The Skytop Lodge has so much to do we simply could not do all of it in our time there. What I would like to do is talk about some of the things we were not able to accomplish so you know that they are items you can find at Skytop and then go into a little more depth on the things we were able to do at Skytop.
The Treetop Adventure Course is the gem of the outdoor entertainment at Skytop but alas you must be able to reach to 5′ 11″ while standing with your feet firmly on the ground to be able to participate. Our boys are not that tall yet so we decided we would participate the next time we come to Skytop and the boys are a bit taller. This will be an adventure for sure.
The things we did not get to try but Skytop offers also included Laser Tag, Hiking to Leavitt Falls, Tennis, Picnic Lunch, Golfing, Mountain Bike Ride, Yoga on the Trail, Afternoon Tea, Water Color Painting, Saturday Night dance, Stargazing, Lawn Bowling, and a slew of others that are listed in Skylites, the planning guide for the Lodge, that you can check out. And these are just the summer activities, they have a whole set of cool and different activities for the winter including a Toboggan Run that one must do based on the discussions I had with staff members and guests.
Even with all of the items listed above that we did not have time to try our time at Skytop Lodge was jam-packed full of fun. After arriving and taking our tour of the lodge we decided to keep close to the lodge and enjoy the two large outdoor putting greens. There are clubs and golf balls by both of the greens so that the kids can practice their putting skills and I have to say it even helped my putting for the next week when I played. I would have loved to have brought my own putter which I will definitely have to remember that for next time.
The playground was quite inviting for the kids and they decided to play a bit before we ate dinner. We figured after dinner we would call it an early night and start planning what we would do the next day with our copy of Skylites. Well to our surprise there was a family reunion going on and a fireworks display was being put on in honor of the event. We were actually able to witness the fireworks without ever leaving our room. We could have walked outside if we wanted to as well, but when you have windows that they kids can actually sit at while watching the fireworks, we could not have asked for a better seat. These were not some small fireworks either, the show that was put on was actually better than we normally get at our towns fourth of July show. There were whistlers, ones that streaked color, spinners and all sorts of great fireworks, with a finale that put most that I have seen to shame.
The next morning we started once again with the putting green after having breakfast. After eating my wife stopped by the activities desk and the boys were ready to try some archery. One of the staff members from the lodge brought out the equipment for the boys and got them setup at the range. He was so helpful and really took the time to help the boys understand how to use the archery equipment but also how to stay safe. When our sons were a bit frustrated at the start he was very supportive and accommodating as well as being able to keep the boy’s interest and self-esteem going. The kids ended up doing great and each one of them was able to put an arrow in the high scoring area of the target. The staff member then took all the equipment back for us so we did not have to go back in the lodge before starting our next adventure.
Now while the boys were not old enough to do the full-blown paintball experience, they were old enough to enjoy a very nice shooting range. We decided to take the shuttle over to the area to save on a bit of walking as we knew that we wanted to walk on the way back and the boys had a lot in front of them for the day. The boys were super excited to be able to fire any of the paintball guns and again we were treated to two extremely nice staff members. One helped the boys get their safety gear on and learn how to use the paintball guns and the other one was kind enough to be a human target on the range for the kids! Again the boys were treated so nice and they felt so comfortable it was a great experience for them. They even hit the human target staff member a few times and he was a great sport. An experience that the boys were telling their friends right when they got home.
At this point we decided to do a bit of hiking and walked the trail back from the adventure area to the hotel. What a stunning trail. The boys loved it as they had different exercise stations on the trail and we enjoyed it for the beauty and relaxation it provided. There are some very nice sections where you come right up to the lake itself. After lunch we figured we would split the boys up as they both had different things that they wanted to do.
Next we had a bit of a conflict as one boy wanted to go rock climbing and the other wanted to go down to the lake. We decided to split up and my wife let me know that the fellow that did the human target part of the paintball was also the person that helped my younger son do the rock climbing. She said he was so great that she made mention of it to the staff at the area because she was so impressed with how well he interacted with our boy, and how much fun he made it for him.
The glorious beach, oh the glorious beach. I took my older son to the lake where we took our time getting into the refreshing water, but once in had a great time on the trampoline and the huge slide they have situated in the middle of the lake. Just the way this setup works has a lot of merit. The first thing being that if you can’t reach the platform where the trampoline and slide are by yourself swimming, the life guards will not let you use the equipment. It is a great built-in swimming test that gives you a very clear idea of who should be out there. The second item is that they have a multiple life guards on the beach and at the same time also have a life guard in the water on one of those stand up paddle boards. Very smart because that guard is that much closer should there be a need, plus the lifeguard was also able to interact with the guests. My son was doing flips off the trampoline into the lake, sliding down the slide, and have a grand old-time there. This is an area you could visit everyday of the summer and have a fun time. Again, all of the lifeguards were so pleasant and fun to talk to; taking a great interest in the kids there as well.
You can view the gallery below to see some more Skytop Lodge pictures taken while doing our review. They include some archery, paintball, and rock climbing pictures of the boys and some other pictures of the Skytop Lodge grounds. Skytop Lodge is truly one of the best family vacations we have taken and the friendliness of the staff is without peer. You will also never “want” for something to do, as the amount of activities will keep you busy for any length of time you decide to stay.
Helpful hints:
Check out our review of the Hotel and Dining at Skytop Lodge
Bring you own putter if you think you will be spending time on the putting green
Towels are provided by the lake so you do not have to bring your own. There are also plenty of chairs.
Ask questions! Everyone there is so nice should you have a question all you have to do is ask
Note: Our stay at Skytop Lodge was discounted in conjunction with this review.
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