We wanted to find out: What are people’s favorite Pocono Places?

We visited Kalahari Resorts & Conventions to ask tourism industry officials and locals in the know about the spots they love most in the Pocono Mountains. Come along with us.

Rachel Wyckoff from Shawnee Mountain Ski Resort shared her go-to places.

“Gosh, I think my favorite is the Delaware River. I love canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding. We take our kids out there. It’s like the best day ever.”

When the weather gets too cold for the water, Rachel trades in her paddle for skis.

“Oh yeah, of course. I mean skiing and snowboarding. That’s obviously my favorite place.”

From rivers to mountains, the Poconos truly delivers year-round fun.

Next up, we caught up with Nikki Hurley of Pocono Whitewater and Pocono Biking.

“My favorite Pocono place is Jim Thorpe. Born and raised. Never left for a reason. You know, the outdoors, the shopping, the antiques, the museums. It’s a great place to be.”

Why leave when everything’s right there?

“The river, the trail — that’s what I do. It’s what I love. I grew up on the river. I grew up on camping along the trail, which we don’t get to do much anymore. But it’s a great place to be. It’s like the one-stop shop for everything. All ages. You know, Jim Thorpe.”

From trails to treasures, Jim Thorpe holds a special place in the hearts of locals.

While still at Kalahari, we turned to the biggest presence in the room — literally. We caught up with none other than Ben May, president of Pocono Raceway.

“I’ve lived in the Poconos for over 20 years at this point, and I always go back to Boulder Field at Hickory Run State Park. That’s a pretty cool place.”

Boulder Field is a natural wonder — one that made a big impression on Ben and his family.

“We took my wife and I took the kids out there a couple years ago. And to me, I don’t know, my brain doesn’t know what it’s looking at. Right? Because you have just these acres and acres of boulders surrounded by woods, and it’s just clean in the middle. It’s the most fascinating thing. I tell anybody that’s visiting the Poconos: go check out Boulder Field. That’s a Pocono place. And so is Pocono Raceway.”

Next, we found Sarah Farrell, regional sales manager for the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau. With so much knowledge of the region, narrowing it down wasn’t easy.

“Oh, I have so many. So this is pretty hard, but I think my most recent find is probably the Swiftwater property.”

Sarah’s recent favorite was a new gem in the region.

“Yeah. So great new hotel property. They have a wonderful restaurant I just dined at called the Olivet. Just top notch. Exquisite service, just fantastic all around.”

In addition to a luxurious hotel and fine dining, the location is surrounded by family-friendly attractions.

“That’s a brand new place and a lot of other cool things around it to do, like water parks, the Smokies right next door. So you got sushi and hibachi. You can’t go wrong with that.”

“They have a little bit of everything, which is wonderful. Great experience.”

The Pocono Mountains are full of hidden gems and iconic favorites alike.

There are so many Pocono Places. Make sure you find your Pocono place by heading to PoconoMountains.com/places.