Fun in the Poconos: Visiting Bushkill Falls, Milford, and Jim Thorpe, PA

Fall in the Poconos is breathtaking, with all the fun things to do and the glorious fall foliage. I was excited to be invited to spend a very special weekend in the Poconos with my best girl. I know I needed to rest and recharge. The Poconos was the perfect place to do it. Fun in the Poconos: Visiting Bushkill Falls, Milford, and Jim Thorpe, PA | The Mama Maven Blog

The drive took around 3 and a half hours from Queens, NY to Stroudsburg, PA. I took Route 80 for most of the ride and only encountered bridge traffic. It was a peaceful drive and I enjoyed the time to talk to my daughter.

We checked into our room at the Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott. Our room was sleek and modern, with two very comfortable beds, a large TV and a spotless bathroom (anyone who reads my travel posts or watches my videos knows that a spotless bathroom is something important to me).

Next, we drove over to Mountain View Vineyard and Winery. It was close by to where we were staying and the property’s view was stunning.

Make sure that you have a designated driver as you’ll definitely want to sample their delicious wine.

I’m not usually a big drinker and I was driving, so I was pretty surprised when I did a few tastings and really enjoyed what I sampled (each glass only had around 3-4 sips and I only took 2-3 sips at most).

My server asked me what I liked and walked me through each wine that I tried. I really liked the Mountain Goat White Wine, which was a semi-sweet wine, so I bought a bottle to take home.

Then we headed over to the Hotel of Horror. OMG — this was amazing.So scary and my daughter and I screamed our way through it. My daughter is almost 10 and while she’s young, she LOVED it.

I actually had to restrain her a little, she tried to kick one of the actors. This was so terrifying. Note: if you have a child or a friend that gets really scared — this is not for you. After our excitement, we went back to the hotel to get some zzz’s.

The next morning, we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast at the hotel.

Then we set off for Bushkill Falls. I really liked that the trails were clearly marked.

Green was the easiest and Blue was the toughest and longest. We opted for yellow, but did end up doing red for a little bit. I had thought we were lost, but luckily we were actually going up the right way.

While I’ll admit that the way down was easy, going up the steps to get back up was not! I felt amazing after I did it and my daughter loved this hike. This is a hike though, so make sure you are hydrated, wear bug spray and proper clothing for hiking in the woods. There is a store by the entrance where you can grab souvenirs and snacks, just know that the water and ice teas were around $3 each, so I would bring snacks and beverages in with you. Just remember to bring your trash out with you and dispose of it properly. 

Next, we went to the historic town of Milford. Note: My in-laws live 20 minutes from Milford, so we have been here a couple of times.

This time was unique, as we were coming to explore. I quickly called my mother-in-law and she told me to try the Hotel Fauchère.

We enjoyed a meal at Bar Louis on the Porch at the Hotel Fauchère. The food was amazing, but try to find out how long it will take to be served — the day we were there we had to wait a long time and we were hungry. My hamburger was extraordinary! Note: This was not a compensated meal and in the time since this post was published, I’ve been back several times for meals. Always excellent.

Hit Sweet Sweet Wonderland right after for a sweet treat.

We went back to Stroudsburg and then met up for dinner at the Barley Creek Brewing Company. This is so close to Camelback and the food was absolutely delicious. We had great service and I’m still thinking about the Short Rib Fajita Tacos that I had there.

For our last day, we checked out at 8 am and headed over to the town of Jim Thorpe. According to Wikipedia, “The town has been called the “Switzerland of America” due to the picturesque scenery, mountainous location, and architecture; as well as the “Gateway to the Poconos.” It is in eastern Pennsylvania about 80 miles (130 km) north of Philadelphia and 100 miles (160 km) west of New York City. This town is also historically known as the burial site for the body of Native American sports legend Jim Thorpe.”

The town offers Fall Foliage weekends (which are done for now – but typically every October weekend). If you come for a big weekend in Jim Thorpe, parking is very tough in Jim Thorpe, so if you don’t find a spot in town, then park at nearby Mauch Chunk  Lake Park and take the shuttle down. There may be a cost, but check the Poconos Mountains website or the Jim Thorpe Website for more info.

We loved the Fall Foliage train ride on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railroad – this 45 minute trip to nowhere was stunning.

Click the video below to see a glimpse of our ride.

A post shared by Nancy Johnson Horn (@themamamaven) on Oct 15, 2017 at 9:15pm PDT

Note: There are some traffic issues getting back from Jim Thorpe to NYC. Research your route. I relied on my phone’s GPS and it took me over 4 hours.

All in all, we had a terrific time and you will have a wonderful time celebrating Fall in the Poconos.

Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott
294 Frantz Rd
Stroudsburg, PA 18360
(570) 421-0100

Mountainview Vineyard and Winery
2332 Walters Road
Stroudsburg, PA 18360

Hotel of Horror
Route 115
Cherry Valley Road
Saylorsburg, PA 18353

Bar Louis on the Porch at Hotel Fauchère
401 Broad Street
Milford, PA 18337
570.409.1212
Info@HotelFauchere.com

Sweet Sweet Wonderland
305 Broad St
Milford, PA 18337

Barley Creek Brewing Company
1774 Sullivan Trail
Tannersville, PA 18372
Phone: 570.629.9399

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
https://www.jimthorpe.org 

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Thank you to the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau for hosting my stay and providing our hotel stay, most of our meals and tickets to attractions. As always, all opinions are my own.