Swim and Snow Two-in-One Family Vacation: Camelback Resort
Kid Tested, Parent Approved MacKid Review
By Nicole Zawidski
December 16, 2018
Image Credit: Nicole Zawidski
There is nothing like the thought of going on a weekend getaway vacation with the kids, right? Well more like a vacation for them while your left to kid wrangle while they have all the fun. At least that is how I felt prior to getting to Camelback Resorts and Camelback Mountain. My mind was blown! I have never had so much fun in my life as a family! Seriously...
Okay, let's start at the beginning: Packing. Ah, yes, the dreaded task of making sure everyone has enough clean socks and nothing is forgotten. I can't say that task was improved on this vacation because packing is well... it's a pain no matter where you're going... but I have a MacKid Tip: When visiting Camelback you need to pack for the snow and the sun. When staying at Camelback Lodge you can choose between a free lift ticket or snow tubing pass plus Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark is included free with your stay! Pack that sunscreen too because the glass ceilings give you a tan while you're splashing away in 84 degree heated Caribbean-like waters or relaxing in the lounge chairs. MacKid Tip: Rent a cabana for the day. It makes a great home base to keep all your belongings and to have a place to meet up as well as being able to order food from Flyboys and have it delivered right to you.
Aquatopia was rated the #1 Best Indoor Waterpark in 2018 by USA Today. It features 170,000 square feet of wet and dry adventures and the 1.5 acres of Texlon transparent roofs allows for year-round tanning.
Aquatopia boosts 13 water slides including the signature family waterslide, the Venus Slydetrap, and the longest uphill water coaster in North America, Storm Chaser!
While the indoor waterpark was amazing, that wasn't the only thing that Camelback had to offer. After all, Camelback is a mountain ski resort! Let's talk about hitting the slopes. I have never skied, snowboarded, or even set foot on a snow-covered mountain before. This was a whole new experience for the entire family. We decided to go with the motto of "Go Big or Go Home" so we registered our 7-year old for ski lessons and my husband too some too. First time for everything! I have heard about SkiPA before through school because they send brochures to my class for this great program to have kids learn the sport. They offer 4th and 5th graders a Snowpass Program so they can ski and ride free in Pennsylvania. They also have an Affordable First Timers Program for those new to the sport. I have always been curious about having my kids try it out and trying it out myself. This was the weekend to go for it, so we did! MacKid Tip: Dress in layers because you want mobility while out there.
My daughter was a superstar on the bunny hill! Camelback has an amazing group of instructors that really took the time to teach her the fundamentals. Lessons are offered for ages 4 and up and they have private, half-day or 90-minute lessons for beginners to advanced for both kids and adults.
MacKid Tip: Give yourself plenty of time to rent your equipment. Putting on the boots takes a little time and adjusting to walking to in them takes a little time also.
Galactic Snow Tubing was next on our list of must-dos at Camelback. We headed back to the Lodge where we jumped in a shuttle bus to snow tube after dark. Camelback is the largest snow tubing park in the US with 42 lanes and 2 magic carpets. They are the only one to offer Galactic Snow Tubing when the sun goes down too! This all means that we had no wait to get down the lanes and between the lights and the music, it was the best snow tubing experience we have ever had! Our passes went until 9pm and my daughter didn't want to stop! We warmed up by the fire and took the shuttle back to the Lodge to settle in for the night. MacKid Tip: The shuttles run every 10 minutes from the hotel lobby so you don't have to worry about rushing or missing it.
Galactic Snow Tubing starts at 5pm or whenever it gets dark. Any session that concludes after dark gets you Galactic Snow Tubing! Tickets are sold as 3-hour sessions.
Camelback Snow Tubing offers both single and double tubes.
While Galactic Snow Tubing is out of this world you can start your tubing experience as early as 9am if you're an early riser!
As you can imagine, after all the skiing, and tubing, and swimming we were pretty exhausted. Maybe this is the mom in me... because noone knows tired quite like a mom... But the room... Oh yes, the room! Can I just say COMFY and leave it there. I don't know any other words to describe it. We reserved the Kind Bunk Suite so the kids were all tucked away in a little nook of the room where they fell asleep watching Christmas movies and I enjoyed a king-sized bed with so many pillows and a tv all to myself. It was pure bliss! I would tell you I fell asleep watching Christmas movies too or something nice and cheery like that but I just fell asleep. No tv required. Normally I have a hard time sleeping away from home but not during this getaway. Could it have been the busy day wore me out... sure... definitely could have been but I am leaning more toward the comfortableness and peacefulness of it all.
It's not just about the comfortableness of the room but also the Lodge, in general, was spectacular.
The Lodge has 4 restaurants to meet all tastes as well as a coffee shop and bakery.
Looking for things to do in the Lodge? How about a movie night? Maybe arts & crafts? Feeling adventurous? Then try the ropes course at K2 Climb & The Ascent. Mini Golf that's not so mini and Laser tag plus the arcade make this a family fun resort!
Camelback Lodge was all that and then some. It was an amazing experience for my entire family and it is not easy to please the almost 8 year old and the 3 year old with the same things. We had a blast. It was all that and a bag of chips and we can't wait to return.
Until December 31, 2018, you can enter to win the Adventure of a Lifetime Sweepstakes! Grand Prize winner will enjoy: 4 nights at Camelback Lodge & Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark, 4 nights at The Kartrite Hotel & Indoor Waterpark, Camelbeach Season Passes and Camelback Mountain Super Passes- a total prize package of over $7,500. Once a year, for the next 20 years! Plus daily winners!
This trip was hosted by SkiPA and Camelback. Although I was provided accommodations and experiences, all opinions are my own.
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Samantha
My name is Samantha and I am a mom to two little girls. I'm very passionate about helping parents discover fun family activities in and around the Bethlehem,PA area.Click below to learn more about me!
