Disclaimer:  I do not promote trespassing on grounds that is off limits to the public.  If you wish to visit an abandoned place, for your safety, please reach out to the property owners to gain access.  If you don’t, I am not held accountable for the fines that may occur.

There was time when the Poconos was the vacation get away for residents in New York, New Jersey, and even New England.  This little wooded area was the perfect place to get away from the crazy, crowded, and mundane city life.  The quietness, the beauty of the seasons, and many resorts offered were just what people needed.  One resort that stuck out the most was Penn Hills.  A resort that housed 500 acres of golfing, skiing, swimming, recreational sports, ice skating, you name it, this place had it.  The resort even had a bell shaped pool and heart shaped tubs.  Business was thriving, but eventually other business minded entrepreneurs would start building their own resorts in the area and Penn Hill’s carpeted rooms from ceiling to floor wouldn’t interest anyone anymore.  Penn Hills would eventually stop making updates, fixes, and marketing that it would eventually go under and become abandoned.  The county would try to sell off the property, but with no luck.  The grounds would eventually become an eyesore and most of the property would be destroyed by vandals.  2016 brings new hope, with the property finally being bought it is a wonder what will happen to the grounds.  Demolition? Repairs? Longer abandonment?  Time will tell, but now fenced off to keep out trespassers, I wanted to do one more documentation.

I’ve read about this property for years and driven past it, but when you drive past it, it just looks like a regular hotel.  It isn’t.  One side of the road houses the bar, ice skating rink, tennis courts, basketball courts, dance hall, restaurant, and much more.  The other side of the street has all the rooms, pools, and going further back a waterfall.  This place is huge!  I mean enormous!  Walking through the property I could imagine why this place was the best of the best.  It was a playground for adults.  It’s sad though, just like any abandoned place every room was destroyed.  From graffiti to broken glass, I will never understand why people just come through to destroy a property.  Some of the rooms were completely demolished that I fear the only way to fix them up is through tearing them down.  Eventually you stop going into every room because they all start to look the same and it just get sadder to see the destruction.  I spent a good 5 hours on the property taking photos of everything, but I still feel I missed out on some things.  However, going back may be a problem for as of this writing, cameras should be set up.

I am glad the property was bought, and I hope something comes of it.  Places like these should be preserved.  Look at Divine Lorraine Hotel in Philadelphia, it takes time, but properties like these can be resorted.  Let’s just not make them like Greystone or Overbrook, that is when we start to loose our history and a little of who we are.