For the last 6 or 7 years, my dad and stepmom have taken me, my boyfriend, and my four younger siblings to the Pocono Mountains in PA to the Kalahari indoor waterpark and resort. Over the years we’ve been visiting it, they have done many updates and renovations to the whole building that have mostly benefited our experiences there. The entire building has various types of rooms and suites, restaurants, cafes, bars, shops, an arcade, and an indoor waterpark. During the warmer months, they also have a smaller outdoor waterpark, mini golf, and a ropes course near the resort’s entrance. We always go in December for my birthday, so I’ll be talking about the indoor attractions.
- Rooms: we’ve stayed in a variety of room options over the years, and never had a bad experience. They are always super clean and have all of the amenities you might need included. Also, they’re more on the luxurious side, so with that comes money, my only complaint. The room pricing has gone up significantly each year, so that has frustrated my parents quite a lot. The price for one night is getting to be on the higher end of things.
- Restaurants: the resort has a Mexican-inspired, Italian, and steakhouse restaurant, and the only one we haven’t been to is the steakhouse, due to prices. Although the other restaurants are still pretty expensive, the food was pretty good when we sat down in the actual restaurant. They also offer room delivery and take-out options, and personally, the food was better in the restaurant. They also upcharge a certain percentage when you use these options, which was a little annoying.
- Cafes: the resort has an ice cream shop, Starbucks, convenience store, and lunch-style cafe in the waterpark that has excellent food for good prices. Their pizza is huge and cheesy, which we all love. My family always gets the food from the waterpark cafe every time.
- Bars: I’m not 21 yet, so I haven’t been to any of the bars. However, from what I can see, the drinks are very popular at the resort, both in and out of the waterpark. They offer souvenir cups for refills that can be reused every year, and they also have an indoor/outdoor swim-up bar with lights that look really neat.
- Shops: I always get a small souvenir gift with the year and logo on it in the gift shop for my little collection for a nice price. They also have a Build-A-Bear near the entrance that my younger siblings love, and it’s fun for that extra little experience.
- Arcade: this has to be one of my favorite arcades I’ve been to. It’s actually huge, and there’s so many games to choose from. You can load a card with points to use on games, and the tickets get automatically loaded onto the card when you win, which is super convenient and saves on paper for the physical tickets. The only downside is that the point package options are on the pricier end, and the prizes take a lot of tickets to trade in.
- Indoor waterpark: the BEST thing ever. Kalahari is actually America’s largest indoor waterpark, and they literally have a ride for everyone. There’s a section for kids, 2 lazy rivers, 4 extreme attractions, and many extra tube and no-tube slides. They finished up a new slide this past year, and it’s safari-themed and plays music. Although the lines for the rides can be really long on the weekends, it’s so worth it when you get to the top. I’ve been on every single slide and love them all!
If you’ve ever heard of Kalahari and wanted to make the trip, I definitely recommend it. I suggest booking the room a while in advance to get better deals if you’re staying overnight. Make sure you have some extra cash on hand too if you plan on using the resort’s various attractions. Besides the incline in prices, Kalahari is one of the best places you can go for a fun trip with friends and family all year round.