I had never heard of Kalahari Resort and Indoor Water Park in the Poconos until Cub Scouts organized a weekend trip there 2 years ago.
It didn’t sound appealing to me: An indoor water park smelling like chlorine and filled with loud kids in mid-December, but the kids were excited to go, so we went.
I have now been there many times, and we always enjoy ourselves.
Here are some tips to help you have a great time as well.
1 ________________________
Arrive early
The room will not be available until 4 o’clock, but Kalahari lets you check-in at noon to use the water park.
2 ________________________
Bring a friend!
Everything is better with friends!
Bring an adult friend for you to enjoy when the kids play.
Bring other children for your kids to play with so you don’t have to be the playmate.
3 ________________________
Bring a beach / swim bag
Fill your swim bag with everything you will need for a day at the water park: Bathing suits, water shoes, coverup…
Kalihari provides towels in the water park, which we are happy to use. But you are welcome to pack your own.
4 ________________________
Drive to the front door and unload or use the valet
The parking lot is HUGE!
So to make it easier on yourself, you have 3 options:
- Valet park your car and unload ALL your bags (you can store them with the valet)
2. Pull up at the front door and unload just your beach bag, then park the car
3. Pull up at the front door and unload ALL of your bags and store them with the valet until your room is available, then park your car
5 ________________________
Register as soon as you arrive to get your waterpark wristbands
If you have another adult, I recommend driving up to the front door and have the other person go in to register while you park the car.
The registration line at the front desk is often quite long. 🙁
But …… the line moves at a decent pace, so it is not as bad as it looks.
I recommend allowing chargebacks to your room so you don’t have to carry your credit card in the water park.
When you have checked in, it’s time to head to the water park.
The entrance is through a grand stairwell in the middle of the lobby. You have to pass through a huge arcade in order to get to the indoor waterpark. (I had to promise to return to the games later in the night.)
6 ________________________
Pick a central meeting place that everyone can find
The water park is huge but doesn’t feel too hot or over-chlorinated. Also, once you understand the layout, it’s not hard to find your way around.
I recommend walking around the whole park first to get a feel for it, then choose an easy to find place to sit and store your stuff.
Make sure the kids know where to find you.
Be aware: The only time the kids will stay at your table is when they get hungry.
A nice but expensive option is to rent a cabana.
The price varies depending on when you plan to go. You can call for the price or just check on the website. We always go on a Saturday in December. The small cabanas are $500 for up to 8 people and the bigger cabanas were $1200 and up!
Obviously, we opted for a table near a main path by the central bar. It was easy for everyone to find – and close to the bar for adults.
7 ________________________
Spend the whole day in the waterpark!
The waterpark is the reason you came, so spend the entire day there.
The kids love it and it wears them out, so they sleep well that night!
Eat in the water park. There is food sold inside the water park. It’s nothing to write home about, but it is easier to eat inside rather than drying off and going somewhere outside of the park. The kids seemed happy with pizza and chicken strips.
We stayed until 7:30. That’s 7 hours of water park! The kids were exhausted!
8 ________________________
Enjoy the bar!
There are multiple bars inside the park. Have a beer or a glass of wine while relaxing at your table. It definitely makes the day more enjoyable.
The water park has a large central bar with TVs playing sports in the center of the park. I sat near there with a glass of wine and a book, and I was quite happy.
It also has hidden swim-up adult-only bars (called Coves). They are worth trying. They seem hidden, but my kids were able to find a small window in the cove and stood there making faces at me until I left.
9 ________________________
Room Snacks
Food cannot be brought into the waterpark, but I like to have snacks in the room for the kids. Water bottles, juice boxes, applesauce squeeze packs, string cheese, pirate booty…
They also have a small market in the lobby with good snack options.
10 ________________________
Let the kids go to the arcade with a pre-set amount of money
In the evening, we let the kids loose in the arcade. We put an equal amount of money on each child’s arcade card and told them that when it ran out, then they were done in the arcade.
We walked around the arcade with them and made sure they were comfortable, then we went up the stairs to the bar in the center of the lobby.
11 ________________________
Relax in front of the fireplace
While the kids were in the arcade, we sat in front of the fireplace relaxing.
It was a good day and everyone slept well that night.
DECEMBER____________________
Visiting in December
The big lobby is usually decorated for the holidays and a children’s choir was singing near a big beautiful tree on my last visit.
A huge fireplace is usually lit with lots of comfy chairs around it.
The lobby also has multiple eating locations. The most obvious ones that held my kids’ attention was the ice cream parlor and bakery. They also serve Starbucks in the Cafe Manjaro.
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Kalahari Resort & Water Park
Kalahari Resort Poconos, PA
2.5 hour drive from NYC
Free parking
Price includes the room and water park entry (no food included)
We had a discount from scouts, but I often see deals on Groupon
I just checked the current pricing on a room for 4 including water park admission: $320 for one night on a Saturday in December (high season) without any discounts.
We paid $290 with a scouts discount.
Kalahari is definitely worth a visit. But it’s better if your kids are old enough so that you don’t have to go on every ride with them. My son at 8 enjoyed it, and as long as he could see me somewhere, he would go on the rides without me.
At 10 years old now, he’s off with his friends having a blast, and just checking in with me when he gets hungry.
