BAT's Passport
 | Been to 126 Attractions |
 | 106 Reviews |
 | 45 First to Review |
 | 162 Photos |
 | 46 Helpful Votes |
Compliments
(3)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(9)
Send a Message 
Send a ComplimentAbout Me & My Family
We are a busy family with 3 kids (age 10, 9, 7) and we don't sit still. When we aren't running off to scouts, dance, sports, etc., we really enjoy spending time as a family. If we have a day we will try to find someplace local to explore. If we have a weekend we go a little further. Give us a week and we can really pack it in. We are always on the lookout for family friendly destinations (especially hotels which seem so hard to find!). Our vacations are not spent floating in the pool...they are spent exploring the area to its fullest!
Our Family's Travel Personality
adventurous, curious, energetic, easy_going
We Just Got Back From
Disney World
Our Favorite Vacation Spot
Washington DC
A Place We'd Love To Visit
Yellowstone
Favorite Vacation Memory
My daughter is such a pip and thinks the hotel is the destination. If we do sightseeing along the way she just keeps asking "when are we going to get to the hotel?" She loves checking out our new "home away from home" and she LOVES the fact that she gets to share a room with someone!!
Worst Travel Moment With My Kids:
the car sick kid
Websites I Like:
January 10 2012
0 families found this helpful
0 families found this helpful
Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains, PA
1 Great Wolf Dr,
Scotrun, Pennsylvania
Scotrun, Pennsylvania
"FUN for everyone but not relaxing!"
This is one of those vacations where the kids and parents usually have slightly different views. The kids LOVED it and can’t wait to go back. To quote my daughter “This is the best place you’ve ever taken us, except maybe Disney World!” Us parents? Well, we’re exhausted. I need time to recoup before I think about scheduling another vacation.
Room Accommodations:
There is a variety of room options available ranging from a standard hotel room to a two floor suite and all come with a refrigerator and microwave. We stayed in a Wolf Den Suite which featured a queen bed, a sleeper sofa, and a separate “den” with a set of bunk beds for the kids to sleep. They also had their own TV. The only downside of this is that I have 3 kids and it only slept 2. On the second night we swapped the kids around so they each had a turn staying in the “den” and they were happy with this arrangement.
The room was spacious enough for the 5 of us, clean and comfortable. There was a small balcony with two chairs if you wanted to step outside for some fresh mountain air. I liked having the refrigerator and there was a large counter space if you were bringing along some kitchen items and a table with 2 chairs to sit at. (I recommend taking advantage of the fridge and microwave….a bottle of water from the vending machine will set you back $3 and food is a bit pricey)
One of the best features is that the room is keyless. You are provided with a wristband during check in and this also acts as your room key. (you can set up in room charging via your wrist band as well). You have the option to have the kid’s wrist bands be keys or not, we chose to and my kids loved that they could get into the room by themselves. This feature really comes in handy when you are roaming around the lodge and enjoying the water park and you don’t have to worry about where to put your room key.
My only complaint (and it is a BIG complaint) is the noise level. When I come back to my room I want to relax and at night I want to sleep. There are kids running and screaming in the hallways at all hours of the day and night. You can hear the kids above you bouncing around and jumping. On our first night I had to poke my head into the hallway at 11:30 at night and ask the kids to stop running relay races and making so much noise. Even my kids commented on how loud it was and how they had trouble sleeping. “Hibernation” hours are from 11pm until 7am but I don’t find that they were enforced. With as much excitement that occurs in the lodge I think there should be signs in the halls of the guest rooms marking it as a quiet zone as a reminder to guests to turn down the volume and excitement. I could also do without the speakers in the hallway piping in music and announcements.
Food:
There are a few food options on site but they will all cost you. It is definitely about the convenience of eating on site in the lodge. You may want to consider stocking your room fridge or checking out your room directory where they have listings of area restaurants. We found a few restaurants literally down the road just a few minutes.
Our first night we ate in the Loose Moose Cottage which is a buffet. My kids loved the selections they offered and my picky eater middle child declared “this is the best buffet I’ve ever been to in my life”. They offered everything from soup and salad to peel your own shrimp and mussels, to pizza and chicken fingers, to gourmet cheeses, a pasta bar and other hot selections and desserts galore. Everyone could find something they would enjoy. But our bill came to $97 for 5 of us. My husband and I much prefer to order exactly what we want and will eat than over pay for a buffet where we feel we don’t get our money’s worth because we don’t eat a fraction of what is offered.
There is a Pizza Hut Express, a Starbucks, a snack counter with grab-and-go options as well as another pizza restaurant all on site. Inside the water park is a fast food place and a bar.
Activities:
There are many activities on site other than the water park and when you check in you will get a listing. My suggestion to you is take advantage of the free ones because the others will cost you. During our stay there was a magic show (which my kids enjoyed), a DJ, cookie decorating, and bingo. Things that are always offered are a Wolf Walk, story time, and the clock tower show. One of my favorite things is that they offer a pajama story time in front of the fireplace in the lobby every night. It gets crowded in there but I think it is cute, simple, homey fun. My kids loved that they were allowed to wear their jammies.
On site is the Cub Club. They offer different activities throughout the day, some are free and some come with a fee. Check out what they have to offer if you’d like to come out of the water park and dry off for a bit! There is also an arcade, a mini bowling alley, a kid spa and an adult spa.
A big draw around the resort is MagiQuest. I was so proud of my kids for never once asking if they could do this! I thought for sure they would, almost every other kid in the resort is running around with a wand. When I popped into the MagiQuest shop to scope it out I discovered it was a minimum of $37 to play. That was with the basic wand. If you kids wanted to pick out a fancier wand the price went up from there. I did appreciate the sales guy, he answered all of my questions, noticed I came in without the kids and said that was a good thing so they didn’t start asking for everything and when I asked him if we could play as a team he said that is what they suggest. (I was fully prepared for him to try to upsell me on everything) I may have considered caving but by the time I inquired about MagicQuest it was already late into our second day and I learned that it takes 4-6 hours to complete the quest. So, if you are considering this activity, look into it on day of check in so that you have time to complete it.
Water Park:
This is the highlight of the stay and the reason for most people’s visits. The indoor water park is opened daily from 9am – 9pm and offers up fun for everyone in your family. The best part is, check in isn’t until 4pm but you can arrive as early as 1pm to start using the water park. Same thing on check out day, you need to depart your room by 11am but you can stay in the water park until 9pm.
When I asked my kids what their favorite part of the water park was they all gave me a different water slide but one thing they all agreed on was the wave pool. We spent a lot of time floating on the waves! They loved the big “jungle gym” as they call it with the huge bucket that dumps water and several other water features as well.
There are 7 different water slides, some of which have height restrictions so be sure to check on that before getting on line. The lines for the 3 “bigger” and more thrilling slides could get long. For those of you with smaller ones, the water slides are fast and many have dark sections in the tunnels so if your kids aren’t big thrill seekers you may want to keep that in mind. They do have one slide dedicated to the 12 and under set that has an open tube and doesn’t have as steep of drops. We rode every water slide more than once and had a lot of fun on them.
I found the lifeguards to be very attentive of the water and attractions. They rotate positions frequently so there are fresh eyes on the water every so often. When people asked them questions they were helpful and friendly.
There are plenty of towels available for use in the water park but they must stay in the water park. You can bring your own towels if you wish. There are changing rooms and showers so if you are staying late on your day of departure you can change out of your wet clothes before heading home. Overall I found the water park area to be clean.
Overall Take:
If you are ready for the splurge, it is a great place to take the family. There is plenty to keep everyone occupied and happy and our family had a lot of fun. The kids give it a “two thumbs up” and think everyone should go. I just find the noise level throughout the resort, and especially in the rooms, a big turnoff. If you can cope with a lack of sleep for a night or two then put this on your list of places to visit.
Disclosure: Our family was provided a discounted rate for our stay to facilitate this review. I was not required to express a particular point of view and all opinions are mine and my family’s based on the experience of our stay.
Room Accommodations:
There is a variety of room options available ranging from a standard hotel room to a two floor suite and all come with a refrigerator and microwave. We stayed in a Wolf Den Suite which featured a queen bed, a sleeper sofa, and a separate “den” with a set of bunk beds for the kids to sleep. They also had their own TV. The only downside of this is that I have 3 kids and it only slept 2. On the second night we swapped the kids around so they each had a turn staying in the “den” and they were happy with this arrangement.
The room was spacious enough for the 5 of us, clean and comfortable. There was a small balcony with two chairs if you wanted to step outside for some fresh mountain air. I liked having the refrigerator and there was a large counter space if you were bringing along some kitchen items and a table with 2 chairs to sit at. (I recommend taking advantage of the fridge and microwave….a bottle of water from the vending machine will set you back $3 and food is a bit pricey)
One of the best features is that the room is keyless. You are provided with a wristband during check in and this also acts as your room key. (you can set up in room charging via your wrist band as well). You have the option to have the kid’s wrist bands be keys or not, we chose to and my kids loved that they could get into the room by themselves. This feature really comes in handy when you are roaming around the lodge and enjoying the water park and you don’t have to worry about where to put your room key.
My only complaint (and it is a BIG complaint) is the noise level. When I come back to my room I want to relax and at night I want to sleep. There are kids running and screaming in the hallways at all hours of the day and night. You can hear the kids above you bouncing around and jumping. On our first night I had to poke my head into the hallway at 11:30 at night and ask the kids to stop running relay races and making so much noise. Even my kids commented on how loud it was and how they had trouble sleeping. “Hibernation” hours are from 11pm until 7am but I don’t find that they were enforced. With as much excitement that occurs in the lodge I think there should be signs in the halls of the guest rooms marking it as a quiet zone as a reminder to guests to turn down the volume and excitement. I could also do without the speakers in the hallway piping in music and announcements.
Food:
There are a few food options on site but they will all cost you. It is definitely about the convenience of eating on site in the lodge. You may want to consider stocking your room fridge or checking out your room directory where they have listings of area restaurants. We found a few restaurants literally down the road just a few minutes.
Our first night we ate in the Loose Moose Cottage which is a buffet. My kids loved the selections they offered and my picky eater middle child declared “this is the best buffet I’ve ever been to in my life”. They offered everything from soup and salad to peel your own shrimp and mussels, to pizza and chicken fingers, to gourmet cheeses, a pasta bar and other hot selections and desserts galore. Everyone could find something they would enjoy. But our bill came to $97 for 5 of us. My husband and I much prefer to order exactly what we want and will eat than over pay for a buffet where we feel we don’t get our money’s worth because we don’t eat a fraction of what is offered.
There is a Pizza Hut Express, a Starbucks, a snack counter with grab-and-go options as well as another pizza restaurant all on site. Inside the water park is a fast food place and a bar.
Activities:
There are many activities on site other than the water park and when you check in you will get a listing. My suggestion to you is take advantage of the free ones because the others will cost you. During our stay there was a magic show (which my kids enjoyed), a DJ, cookie decorating, and bingo. Things that are always offered are a Wolf Walk, story time, and the clock tower show. One of my favorite things is that they offer a pajama story time in front of the fireplace in the lobby every night. It gets crowded in there but I think it is cute, simple, homey fun. My kids loved that they were allowed to wear their jammies.
On site is the Cub Club. They offer different activities throughout the day, some are free and some come with a fee. Check out what they have to offer if you’d like to come out of the water park and dry off for a bit! There is also an arcade, a mini bowling alley, a kid spa and an adult spa.
A big draw around the resort is MagiQuest. I was so proud of my kids for never once asking if they could do this! I thought for sure they would, almost every other kid in the resort is running around with a wand. When I popped into the MagiQuest shop to scope it out I discovered it was a minimum of $37 to play. That was with the basic wand. If you kids wanted to pick out a fancier wand the price went up from there. I did appreciate the sales guy, he answered all of my questions, noticed I came in without the kids and said that was a good thing so they didn’t start asking for everything and when I asked him if we could play as a team he said that is what they suggest. (I was fully prepared for him to try to upsell me on everything) I may have considered caving but by the time I inquired about MagicQuest it was already late into our second day and I learned that it takes 4-6 hours to complete the quest. So, if you are considering this activity, look into it on day of check in so that you have time to complete it.
Water Park:
This is the highlight of the stay and the reason for most people’s visits. The indoor water park is opened daily from 9am – 9pm and offers up fun for everyone in your family. The best part is, check in isn’t until 4pm but you can arrive as early as 1pm to start using the water park. Same thing on check out day, you need to depart your room by 11am but you can stay in the water park until 9pm.
When I asked my kids what their favorite part of the water park was they all gave me a different water slide but one thing they all agreed on was the wave pool. We spent a lot of time floating on the waves! They loved the big “jungle gym” as they call it with the huge bucket that dumps water and several other water features as well.
There are 7 different water slides, some of which have height restrictions so be sure to check on that before getting on line. The lines for the 3 “bigger” and more thrilling slides could get long. For those of you with smaller ones, the water slides are fast and many have dark sections in the tunnels so if your kids aren’t big thrill seekers you may want to keep that in mind. They do have one slide dedicated to the 12 and under set that has an open tube and doesn’t have as steep of drops. We rode every water slide more than once and had a lot of fun on them.
I found the lifeguards to be very attentive of the water and attractions. They rotate positions frequently so there are fresh eyes on the water every so often. When people asked them questions they were helpful and friendly.
There are plenty of towels available for use in the water park but they must stay in the water park. You can bring your own towels if you wish. There are changing rooms and showers so if you are staying late on your day of departure you can change out of your wet clothes before heading home. Overall I found the water park area to be clean.
Overall Take:
If you are ready for the splurge, it is a great place to take the family. There is plenty to keep everyone occupied and happy and our family had a lot of fun. The kids give it a “two thumbs up” and think everyone should go. I just find the noise level throughout the resort, and especially in the rooms, a big turnoff. If you can cope with a lack of sleep for a night or two then put this on your list of places to visit.
Disclosure: Our family was provided a discounted rate for our stay to facilitate this review. I was not required to express a particular point of view and all opinions are mine and my family’s based on the experience of our stay.
It's helpful
November 17 2011
0 families found this helpful
0 families found this helpful
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Bethlehem
2201 Cherry Ln,
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
"Staff makes it feel like home"
Before I actually speak about the hotel, I need to speak about the staff. As most of us know, staff can make or break a good stay. I cannot say enough nice things about the staff here. From check in to check out, they really made us feel welcome. We even had one special housekeeper step in and play tooth fairy and save the day.
Now on to the hotel itself...
We stayed in a suite which had two queen beds and a pull out sofa to accommodate our family of 5. The room was roomy enough for all of us and our things, had a mini fridge and microwave, was clean and comfortable.
There is an indoor heated pool which is enough to keep my kids happy for hours. Tables and chairs available pool side for those parents that don't want to take a dip.
Complementary breakfast is offered every morning that offers a standard spread of hot and cold items. Breakfast attendants are very attentive. Room a bit crowded when the hotel is busy but over all a good start to the day.
Conveniently located directly off of Route 78 for easy access to family destinations.
I would definitely return to this hotel again.
Now on to the hotel itself...
We stayed in a suite which had two queen beds and a pull out sofa to accommodate our family of 5. The room was roomy enough for all of us and our things, had a mini fridge and microwave, was clean and comfortable.
There is an indoor heated pool which is enough to keep my kids happy for hours. Tables and chairs available pool side for those parents that don't want to take a dip.
Complementary breakfast is offered every morning that offers a standard spread of hot and cold items. Breakfast attendants are very attentive. Room a bit crowded when the hotel is busy but over all a good start to the day.
Conveniently located directly off of Route 78 for easy access to family destinations.
I would definitely return to this hotel again.
November 13 2011
0 families found this helpful
Jackson Skating Center
0 families found this helpful
2270 West County Line Road,
Jackson,
New Jersey
Jackson,
New Jersey
"SK8 with the family"
Stepping inside of Jackson Skating Center is like taking a step back in time to when I was in elementary school and boarding the bus for our Friday night trips to go roller skating. The place looks like it hasn't changed a bit since the 80's but that is part of the charm!
They have various open skate times throughout the week including a cheap skate night with reduced prices on Wednesday nights. Saturday mornings they hold a half hour skating lesson for $7 and when you pay for that you are welcome to stay for the open skating session that follows free of charge.
Just like when I was a kid, they play fun music, switch things up with reverse skate, do things like the limbo in the middle of the rink, and other traditional things. They have skating attendants on the floor to help keep things flowing.
They offer 3 different types of skate rentals, traditional quad skates, speed skates or inline skates. Rental fees are fairly priced. You are also welcome to bring in your own skates if you have them.
There is a snack bar on site as well as vending machines if you need to grab a drink. The snack bar doesn't offer anything all that great but if you get the munchies at least it is there.
You can hold birthday parties or rent the rink out for private events as well.
They have various open skate times throughout the week including a cheap skate night with reduced prices on Wednesday nights. Saturday mornings they hold a half hour skating lesson for $7 and when you pay for that you are welcome to stay for the open skating session that follows free of charge.
Just like when I was a kid, they play fun music, switch things up with reverse skate, do things like the limbo in the middle of the rink, and other traditional things. They have skating attendants on the floor to help keep things flowing.
They offer 3 different types of skate rentals, traditional quad skates, speed skates or inline skates. Rental fees are fairly priced. You are also welcome to bring in your own skates if you have them.
There is a snack bar on site as well as vending machines if you need to grab a drink. The snack bar doesn't offer anything all that great but if you get the munchies at least it is there.
You can hold birthday parties or rent the rink out for private events as well.
November 12 2011
0 families found this helpful
0 families found this helpful
QVC Studio Tours
1200 Wilson Drive,
West Chester,
Pennsylvania 19380
West Chester,
Pennsylvania 19380
"Fun for older kids"
Whether you shop QVC or not, this is a great behind the scenes look at how QVC operates. You are given a guided tour around the building while learning the history of QVC, how it started and how it has grown into the business it is today. You learn how the sets are staged, how the host knows what to say, who is on the phone and more. The best part is, taping is live 24 hours a day so you are watching TV as it happens! You will even get to go out on the "catwalk" and be in the studio while they are filming.
Young kids may find this a bit boring and if they are unable to stay quiet will not be able to go out on the catwalk. My kids 7,9, 10 found it interesting and the first thing they did when they got home was tune into QVC. They loved knowing how what they were watching on TV all came to get there!
There is a QVC store onsite so you will be able to shop some of your favorite items as well!
Young kids may find this a bit boring and if they are unable to stay quiet will not be able to go out on the catwalk. My kids 7,9, 10 found it interesting and the first thing they did when they got home was tune into QVC. They loved knowing how what they were watching on TV all came to get there!
There is a QVC store onsite so you will be able to shop some of your favorite items as well!
November 12 2011
0 families found this helpful
0 families found this helpful
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
1700 Hawk Mountain ,
Kempton,
Pennsylvania 19529
Kempton,
Pennsylvania 19529
"For the Outdoor Enthusiasts"
We visited Hawk Mountain during migrating season but as luck would have it, not a single bird flew by. Where did we see the most birds? When we drove down the mountain and around to the other side to our next destination. That is just par for the course with our luck :)
That aside, this is a beautiful destination. The trails are easy to navigate and there are many overlook viewing areas to see the valley and surrounding areas. During migration season, there are interns at the 2 main lookout points to answer questions. Be sure to take your binoculars and plan to stay awhile!
The staff in the nature center were very friendly and helpful. Outside the nature center is native plant garden.
That aside, this is a beautiful destination. The trails are easy to navigate and there are many overlook viewing areas to see the valley and surrounding areas. During migration season, there are interns at the 2 main lookout points to answer questions. Be sure to take your binoculars and plan to stay awhile!
The staff in the nature center were very friendly and helpful. Outside the nature center is native plant garden.
