On our honeymoon, after a long day of hiking in drizzly cold weather, we were sitting in a rustic restaurant, by a large fire. We were far away from home in Yosemite National Park, California.

We met some nice people from England and chatted for a while. When they found out we were on our honeymoon, they looked shocked and asked us: “What! You are from Pennsylvania and you didn’t go to the Poconos for your honeymoon?”

They were serious. So just how did the Poconos get such a reputation for romance?

The first inhabitants of the Poconos were Native Americans: The Shawnee, Delaware, Minisink, Lenape, Paupack and a part of the Iroquois Nation. The first European settlers established themselves around 1742, and the first boarding house - a landmark in history and harbinger of things to come - was built in 1829 in the Delaware Water Gap by Anthony Dubot. Just 28 years later, this hotel was the center of a flourishing resort industry. By the turn of the century, the refreshing mountain air brought thousands of summer vacationers from the stuffy, and increasingly crowded, cities.

In 1927 the Monroe County Publicity Bureau (now the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau) began heralding the Poconos as “Pennsylvania’s Playground.” It was during that time that Lake Wallenpaupack was constructed.

After WWII many GI’s had fond memories of the beautiful, carefree place they used to visit with their families and girlfriends, and went back for their honeymoons after returning from the war.

Heart shaped tubs in the romantic hotels of the 1960’s cemented the region as “The Honeymoon Capital of the World.”

The decades that followed only increased the appeal of the region as luxury resorts, romantic B&B’s, golfing, outlet shopping, skiing, rafting, hiking, the Pocono Raceway, and dozens of other activities worked to ensure the Poconos’ place as a world famous tourist destination.