Imagine sitting on a comfortable lawn chair, sipping a warm cup of cocoa. Before you is a glass-still lake. Birds chirp, flowers bloom, and you feel calm. After your beverage, you go to the building behind you for a breakout session.
This scene doesn’t just happen on vacations; it can take place at a meeting if you venture to the East Coast mountain regions; namely to the Poconos, Berkshires and Adirondacks. In these spots, groups can get away from concrete jungles and venture into the mountain wild with team-building activities and reception venues among the trees. Add attractive meeting venues and friendly municipalities to the mix and you have the perfect formula for a productive, rejuvenating event.
Pocono Mountain Region
“The mountain air really clears your head,” says David M. Jackson, CMP, director of sales for the Pocono Mountains CVB. “We are close to major metro areas but feel like we’re a world away. It’s incredibly beautiful.”
Downtown Stroudsburg dates back to the early 1800s. Visitors can take in the area’s charm by strolling down Main Street and poking into restaurants and art galleries. Just 40 miles east in Carbon County is Jim Thorpe, an adorable town lined with cobblestone streets. Beyond the region’s downtown areas, there are full-service resorts.
The largest of the bunch is Split Rock Resort & Golf Club in Lake Harmony. It offers 600 guest rooms, 77,000 square feet of meeting space, three restaurants, 27 holes of golf, an indoor water park and a bowling alley.
Just 40 miles west in Bushkill, groups will find Fernwood Resort. It has more than 800 villas, guest rooms and guest suites, and 60,000 square feet of meeting space. Adventure-seeking groups can take part in horseback riding through the mountains, skiing and snow tubing.
In Pocono Manor, groups can head to The Inn at Pocono Manor, which sits on 3,000 acres. In addition to 250 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space, it offers dog sledding and ice fishing in the winter, horseback riding and fly fishing in the summer.
Woodloch rounds out the region. Located in Hawley, the sprawling property (offering a variety of accommodations and meeting space for up to 600 guests) sits on Lake Teedyuskung—within the Poconos—a good backdrop for fishing excursions, scavenger hunts and naturalist tours.
Beyond the region’s resorts is an off-site venue: Malibu Dude Ranch.
“In Milford, Malibu Dude Ranch can host companies and associations for team-building and meetings,” Jackson says. PageBreak
Berkshire Mountain Region
Thanks to New York City’s high society, circa 1900, the Berkshires are famous. It was here, in western Massachusetts, that the wealthy built second homes among beautiful landscapes. Today, Berkshires travelers are everyday people, and meeting attendees seeking a retreat.
Pittsfield and North Adams are the two largest municipalities in the region, with populations of 42,000 and 5,500, respectively. Otherwise, the area is a mix of rural towns, sprawling resorts and unending vistas.
“We are in a valley surrounded by mountains, making the area very special,” says Lauri Klefos, president and CEO of the Berkshire CVB.
Mount Greylock is the tallest peak at a little over 3,400 feet high, and, according to Klefos, groups can take advantage of the views by booking a reception atop the mountain at Bascom Lodge.
“The Lodge has overnight accommodations and facilities to host luncheons or receptions,” she says. “Groups can take naturalist tours there.”
Down at sea level, groups seeking luxury can visit Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club in Lenox. The castle-like property has 96 guest rooms, 16,100 square feet of meeting space, golf, and a 35,000-square-foot spa. In addition, groups can take in the outdoors with guided mountain hikes, bike rentals and cross-country skiing in the winter.
Just seven miles north in Pittsfield, groups can stay and meet at the Crowne Plaza, a 179-room hotel with 12,000 square feet of meeting space.
Over in North Adams is The Porches Inn, a country lodge suited for an executive retreat. It has 47 guest rooms and two meeting rooms.
“This area has a lot of small country inns, it’s that fact that makes the area so unique and relaxing for groups to visit,” Klefos says.
The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge is another such offering. The Inn dates back to 1773 and is immaculately refurbished with modern amenities. It features 108 guest rooms and four meeting rooms. PageBreak
Adirondack Mountain Region
Lake Placid, N.Y., is the hub for the Adirondack mountain region, and it’s a fitting showcase. Luckily for meeting delegates, Lake Placid is as serious about meetings as it is at preserving its natural beauty.
In May 2011, the city unveiled an improved conference center at Lake Placid, on the lake, that fits into the landscape with brick, stone and wood beams. It also offers 90,000 square feet of conference space.
“It is a great addition to Lake Placid,” says Arlene Day, CMP, director of sales for the Lake Placid CVB. “The building used to offer 30,000 square feet of space, but we added 60,000 and the views are incredible.”
Less than a mile away is the Crowne Plaza, with 30,000 square feet of meeting space, 248 guest rooms and 45 holes of golf.
Also close by is High Peaks Resort, a luxury property overlooking Mirror Lake that just finished a multimillion renovation and sports 177 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
Groups wanting to be on the mountains and experience a little Olympic history (the Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid in 1932 and 1980) can head up to the Olympic Jumping Complex for an off-site event.
“The town is surrounded by mountains,” says Day, “and meeting planners always leave with a sense of renewal.”
Katie Morell is a freelance writer and former Meetings Focus editor.
