from Dennis and his staff every time. I love supporting local businesses, his prices are very fair, and his staff are awesome. The key with this company is that you have to make reservations in advance - if you walk in the day of and expect to get a boat, you may be disappointed. We will definitely be back next summer to rent a boat from our new lake Wallenpaupack family. Many thanks to the crew at Rubber Duckie

I had a very disappointing experience with Rubber Duckie Boat Rental Company. I reserved an all-day…read moreboat rental well in advance and provided my credit card to hold the reservation. On the morning of our rental, I even called to let them know we would be arriving around noon and they confirmed everything. When we called at 12:45 to let them know we were on our way, we were told our credit card had been declined and that they had already given our boat away. This made no sense because my credit card had more than enough available credit and my bank showed no declined charges or fraud alerts whatsoever. We had traveled over 4 hours from out of town specifically for this trip and losing our reservation completely ruined our Fourth of July plans. If there was truly an issue with the card, a simple phone call, text or email before giving away our reserved boat would have given us the opportunity to resolve it immediately. Whether this was a mistake or poor communication, the result was the same - we were left without the reservation we had planned our holiday around. I cannot recommend a business that fails to honor reservations and doesn't make a reasonable effort to contact customers before canceling them.

We had an amazing experience with the PA Rail Bike! I was admittedly nervous before we began but…read morethe gentlemen running the show were all very informative and friendly. We went on ice cream night and while we enjoyed our (very generously portioned and delicious) ice cream, they let us know exactly what to expect, do, and how to stay safe. I immediately felt we were in good hands and it put my mind at ease. I also want to shout out to them for having vegan ice cream options (oat milk), we were delighted our brother's vegan family could feel included and take part in all parts of this experience with us. The rail bikes have a basket as well as cup holders, so don't be afraid to bring your water!! We enjoyed the beautiful lush scenery, some old Graffitied trains, and even saw quite a bit of wild life (deer and birds)! It was a balmy night, but on the rail bike I never felt hot, being near the water and surrounded by trees had a very nice cooling effect even while the sun was still out. We went our first night staying in the area and while on the rail bike my son confidently declared "this is the best vacation ever!!" He really enjoyed it just as much as we did. This was a great way to safely get into nature and get some movement in our day as well!

My husband and I have always wanted to do the rail bike experience, and we were so happy to learn…read moreHawley had one. Everything was great! The guides were all kind and thorough in their instruction. They definitely put safety first. They were excited to point out an eagle and an eagle's nest. We had a great time! Some recommendations I have are to wear a face cover if you have asthma. The pollen kicking up triggered me to cough a lot. Also, a seat cushion or towel would help make the seat more comfy. You will love this activity. The canopy of trees was so lovely.

Visited the Stegmaier for brunch over the holiday weekend. I'm not sure if it was because of the…read moreholiday, but there were only two other parties during our visit, so it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. The wait staff were incredibly friendly, attentive, and welcoming. While the brunch menu left a bit to be desired, I kept it simple with two eggs and toast. The food itself wasn't the highlight of the experience--instead, it's the setting and ambiance that truly make the Stegmaier special. Every detail has been thoughtfully curated, from the vintage salt holders and silverware to the historic décor. One of the standout touches was the tableside Bloody Mary service, presented on a tray with droppers of truffle oil and hot sauce so you could customize it to your liking. The staff also encouraged us to explore the upper floors, which added to the experience. The grand piano in the entrance, the stunning chandelier lining the staircase, and the beautiful stained-glass windows made the building feel both elegant and full of history. I think dinner is probably where the Stegmaier truly shines. Because of the timing of our visit and the holiday weekend, brunch was our only option, but I imagine the evening atmosphere offers an entirely different experience. I'd definitely return to give dinner a try.

We went here on a whim before a show, it was after seeing different online that we decided to try…read moreit out. It was excellent both with food.alcohol,eloquent, and customer service . It was delightful to be treated with white gloves yet the prices were reasonable and perfect for quality and portion. We will be great and excited for the be experience ! Recommend the Chilean sea bass

Amazingggggggg time! Ben and Nick kept us safe and made sure we had fun! They brought us to a…read moreperfect spot with views and boats around!!! We had a blast and will definitely be back next year!!!!

We rented a big slide pontoon. It was in great shape and we had plenty of room…read more They scheduled our boat to arrive back in at 1 with the previous rental and our rental started at 1. That meant we launched at 1:28. The man at the dock was nice about saying we could take an extra 15 minutes on our outing, I think they should have have the system set to have the rentals give 1/2 hr between to make sure the groups are not standing around waiting with a group of little kids in tow. That was the only negative in our day. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Every one of them was smiling. There was not a great deal for them to do except explain the rules to you, which they did well. Once you arrive you need to clean out the boat and carry your lifejackets back to the tent. (very reasonable request) You should bring cash to tip or you can check a percentage box on the last iPad you are given to sign. Have cash on hand to pay for the gas that you used when you arrive back on the dock, or you will be charged a 3% card charge. We had a spectacular day on the lake, so much fun. Much of the credit goes to the weather but this rental was perfect for our needs. If you have kids - spring for the extra money and get the slide!

Beautiful and easy are two words that come to mind when thinking about this meticulously groomed…read moretrail. It may only be available to local residents and Skytop Lodge guests. The entire trail is comprised by a flat gravel path and foot bridges, and the entire trail offers wonderful views of the lake, the lodge, and some huge private residences abutting the lake. The Lake Trail is 2.1 miles and closely follows the shoreline of Mountain Lake, if you include the path to and from the lodge. We'd walk this every day if we lived here.

For some reason they opened like 20-30 minutes later than usual but besides that everything was…read morewonderful!

The Aquarium entrance is inside the mall. You park in the garage and they will validate your…read moreparking pass. Expect to spend approximately two hours at the Aquarium. There are many species of reptile and fish to view. The cost I thought was alittle bit too much. They also don't have a membership fee. You can purchase the tickets in the gift shop or at the entrance. I do recommend this Aquarium.