How to Plan a Family Reunion in the Pocono Mountains (For 20 to 100+ Guests)

A family reunion is one of the best things you can organize, and one of the hardest. You need somewhere that works for Grandma, the toddlers and the teenagers all at once, with a bed for everyone and a table big enough for the whole family. The Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania are a good place to look: woods, rivers and lakes in every season, and close enough to New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia that everyone can drive.

Why the Poconos work for reunions

Distance is the first reason. Hilltop Castle World, in Beach Lake in the northern Poconos, is two hours by car from New York City and Philadelphia and two from Newark: far enough to feel like a real trip, close enough that nobody has to fly, and easy for a family to arrive in convoy on a Friday afternoon.

The second is what is around you. The Delaware River is five minutes from Hilltop, for rafting and kayaking; Lake Wallenpaupack is twenty-five minutes away, and Ski Big Bear twenty. The activities page has the rest, with driving times.

The third is the kind of place you can stay. Instead of a resort, where your family is scattered across hotel rooms and shares the pool with everyone else, you can rent a building of your own: the building you book, and everything in it, is yours alone for the length of your stay.

Start with the head count

How many people are coming is the first question, and the right one. Once you have a rough number, match it to beds, not to “sleeps up to”. At Hilltop, where the four buildings can be booked alone or in any combination, here is what fits:

• Around 20 to 30. The Mansion sleeps 26 in 11 bedrooms. The Farmhouse and the Lodge together sleep 22 in 10 bedrooms.
• Around 30 to 50. The Castle sleeps 44 in 18 bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The Mansion and the Farmhouse together sleep 42; the Castle and the Lodge, 50.
• Around 50 to 90. The Castle and the Farmhouse sleep 60; the Castle and the Mansion, 70; the Castle, the Mansion and the Farmhouse, 86.
• 92. All four buildings together: 39 bedrooms and 53 beds, sleeping 92.

And above 92?

Ninety-two is the number of guests the four buildings have beds for, and we would rather say so plainly. A bigger family can still come, in a few ways:

• Babies don’t count. Children two and under do not count toward the guest total.
• Guests beyond the beds. Each building allows a stated number of guests above its bedding, at $150 per guest per night, with no extra bedding supplied for them: up to 60 in total at the Castle, 36 at the Mansion, 21 at the Farmhouse and 8 at the Lodge.
• Cots. The Mansion has 10 optional cots, set up in the PlayStation room for $100 a cot or $750 for all ten, and the Lodge has 2 at $100 each.
• Across the river. Hilltop’s River Penthouse, an apartment in Narrowsburg a five-minute drive away, is a separate property booked on its own site, and it makes good overflow space.

If you are planning for more than 92, tell the team your numbers on the contact page and they will help you work out what fits.

What matters for a reunion

Not every amenity matters equally when three or four generations are together. These are the ones that do:

• Things to do when it rains. Pocono weather changes. At Hilltop the Castle has two bowling alleys, a 72-seat theater, an arcade and a full-size indoor basketball court, the Mansion a 38-seat theater and a hot tub room, and the Farmhouse’s indoor pool is heated to 87°F and open all year.
• One table. Eating together is the heart of a reunion. The Castle’s dining room seats 48 at once, the Mansion’s 32, the Farmhouse’s 16 and the Lodge’s 8, and across the four buildings there are five kitchens and six grills.
• Something for every age. A toddler room with child-safe play equipment at the Castle, a Pack ’n Play in every building, and highchairs (ask for them when you reserve). The PlayStation and Xbox room and the hidden library at the Mansion. The treasure hunt through twelve hidden rooms at the Castle, which comes with the building.
• Rooms for the grandparents. The Castle has a ramp in and two accessible bedrooms on the main floor, and each of the other buildings has a bedroom that suits someone who finds walking hard. For a particular need, talk to the team before you book.
• Room outside. Four miles of private walking trails across the hill, an easy loop and a moderate one, and fire pits at the Castle, the Mansion and the Farmhouse.

Families are welcome with guests of any age; the person who books must be 25 or older.

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Tips for organizing a large reunion

Once you have the place, the logistics come next. A few things make a big difference:

• Settle the date before anything else. The larger the family, the fewer weekends suit everyone. Book once you are sure, because there are no refunds once a Hilltop booking is made. Minimum stays vary by building and season (summer weekends at the Castle are four nights), and the FAQ has them.
• Choose one coordinator. One person collects the RSVPs, gathers the money and talks to the venue. It saves a great deal of confusion.
• Give the first day a shape. The first evening sets the tone. A cookout on the grills, the treasure hunt, or a Family Feud or Jeopardy tournament run by Thaddeus, one of the vendors, gets everyone mixing early.
• Leave time unplanned. Not every hour needs a plan. Some of the best moments happen around the pool or out on the trails.
• Hire the cooking out. For a big group, cooking every meal yourselves is exhausting. Cuisine Rustique brings buffets to your building, sets them up and clears them away, and cooks around dietary needs. You book them, like every vendor, directly.
• Plan the arrival. Check-in times differ by building, and someone meets you to let you in: call or text 570-335-6258 an hour before you arrive.
• Pack for a crowd. Linens and bath towels are provided; pool towels are not. Bring coffee, bags of ice, paper towels and extra toilet paper. Each building’s list is in the FAQ.

The best time of year

Every season works in the Poconos. Summer is pool weather: the outdoor pools are open from May 15 to October 1, and rafting on the Delaware is the favorite thing to do here. Fall brings the color to the woods along the trails. In winter the road and driveways are plowed, snowshoes can be delivered to your building, and the Farmhouse pool is as warm as ever. Spring is green and good for walking.

Hilltop Castle World

Hilltop Castle World is four buildings, the Castle, the Mansion, the Farmhouse and the Lodge, on one private 130-acre hill in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, each a short walk from the next. Take one for a family of twenty, or all four for 92, and if you book all four, the whole hill is yours, trails and all. The friends and family page shows what every combination sleeps and what it comes with.