Courtesy Penn’s Cave and Wildlife Park
Penn’s Cave and Wildlife Park
Centre Hall
Penn’s Cave and Wildlife Park is a gem for adventure-seeking groups. The facility can accommodate groups of from 20 to 200 members and features a fully stocked cafe, picnic facilities and a pavilion, gemstone panning, a large gift shop and a permanent maze that will open this summer.
“We are situated on 1,500 acres and are also still a working farm operation,” explained Terri Schleiden, marketing director and group tour coordinator of Penn’s Cave and Wildlife Park.
“We are considered a natural attraction mainly because our cave, beautiful mountains and pastures were not man-made. That makes us appeal to people of all ages and walks of life.”
The only cave in Pennsylvania on the National Register of Historic Places, Penn’s Cave offers two separate tours of the property: a 50-minute all-water cavern tour that is given entirely by boat and a 90-minute wildlife, farm and nature tour. Groups can take the 90-minute tour in one of the park’s tour buses or on tractor trams, where they’ll see everything from mustangs and timber wolves to bison and bears.
www.pennscave.com
Pocono Mountains
The Pocono Mountain region of Pennsylvania is one of the top areas for outdoor recreation in the United States and encompasses Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties. Adventurous groups can discover the region’s more than 2,400 square miles of rivers, lakes, mountains, forests and waterfalls.
“The Pocono Mountains have exciting attractions, recreational activities, historic sites and natural wonders year-round that make for a great tour of the region,” said Alicia Quinn, director of public relations and communications for the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, and 10-year resident of the region. “One of my most favorite activities is actually participating in the Big Day Out on Saturdays with Pocono Whitewater.”
The Big Day Out is an event that challenges locals and visitors alike to bike, hike and raft the Lehigh Gorge in one day. The event runs every Saturday from April to October and is a great way for groups to challenge themselves while connecting with the magnificent countryside. Among the other activities in the area are skydiving, kayaking, fishing, skiing and camping.
