Poconos, PA

A downtown Stroudsburg anchor that covers sushi, burgers, steaks, and craft cocktails in a lively room with live music most nights. More than 30 years in operation means the kitchen has found its footing on a wide menu that doesn't try to be everything at once. The sushi is better than you'd expect from a grill-forward menu.

An Irish pub on Main Street Stroudsburg with a proper whiskey program, consistent Irish-American kitchen, and the feel of a local regular spot rather than a tourist destination. The fish and chips are exactly what they should be; the whiskey list is the kind of thing that rewards spending time with the menu.

A farm-to-table scratch kitchen in East Stroudsburg doing all-day brunch and craft cocktails with a menu that covers both vegan and comfort-food ground. The space is small and warm; the cooking takes its sourcing seriously in a way that stands out in the Poconos dining landscape.

A Caribbean restaurant in East Stroudsburg bringing authentic preparations to a region that otherwise lacks them — the curried chicken and stewed goat are the standout dishes, tender and properly seasoned. The service is warm and the room is informal; the food is the entire reason to seek this one out.

A pub and grill in East Stroudsburg that covers the reliable end of the Poconos dining spectrum — solid burgers, classic bar fare, and a sports-friendly room that's comfortable for groups of varying appetites. The service earns consistent praise; the food is satisfying without trying to be ambitious.

An East Stroudsburg restaurant with a Latin-inflected menu that covers empanadas, well-prepared seafood, and dishes that don't fit neatly into the standard Poconos restaurant category. The cheese guava empanadas are the signature starter; the pan-seared salmon is the dinner standard-bearer.

A Stroudsburg pub that's been in the neighborhood long enough to feel genuinely local rather than visitor-facing — good sandwiches, reliable draft list, and a room that's comfortable for a long afternoon on a hiking day. The outdoor space is the main draw in warm months.

A local craft brewery in the Mount Pocono area with a rotating tap list of house-brewed beers and a kitchen that goes beyond brewery-standard food. The taproom has an outdoor deck with mountain views, making it the best outdoor drinking spot in the Mount Pocono area.

A Pocono candy institution that's been making hand-crafted chocolates and candies at the same Mountainhome location for over 70 years. The fudge, chocolate-covered pretzels, and seasonal candy are made on-site; the store is more production facility than gift shop, and watching the candy being made is part of the visit.

A historic inn and restaurant in Milford that's been serving the upper Poconos since the 19th century — the building is as much the reason to go as the food, and the menu is reliable American comfort food that pairs well with the room's age and character. Good for a proper dinner on an evening when you've been outdoors all day.

A newer downtown Stroudsburg bar and kitchen with a strong local craft beer selection and a food menu that covers the pub-food essentials without padding. One of the better arguments for a Stroudsburg evening that starts with dinner and transitions into a drinking stop.

The full waterfall circuit at Bushkill Falls — 1.7 miles covering all eight waterfalls through hemlock ravines and over wooden boardwalks. The Main Falls are the centerpiece but the outlying falls on the full loop have a wild remoteness that the short green trail bypasses entirely. Worth the admission; do the full loop.

A 5-mile Appalachian Trail loop from Delaware Water Gap town to the summit of Mount Minsi, with the best ridge views of the Delaware River gap in Pennsylvania. Council Rock and Lookout Rock are the two named viewpoints; both deliver on clear days, and the summit walk in fall foliage is among the best in the Poconos.

A free 1.5-mile waterfall loop in the Delaware Water Gap national recreation area — three waterfalls, stone mill ruins, and a hemlock-lined creek ravine that's among the most beautiful short walks in the Poconos. The boardwalk sections near the falls are accessible; the creek crossing sections require a little care in high water.

A short, easy boardwalk trail in the Delaware Water Gap recreation area leading to Dingmans Falls — at 130 feet, one of the tallest waterfalls in Pennsylvania. The flat, accessible boardwalk makes this the most accessible major waterfall in the Poconos, and the falls themselves are genuinely dramatic after rain.

A multi-use trail around Pennsylvania's third-largest lake in the northern Poconos — sections of it run right along the shoreline with lake views. The full circumference is longer than most day hikers attempt; most visitors do the western shore section from the main parking area, which covers the best lake views in about 3-4 miles.

A quiet forest loop in the Pocono Plateau around Tobyhanna Lake — the terrain is flat and forested, the lake views are peaceful rather than dramatic, and the bog sections have a distinctive ecosystem character that the more-visited waterfall parks lack. Good for birding and a quiet morning when the waterfall spots feel busy.

The summer and fall side of Camelback Resort — mountain coaster, ziplines, aerial park, UTV trails, and a mountain biking network that's more developed than most people realize. The mountain coaster (a gravity-powered rail sled down the ski slope) is the signature experience and better than it sounds; the zipline tour covers the ridge with legitimately good views.

The largest ski area in Pennsylvania — 39 trails, snowmaking on all of them, and a consistent winter operation that handles the demand from the New York and Philadelphia metro areas with more grace than you'd expect. Better suited for intermediate skiers than experts, but has enough terrain to keep any level busy for a full day.

A narrated tour of Lake Wallenpaupack on a covered pontoon boat — covers the lake's history, the dam that created it, the islands, and the lakeside development that's accumulated over decades. A relaxed, low-effort way to see the scale of the lake before deciding what other water activity to pursue.

A Pocono candy institution making hand-crafted chocolates and candies at the same Mountainhome location for over 70 years. The fudge, chocolate-covered pretzels, and seasonal candy are made on-site; watching the candy being made through the factory window is an experience that's genuinely more interesting than a typical candy store.

A Victorian-era small town at the edge of the Poconos and the upper Delaware Valley — one of the most intact historic downtown streetscapes in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Pike County Courthouse, the Milford Cemetery (with a famous monument), and the Columns Museum are the notable stops, but the town is best for an unstructured hour of walking and a coffee before a Dingmans Falls hike.

A major NASCAR venue that hosts two Cup Series race weekends per year — the unusual triangular track layout produces different racing dynamics than oval tracks and is one of the things that draws serious racing fans. Even on non-race weekends, the track offers driving experiences for visitors who want to put a stock car on the oval.

A privately-owned waterfall park centered on eight falls on Bushkill Creek — the Main Falls are the showpiece, but the Red Trail (about 2 miles) covers all eight and passes through hemlock ravines that feel far more remote than the admission price suggests. Admission is charged; it's worth it if you do the full trail rather than just the overlook boardwalk near the entrance.

A 70,000-acre protected national recreation area along the Delaware River — accessible swimming beaches, 28 miles of Appalachian Trail, waterfalls, and overlooks scattered along both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey shores. More diverse than most parks this close to a major metro; the river corridor, ridge trails, and waterfall walks are genuinely different experiences within a short drive of each other.

A free Delaware Water Gap waterfall loop past three waterfalls — Factory Falls, Fulmer Falls (56 feet), and Deer Leap Falls — on a 1.5-mile trail that follows Dingmans Creek through a hemlock ravine. Stone ruins of an 1820s woolen mill at the start add history to a trail that's already unusually beautiful for its short length.

The Pennsylvania side's version of the classic Delaware Water Gap ridge hike — a 5-mile loop that climbs the Appalachian Trail from Delaware Water Gap town to the summit of Mount Minsi, with views of the river and Mount Tammany on the New Jersey side. Council Rock and Lookout Rock are the two best viewpoints; save 30 minutes for each.

Pennsylvania's third-largest lake — 13 miles long, with public beaches, boat launches, paddling rentals, and a scenic loop trail along the shoreline. The lake is the hub of the northern Poconos outdoor life; kayaking or paddleboarding at dawn, before the motorboats take over, is the quietest way to see it.

A working environmental education center in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area with public hiking trails, a bog boardwalk, and excellent raptor programs. Less visited than the waterfall parks, which means you'll often have the trails to yourself. The bog boardwalk trail is genuinely unusual — a raised walkway over a sphagnum bog that feels like a different ecosystem.