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23650
Pennsylvania

Animal Adventures in the Poconos With Your Grandchild

If you and your grandchild love animals, you’ll love this program in the Poconos. Learn about wolves, birds of prey and other wildlife as you observe them and their habitats up close!
Rating (4.67)
Program No. 23650RJ
Length
6 days
Starts at
849 / ADULT
499 / CHILD
Pennsylvania

Animal Adventures in the Poconos With Your Grandchild

If you and your grandchild love animals, you’ll love this program in the Poconos. Learn about wolves, birds of prey and other wildlife as you observe them and their habitats up close!
Length
6 days
Starts at
849 / ADULT
499 / CHILD
Program No. 23650 RJ

Your well-being is our #1 priority

To make your experience as safe as possible, we require all participants to be fully vaccinated. See our Safety Roadmap

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
climate
Plan ahead.
What kind of weather can you expect? Take a look!
itinerary
Please Note:
The itinerary for this program is different on certain dates.
Age 5 - 9
ROOMING OPTION PRICING
The figures below indicate the rooming options available.
DATES
Jun 19 - Jun 24, 2022
Per Adult
849
Per Child
499
Select
Itinerary Note

This program week is for children ages 5-9.

Jun 19 - Jun 24, 2022
-
849
/ Adult
499
/ Child
1,299
/ Adult
499
/ Child
SOLD OUT
Itinerary Note

This program week is for children ages 5-9.

Age 8 - 12
ROOMING OPTION PRICING
The figures below indicate the rooming options available.
DATES
Jul 17 - Jul 22, 2022
Per Adult
849
Per Child
499
Select
Itinerary Note

This program week is for children Ages 8-12.

Jul 17 - Jul 22, 2022
-
849
/ Adult
499
/ Child
1,299
/ Adult
499
/ Child
Limited Space
Itinerary Note

This program week is for children Ages 8-12.

Aug 14 - Aug 19, 2022
Per Adult
849
Per Child
499
Select
Itinerary Note

This program week is for children Ages 8-12.

Aug 14 - Aug 19, 2022
-
849
/ Adult
499
/ Child
1,299
/ Adult
499
/ Child
SOLD OUT
Itinerary Note

This program week is for children Ages 8-12.

Age 5 - 12
ROOMING OPTION PRICING
The figures below indicate the rooming options available.
DATES
Jun 18 - Jun 23, 2023
Per Adult
849
Per Child
499
Select
Jun 18 - Jun 23, 2023
-
849
/ Adult
499
/ Child
1,299
/ Adult
499
/ Child
Select Date
Jun 25 - Jun 30, 2023
Per Adult
849
Per Child
499
Select
Jun 25 - Jun 30, 2023
-
849
/ Adult
499
/ Child
1,299
/ Adult
499
/ Child
Select Date
Jul 9 - Jul 14, 2023
Per Adult
849
Per Child
499
Select
Jul 9 - Jul 14, 2023
-
849
/ Adult
499
/ Child
1,299
/ Adult
499
/ Child
Select Date

At a Glance

The mountains, lakes and forests of the Poconos of Pennsylvania are home to a wealth of wildlife, from wolves and beavers to eagles and hawks. Gather your animal-loving grandchild and head to your mountain retreat for a week-long animal adventure. Find out how rehabilitation centers and preserves in the area help protect and care for the wildlife that live in the Poconos, and discover animal habitats like a beaver lodge, a bat cave and an eagle’s nest. Observe the ecosystem in person on a nature hike, and visit a local farm to meet and touch domesticated animals like Gunther and Wilhelm (the workhorses) and Janie the mule.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Walking up to three miles on mostly flat, but sometimes rocky, terrain.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Visit the Lakota Wolf Preserve to learn about wolf behavior as you observe four packs of wolves playing (and maybe even howling) around you.
  • Go on a three-mile scenic nature hike with a biology professor along the Appalachian Trail as you learn about edible vegetation, geology, wildlife and plants.
  • Wake up with an optional morning stretch each day, and enjoy evening activities like s’more-making by the fire, live music and movies.

General Notes

The Retreat Difference: This unique, often basic and no-frills experience at a Road Scholar Retreat includes opportunities for early morning exercise, interaction with the local community for insight into local life, an authentic farm-to-table or locally sourced meal, a live performance or event, and a value-priced single room.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Rick Koval
Rick Koval is a longtime resident of Luzerne County and a professional naturalist, consultant, wildlife photographer and award-winning outdoor writer. He was the director of land conservation for the North Branch Land Trust before becoming the head naturalist for Skytop Lodge in the Poconos. Rick is a local television personality as a naturalist on the popular show, “Pennsylvania Outdoor Life.” He is currently writing a book on the native orchids of the Poconos.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Rick Koval
Rick Koval View biography
Rick Koval is a longtime resident of Luzerne County and a professional naturalist, consultant, wildlife photographer and award-winning outdoor writer. He was the director of land conservation for the North Branch Land Trust before becoming the head naturalist for Skytop Lodge in the Poconos. Rick is a local television personality as a naturalist on the popular show, “Pennsylvania Outdoor Life.” He is currently writing a book on the native orchids of the Poconos.
Profile Image of Midge McClosky
Midge McClosky View biography
Midge McClosky is the Cultural Program Director for the Shawnee Institute, Executive Director of the Shawnee Playhouse, and the Artistic Director of the Worthington Players. Before moving to Shawnee, Midge worked as a professional actress, singer, and dancer performing musical theatre in 49 of the 50 states. Her extensive credits cross over into film, television, commercials, voice-overs, and live industrials. She and Chris, her husband of more than 20 years, have two active boys, ages 13 and 14.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Wildlife of Pennsylvania: and the Northeast
by Charles Fergus
Natural history narratives for more than 300 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians found in Pennsylvania and throughout the northeastern United States-written in an engaging, straightforward style. An invaluable addition to any nature-lover's library. Each narrative offers a species description as well as up-to-date information on habitat, breeding behavior, feeding habits, biology, migration, and current population status, as well as the author's personal observations of the animal's life in the wild. Includes game and nongame mammals, birds of prey, songbirds, waterfowl, snakes, turtles, frogs, toads, and more.
The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts
by Maja Säfström
New York Times bestseller • An artfully playful collection of unexpected and remarkable facts about animals, illustrated by Swedish artist Maja Säfström. Did you know that an octopus has three hearts? Or that ostriches can't walk backward? Or that a group of owls is called a parliament, or that they have three eyelids? Sea otters hold hands in their sleep, bees never sleep, and penguins laugh when they're tickled! This charming compendium contains over 100 pages of fascinating facts about the animal kingdom illustrated with whimsical detail.
The Wise Animal Handbook Pennsylvania
by Kate B. Jerome
Read-aloud time is about to get a lot more fun! The Pennsylvania Wise Animal Handbook offers laugh-out-loud animal kingdom advice for kids of every age! Engaging animal photos entertain while charming read-aloud rhymes help jump-start conversations about practical life solutions. The Read Together/Do Together? experience continues with pull out coloring pages in the back of the book featuring fun facts about special Keystone State animals including the firefly and Great Dane. Enjoy the opportunity to share your own practical wisdom with your favorite little one as you read-aloud... and laugh-aloud....again and again.
3 Reviews
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4.67 Average
(4)

Traveling to the Poconos to learn about animals with our grand child was interesting and informative. The location at The Shawnee inn was lovely; we enjoyed staying there and traveling in the Delaware Water Gap area.

(5)

This is a wonderful program!! Midge, the program leader is awesome, caring, and will enhance the enjoyment of the activities of this program. You won't be sorry if you select this program and your grandchild will enjoy every minute. Wonderful memories had by all.

(5)

This was a well devised program that engaged both grandchildren and grandparents. The Poconos offered a lovely scenic venue. Free time allowed for exploration. Small size allowed for friendship bonding. This comes highly recommended and with high value for the price.






Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.