Ryan F.
Yelp
The Kartrite gets the award for "most improved" in my book. We've been here three times, the first of which was just a few months after things started reopening after the pandemic. Considering The Kartrite just opened its doors in 2019 then shut down for nearly two years, I would expect things to be a little disorganized and rough around the edges, and they were. I can say that the manager Darren was on top of everything and was extremely nice and accommodating.
Fast forward to our most recent couple of visits and I think they're firing on all cylinders. Staff are friendly, on site restaurants are all open (varying hours for each, but multiple food/drink options throughout the day) and the waterpark is spotless. They have a pretty generous activity schedule throughout the day, with a mix of free and paid activities, and the outdoor courtyard with lawn games, some low climbing structures, hammocks, and fire pits is a really nice plus (pro tip: bring ingredients for smores, otherwise you can always purchase at the candy shop).
On to the water park! This is my favorite waterpark especially for the age of my kids (3 & 5 at time of review) because they can do 80% of what's inside. There's an infant/toddler area, an interactive area for bigger kids who can walk (and there are 4 slides coming off the structure), lazy river, soaking pool, lily pads, a flow rider, plus an outdoor hot tub.
For the more adventurous there are 5 slides coming off the big staircase/tower in the middle of the park. Two tube slides, a really cool twin mat racing slide (head first on a mat with handles), and a family tube slide. Height requirements range from 42" to 48" minimum for those. Finally, there's a "warm pool" that's indoor/outdoor and given the mild temps, there is no age restriction. Inside you can soak in and relax but 75% of the pool is actually outside, so you'll have a lot more space to spread out if you head out.
The way the ceiling is pitched, there's a ton of natural light inside and they actually have real plants and nice landscaping to boot. Since everything's less than 3 years old, it doesn't have the worn down feel of some of the Poconos parks that are a little older. So for us, this waterpark checks off all our boxes.
My one small gripe with this place is no difference than any other resort with an indoor waterpark - the food. First, there's no diversity with food options. Next, on two visits, the buffet was very limited but not discounted to reflect the much fewer options. And finally, the waterpark cafeteria has an unnecessary and clunky two-step process that adds extra time for otherwise "fast food." Once you pre-pay at the cashier, there's already an order number at the top of the receipt/ticket. You would think that the cooks would immediately start prepping that ticket once it's paid for, but that's not the case. You actually have to walk that receipt onto another line and present the receipt to them. Only then do they actually start cooking/prepping your food.
The fact that I've paid in full should serve as a commitment enough that I would like the food I paid for. Get rid of the second line of people, and just call people's orders out by ticket/receipt as they come up. The other benefit is that a simple order (like pretzel, or chips and salsa) take far less time than, say, four cheeseburgers and a full pizza so your kitchen could work more efficiently and serve people faster this way. Just a thought.
Overall, we'll keep coming back to visit because we really love The Kartrite, and we've wholeheartedly endorsed this to our friends (especially with younger kids!). We get their emails and they're always doing fun events and promos all year round, like Super Bowl buffets, fall festivals with bounce houses, Fourth of July fireworks, etc. And given their proximity to some of the smaller ski mountains, this makes for a great winter trip too!
