From Dallas to the Poconos

[boxcar479]

I want to surprise my wife for our anniversary by taking her to one of the "love shacks" in the Pocono mountains.(any info on these would be appreciatted as well) Of course we want to travel as close as we can by train. I have no idea where the Pocono's are other than Pennsylvania or what trains will get me close to there. Any help will be greatly appreciatted. Our anniversary is in Oct. :help:

 

[Gingee]

We went there on our honeymoon but we flew so I can't tell you how far it was.

 

[me_little_me]

Newark, NJ seems to be the closest big city. Stroudsburg, PA seems to be the main town of the Poconos. Haven't been to the Poconos in over 50 years.

 

[the_traveler]

The Poconos are in northeastern-central PA (I believe), but there is no real train service nearby. I think your best bets would be to train to like PHL or HAR and rent a car. Also (and I could be wrong), I think many of those hotels have either closed or have been converted to being a casino!

 

[Acela150]

Living in that general area where the pocono's is a popular destination. My advice is:

TE to CHI

CL to WAS connection to PHL

or Cardinal to PHL

LSL to BOS/NYP connection to PHL. If you goto BOS you'd have to overnight.

Rent a car at PHL.

Take 76 towards Valley Forge which is I'm pretty sure Westbound. Then hope on 476 Northbound towards Plymouth Meeting. This becomes the NE Extension. Be in the left hand lanes. Get a toll booth ticket for the turnpike stay on 476 north till I think it's exit 95 which is the Mount Pocono exit. Be aware that between the first toll booth and the Lansdale exit there is a road widening project going on and delays are possible. The toll is a little under $6 and it's about 75 miles from the start of the turnpike.

BEST ADVICE RIGHT HERE! :lol:

 

[the_traveler]

BEST ADVICE RIGHT HERE! :lol:

Maybe it's the best advice, but is it the right advice?

 

[Acela150]

BEST ADVICE RIGHT HERE! :lol:

Maybe it's the best advice, but is it the right advice?

I hope so.. :lol: That's what I would do. If I had to pick a route from CHI I would most likely pick the Card for the scenery. But I also like the LSL to Boston as Boston IS my favorite city! I wouldn't mind spending the night there. Good choice of trains to PHL too. I would avoid the Cap with the trackwork. But has so far put up good OTP. It's just personal preference really.

 

[Henry Kisor]

For a listing of "love shacks" (actually resorts from simple to posh) try www.800poconos.com. The region seems still to be popular with honeymooners from New York and New Jersey.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Also (and I could be wrong), I think many of those hotels have either closed or have been converted to being a casino!

Its very true. Most if not all of the "famous" honeymoon places have went bankrupt and closed. For example, beautiful Mt Airy Lodge (remember their TV jingle?), reopened as Mt Airy Casino.

Rail service to Northeastern PA is just about non-existent. As mentioned, the best would be to target Philly (PHL) and plan a few hour drive from there.

 

[boxcar479]

BEST ADVICE RIGHT HERE! :lol:

Maybe it's the best advice, but is it the right advice?

Bad advice/bad directions just means more adventure But I would prefer my adventure to be on the rails,unless we get one of those runaway trains that can't stay on the tracks and goes to chasing down vehicles Thanks y'all

 

[zepherdude]

I spend 5 months of the year in the Poconos and it is beautiful for sure. I would suggest the Delaware Water Gap area, The Shepard House near Stroudsberg. The problem is one can not get here on Amtrak and can not get around without a car. You could Amtrak into Syracuse or NYP and rent a car from either place and drive into Pa from there. There are many very good lodges and BBs on secluded country roads, all need a vehicle to get there.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Or google Poconos Honeymoon. Looks like there are still some "hot" places for couples.

 

[daveyb99]

Just wondering:

You list FTW as your home. Why not leave from there rather then DAL (yuck)...

 

[boxcar479]

Just wondering:

You list FTW as your home. Why not leave from there rather then DAL (yuck)...

If you really must know..... Dallas has secure parking at the station $5 a day and later departure northbound. If I am going southbound I can get lunch out of Dallas as well. In FTW there is parking but the price changes daily, when there are events at the convention center it goes up to $10 a day and it doesn't appear as secure as Dallas.

 

[Amtrak839]

I think the most direct way to do it would be 22 to CHI, 48 to SYR and rent a car. It's a straight shot down I-81 through Binghamton. No tolls, either! Also, that route takes you through Scranton, home of Steamtown, which is worth a visit. That route has the advantage of staying away from any very large cities where you're likely to run into traffic problems.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

I want to surprise my wife for our anniversary by taking her to one of the "love shacks" in the Pocono mountains.

Today:

 

[boxcar479]

I want to surprise my wife for our anniversary by taking her to one of the "love shacks" in the Pocono mountains.

Today:

??? thanks for that information. I will put in the appropiatte file -_-

 

[Ryan]

Way to go hotlinking!

 

[metrorail]

Our family just took a trip from Mineola to Hershey, Pennsylvania. I would recommend taking the Texas Eagle to Chicago, Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh, and the Pennsylvanian to Harrisburg. This way, you get to see the beautiful Penn. countryside via the train, and get to see the famous Horseshoe curve outside of Altoona.

 

[Acela150]

Our family just took a trip from Mineola to Hershey, Pennsylvania. I would recommend taking the Texas Eagle to Chicago, Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh, and the Pennsylvanian to Harrisburg. This way, you get to see the beautiful Penn. countryside via the train, and get to see the famous Horseshoe curve outside of Altoona.

That's a much longer drive and more money with tolls and gas to the Poconos... If they decide the option I suggested.

 

[Ryan]

No tolls from Harrisburg, and it's a beautiful drive. That's what I'd do as well.

 

[Acela150]

No tolls from Harrisburg, and it's a beautiful drive. That's what I'd do as well.

If you take the turnpike there is.. But it's still a longer drive and I'm not 100% sure of the car rental availability in HAR.

 

[Ryan]

It is much longer if you take the Turnpike. Take 81 out of town and then 80 across. You can be at the site we camp at in the Poconos in about 90 minutes.

Edit: It's Harrisburg, the state capital - I'm pretty sure that you can find a rental car somewhere in town.

 

[user 1215]

Frankly, I am quite suprised that there is no Amtrak train from Philly through Allentown, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, through to Syracuse.

 

[the_traveler]

Part of the reason (and a good one too

) is that there are no tracks on portions of the route. From Scranton to Syracuse I know there is, while PHL to Scranton I'm not sure of. Is this part of the Lackawana (sp?) Cutoff?