If you’re looking for summer fun for the whole family, Woodloch Resort is the place!

Our stay at Woodloch was hosted. All opinions are my own.

A Summer Retreat for the Whole Family at Woodloch Resort

Last weekend our family had the wonderful opportunity to stay at Woodloch Resort. It was our first family vacation in OVER A YEAR! I don’t even know how that is possible, but it was so needed, and so much fun!

We drove north from our home near Washington DC to the Poconos, a beautiful region of Pennsylvania that was only 5 hours away. It felt so good to leave the city life behind and get out into the mountains.

Woodloch Resort is situated on a beautiful lake and surrounded by gorgeous woodlands! The resort has been opened since 1958, but the story actually begins even before WWII. You can read the adorable history about dreams coming true here.

What once started out as a 40 person inn is now an incredible family-friendly resort covering over 150 acres with almost a mile of beautiful lake shoreline. Woodloch Resort may be old, but I promise you it feels updated and totally pristine! We kept commenting on how clean the place was and how much effort they put into landscaping and making everything look beautiful.

The history of Woodloch is definitely part of the charm! On our first day, our family participated in Woodloch’s “Family Olympics” and had so much fun. We were teamed up with a family who has been coming to Woodloch several times a year since the 1980s! They were back again this summer with their daughter and her fiance who are getting married at Woodloch this fall! Now that is truly a family success story and was definitely a testament to me that Woodloch is somewhere extra special for families!

When my friends asked me what Woodloch was (because honestly, I hadn’t heard of it before either) I told them that it is like a family campground meets luxury hotel meets lakehouse meets a cruise! You’re essentially getting the best of all types of vacations. But the real bonus for me is that Woodloch is completely family focused meaning all of their entertainment and activities are geared toward the whole family. There were plenty of activities for older kids, younger kids, and adults, but also activities that we could all participate in together.

Some of our favorite features at Woodloch Resort

The Lake

This is a no-brainer, but the lake was definitely one of our favorite parts of Woodloch Resort. Lake Teedyuskung (no I can’t pronounce that either) is big enough to water ski but small enough to not be crowded. We loved all of the lake activities offered including kayaking, paddle boats, paddle boarding, sailing, water skiing, swimming, and more. All activities were included in our stay so we were able to try out everything.

Woodloch has nice beach chairs all along the lakeshore too which makes it really nice for keeping an eye on your kids if you just want to sit back and relax with a drink and a snack!

The Food

Speaking of snacks, let’s talk about the food at Woodloch. Oh my goodness. I was a little hesitant about an all-inclusive food package, to be honest. I’m a foodie at heart and by trade and I love my gourmet dishes! In my mind, I was imagining a big family style buffet full of mac and cheese and pizza. But I am happy to say that Woodloch totally proved me wrong!

Each meal was a sit-down affair, with the exception of the Saturday cookout on the lawn. Your family is given several options for each meal and you can order as much as you need. There are options for kids meals, but they were welcome to order from the adult menu, which I made my kids do (mostly because I wanted to try everything haha).

Some examples of the menu options were prime rib, fresh fish, beautiful plates of pasta, and a vegetarian option at every meal.  There was also a salad ready for you on the table each night. My kids had zero complaints about the food, which is a huge win when you have 4 kids all with very different tastes. There was honestly something for everyone!

We loved sitting at the same table every night too. It felt like a little piece of home on vacation being able to have dinner together as a family. The wait staff was great with the kids and very accommodating. I hope the kids aren’t expecting the same level of service at home ha!

The Pools

The Pools at Woodloch Resort were magnificent. They were the first thing we experienced when we got into the Poconos in the evening. They have indoor and outdoor pools, a huge kids splash area, and a great water slide! Honestly, my kids would have been happy if we visited Woodloch and only did the pools! They also had several hot tubs with a good view of the big pool so that you can watch the kids while you relax, which I totally did after about 10 rides down the water slides!

Woodloch has lifeguards stationed all around the pool area and the lake area as well, so I felt very safe and relaxed while my kids swam! This was a huge plus for us!

The Activities

Woodloch Resort offers so many staff-led activities that included the whole family. We participated in the Family Olympics, which we loved! There was also a carnival, trivia night, name that tune, a petting zoo, pony rides, and so much more! We only stayed at Woodloch over the weekend, and I kept wishing we had stayed a week to take advantage of all the fun!

There was also archery, a shooting range, and many more unscheduled activities that the kids loved.

The Amusements

Along with the scheduled family activities, Woodloch also offers some amazing fun around the property that we were free to do on our own, like bumper boats, bumper cars, go-carts, and even Jr. go-carts, which my little guys loved! These were probably tied with the pool!

Woodloch also has an indoor climbing park which is great for too hot or too cold days. Luckily, we had perfect 78-degree weather while we were there!

The Rooms

Woodloch offers all sorts of options for accommodations. We were in a standard room with 2 queen beds and a pullout couch with two bathrooms, which I appreciated. All the rooms in our building had a fabulous view of the lake! There are also bigger cabins that you can stay in. I’d love to go back and stay in a house next time.

The Staff

The staff at Woodloch were top notch and so courteous towards our family. You can tell that they have been well trained to put the customer first, a rare thing these days. From the waitstaff to the gardeners to the activities staff, they were all friendly and great with the kids. After a few days, they started to feel like part of the family.

We loved our time at Woodloch so much! My kids can’t stop talking about it! It was a great escape not too far from home and we are already thinking about going back! Read here to learn more about this amazing place or to book your stay.