Last-Minute Golf Deals for Leaf Peepers, Thanksgiving Trips in the Pocono Mountains

Revel amid spectacular foliage – and perhaps even exfoliation – with Woodloch Springs Resort’s Golf Goddess Getaway.

The 800poconos.com have two more weeks of incredible fall foliage, and a series of November golf options through the Thanksgiving holiday. Golfers are in luck: end-of-season packages have just been released, offering deals not found at any other time of the year.

Travelers can check out the fall foliage forecast for the four-county Eastern Pennsylvania region here (www.800poconos.com/visitors/fall-foliage-forecast/) before choosing any of the offers listed below.

The Birdie in Paradise Package at Mount Airy Casino Resort, $529: Available through Oct. 31, the package includes two rounds of golf per room per stay, one night in a lavish deluxe room or suite with pillow-top beds, spacious bathrooms, room service, LCD TVs with in-room movies, high-speed Internet and $15 in casino Bonus Rewards per room. Available seven days a week. Rates range from $199-$274 per room, Sunday through Thursday; $529 per room, for a two-night stay, Friday and Saturday. Rates based on double occupancy. Visit Mount Airy Casino Resort to book.

Free Golf in November, The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, $69: With two months left of the resort’s centennial year, Shawnee celebrates its proud golf heritage with Free Golf in November. The package – valid from Nov. 1 through Nov. 19 – includes midweek accommodations, breakfast, cart and 18-hole green fees Sunday through Thursday, starting at $69 per person, which includes tax and service charge. Visit shawneeinn.com to book.

Buck Hill BOGO: Pay one green fee and get the second one free weekdays or weekends at this Donald Ross original. Power cart rental is required. Call for tee time, and ask about 2012 membership offers, which come with a 25% discount if secured before the end of the year: 570-595-7730.

Double Eagle Golf Package, Skytop Lodge, $188: Fall visitors can enjoy the rest of the golf season on Sundays through Thursdays through Nov. 22, which includes accommodations, three meals daily and one 18-hole green fee per person, per day. Cart rental is an additional fee. Play a second 18-hole round the same day for 50% off the published rate. You can also enjoy Skytop’s indoor pool and 30 miles of hiking. Rates start at $188 per person, based on double adult occupancy in a standard room, plus tax and service charge. This package is not available over holidays or with any other discounts. Visit skytop.com to book.

Thanksgiving at the Inn at Pocono Manor, $139: The Donald Ross East Course will remain open until November 27 (weather permitting), making this the best place to take the family for a fun outing. Follow it with the Inn’s incredible Thanksgiving buffet, and a stay at the resort. Rates start at $139 per person for overnight and Thanksgiving Buffet; golf rates apply. Visit www.poconomanor.com for information and reservations.

Woodloch Springs Resort, $250: Revel amid spectacular foliage – and perhaps even exfoliation – with Woodloch Springs Resort’s Golf Goddess Getaway. Available seven days a week through Oct. 31, this deal includes spacious accommodations, two meals daily, activities, amenities and 18 holes of golf on the nationally recognized Country Club of Woodloch Springs (left), including cart and range balls. Guests will also receive $120 spa credit at The Lodge at Woodloch. Rates start at $250 per person, per night, based on adult double occupancy, plus tax and service charge. Some restrictions may apply. To book visit woodloch.com.

See 800poconos.com for a complete list of golf, accommodations, fall festivals and event listings through the four-county region in northeastern Pennsylvania, within easy driving distance of New York City, Philadelphia and New Jersey.

About the “Pocono Mountains: Discover Golf’s Great Destination Secret”

The Pocono Mountains has long been known to avid travelers and mountain aficionados for its lush, relaxing family-friendly ambiance and romantic setting, as well as its fall foliage, winter skiing, spring-summer outdoor recreation options and natural beauty. Numerous lakes, parks and other environmental wonderlands are found throughout the four-county Pocono Mountains region.

A venerable destination that has welcomed generations of travelers, the Pocono Mountains has undergone a renaissance over the last few years. While renovations have swept through stately and historic resorts, other properties have joined the mix. Gaming at Mount Airy Casino Resort and the award-winning Jack Frost National — named a “Best New” and “Best You Can Play” course by leading industry publications — are two of the many exciting additions.

Attributes of the golf-and-resort properties and destination include:

• Home to more than 35 golf courses with hundreds of holes for beginners and avid golfers alike; close proximity gives golfers chance to play 36 in a day
• Two NASCAR races held annually
• Golden Era of Golf Architecture period designs strongly represented by legendary designers Donald Ross and A.W. Tillinghast
• Hiking, biking, camping, spas, horseback riding, boating, fishing, hunting and many other activities
• Attractions, festivals and other special events
• Meeting and conference facilities
• Great food at a wide array of eating establishments and resort restaurants
• Bed & breakfasts, country inns and resorts
• Antique shops, outlet malls and other unique shopping venues

 

 

Rafting season is underway on Pennsylvania’s Lehigh River in the Poconos Mountains

Rafting down the Lehigh River, even the Class I trip had some fun rapids on this Dam Release weekend © 2010 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Rafting season is underway on Pennsylvania’s Lehigh River in the Poconos Mountains.

Major thrills and whitewater are a short getaway away.

We were completely surprised by the quality of the rafting on the Lehigh River, which cuts through Lehigh Gorge State Park.

Whitewater Challengers, one of the biggest raft operators in the area (they send out some 350 rafts a day), offers a superb program – 16 trips with up to 20 rafts a day, satisfying for those who want a tame, swim-splash-fun trip delightful for families, to those who want to a true challenge.

The most exciting trips are on Dam Release weekends, when the river provides Class III rapids.

The rafting here, on a Dam Release weekend was plenty fun.

Their method is to have the guides accompany in kayaks, so somebody on the raft is designated to steer. That got to be me, and was the most fun about the trip on the Class I river (the easiest).

I was green with envy, though, as I watched the kayakers coming down, some on sit-on-top Ocean Kayaks like my own. Next time, I will try that, and this portion of the river would be a great place to learn whitewater kayaking, where you have to learn how to do a quick in-water release.

Whitewater Challengers has the most amazing set-up, tucked into the woods about 30 minutes from where you begin your rafting.

So when you arrive and register, you get a bus “transfer” that is color-coded for your trip; you pick up your life-jacket. If you forgot anything (sunscreen, hat) there is a well-equipped store. You can rent a wetsuit (we didn’t need it the day we rafted). It is all so extremely well organized.

While you wait, you can have breakfast there (pre-paid or pay-as-you-go) underneath a pavilion.

You get to look around – there is a camping area (there were a load of boy scouts when we visited); a zip-line course in the trees.

Whitewater Challengers also offers mountain biking trips – and you can combine various adventures together.

We took advantage of coming the day before the rafting trip to sample the 25-mile rail-to-trail gravel path through the Lehigh River Gorge State Park which follows the river (we saw rafters going down from a different company that operates right from White Haven).

Whitewater Challengers operates some 16 rafting trips with up to 20 rafts per trip.

In addition to the rafting trips on the Lehigh River, Whitewater Challengers also operates rafting trips on New York’s Hudson River Gorge, from North River in the Adirondacks (which can be a Class IV trip, depending upon season), the Black River Canyon out of Watertown, Salmon River out of Pulaski, and Middle Moose River, out of Old Forge.

Contact Whitewater Challengers, 800-443-8554, www.whitewaterchallengers.com.

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– Karen Rubin, Editor & Publisher

Travel Features Syndicate

http://www.travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate