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Family reunion vacations in the Poconos and beyond

BY AIMEE FITZPATRICK MARTIN | Special to Newsday

April 13, 2008

Three generations of family members enjoy paddle boats at Woodloch Pines Resort in Hawley, Penn. (Courtesy of Woodloch Pines Resort / April 11, 2008)

For the past 32 years, Celeste and Donald McInerney of Massapequa have spent the third week of July in the very same way - at a family reunion at Woodloch Pines Resort in the Poconos.

It's a cherished family tradition that has grown to include 25 family members - three generations of McInerneys ranging in age from 2 to 70-something - and a smattering of friends.

"We started going to Woodloch when our daughter was 5, and now her oldest is 5," says Celeste McInerney, the 65-year-old matriarch of the mostly Long Island-based clan.

According to the Travel Industry Association, multigenerational family reunions and travel go hand-in-hand. Thirty-eight percent of vacationers surveyed said at least one family vacation trip in 2003 included three generations, up from 19 percent in 1999.

With many families scattered around the country and no longer living in the tight-knit neighborhoods of generations ago, there's a growing trend of families gathering for a long weekend - or even a week - at beach, ski and golf resorts, at Disney and on cruise ships, explains Edith Wagner, publisher and editor in chief of Reunions magazine andreunionsmag.com, a comprehensive Web site for reunion planning.

Wagner believes the trend is due in part to the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, which "awakened families to a growing desire to spend time together."

Woodloch Pines owner John Kiesendahl agrees.

"After 9/11, our occupancy shot up to 85 percent and has pretty much stayed there. So many people lost their lives unexpectedly. It made families realize how vulnerable we all are - and that a mother, father, sibling or child could be gone in an instant."

Baby boomers, plus

The aging of the baby boom generation and the stress of today's fast-paced lives also make people crave much-needed downtime with their families, he notes.

"People want to get away from all the running and gunning of everyday life. Baby boomers are turning 50 and 60, their parents are celebrating golden anniversaries, and a family reunion is a great way to commemorate these milestones," he says. "We call it 'togethering,' a chance to spend meaningful time with people you love."

For group travel, an allinclusive resort or cruise is an obvious choice because so many of the details - meals, drinks, activities and entertainment - are included and there are few budget surprises at the end, Wagner explains.

Organized family reunions are getting so popular, in fact, that a growing number of destination-type resorts offer discounted group rates, special perks, and "one-stop" reunion-planning assistance - everything from ordering commemorative family T-shirts, arranging for group photos, providing hospitality suites, and ordering cakes for birthdays or anniversaries.

Jean Miller, 78, and her husband, Ed, 82, of Rego Park, invite about 35 members of their extended family to a four-day family reunion at Sky Top Lodge in the Poconos every August.

Their group, which typically includes the families of five of their children, has been gathering at the gracious 80-year-old resort for at least 20 years.

"We always have such a great time, and there's always a lot of laughter," Miller says. "We can stay together during the day, or go off and do our own things, and then regroup at night over a lovely dinner in the dining room."

'Miller Movies'

Last year, the Millers brought along boxes of 8mm home movies and an aging movie projector to show their grandchildren decades worth of "Miller Movies" in their large suite before dinner. It's also an annual tradition for the family to play several sweaty, competitive games of volleyball, and take a group photo wearing their yearly Miller Family T-shirts - a perk that Sky Top provides as part of its group- package rate.

While the Millers and McInerneys are old hats at organizing family reunions, Wagner offers sage counsel to families contemplating their first reunion.

"Planning a reunion can be a huge undertaking," she says. "There are many things to consider: Where will it be? When will be it? Who will go? How will everyone get there? Who will pay? Will there be enough activities to keep all ages happy? And - this is a very important one - who is going to be the sparkplug to pull all the pieces together?