Last weekend was visiting day at our childrens' camp. They go to camp in Honesdale, PA, the lake region of the Pocono mountains, home to many summer camps. Scoring a room for visiting day can be as competitive as getting your kids into school, so we usually make the long drive back and forth in one day, arriving home completely exhausted. This year I had a little luck getting a room and we ended up staying for the weekend. It turned out to be a lovely mini getaway and for the first time we had a chance to explore the area a little bit.
I love staying in hotels, especially unique ones, so it was with delight that I discovered the group of hotels owned by the Genzlinger Family, several of which are included in the Select Registry of hotels, and Historic Hotels of America. The Genzlinger Family owns three fabulous properties, all within a few miles of each other, each with their own distinctive style. The Settlers Inn is an arts and crafts beauty and the Silver Birches lodge is a vintage style lakeside retreat. Our favorite is the Ledges hotel. Built in a former glass producing factory, next to a waterfall, it is a stunning setting with decks all around to take in the views.
Also on the Ledges property is a marketplace called "The Shops at Hawley Silk Mill," as the name implies, built in a former silk factory, and a wonderful cafe, Cocoon, located in an outbuilding where they used to keep and harvest the cocoons. All the buildings are built of the local Pennsylvania bluestone and because they were built before electricity was in use, they were designed with beautiful large windows to bring natural light in to the work taking place.
We had a lovely dinner on the outdoor deck of the hotel's restaurant, Glass, named for the building's original purpose. The food was delicious, with its menu of small bites, designed so you can try lots of different things. We enjoyed the views and sounds of the waterfall, even as a summer shower poured rain down all around us. I didn't want to leave.
Stay tuned for my post on the Dorflinger Glass Factory in Honesdale, PA!
All photos (except left) taken from the Ledges Hotel website.