Pennsylvania honeymoon hotspot turned abandoned relic; History of Penn Hills Resort

POCONO MOUNTAINS, Pa. (WHTM) — Tucked away in the Pocono Mountains, there used to be many romantic getaway resorts; so much so that it used to be called the “Honeymoon Capital of The World”.

Today, many of these getaways are either gone forever or have transitioned into more family-friendly resorts. There is one in particular that was the most well-known for its kitschy décor.

Penn Hills Resort was founded in 1944 as a tavern but grew into a resort that had over 100 rooms by the 1960s. The resort featured two pools, an ice skating rink, a golf course, and even private tennis courts, according to abandonedsplaces.com.

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The resort also featured bathtubs in the shape of hearts, carpeted bathrooms as well as other “honeymoon” décor.

According to abandonedsplaces.com, by the 1990s and 2000s, many of the love-themed resorts began to suffer, and upkeep costs began to exceed the revenue being made. In 2009, the last of Penn Hills’ co-founders died at the age of 102. Two months after his death, Penn Hills shut its doors. Soon after, graffiti was found throughout the site. Penn Hills also allegedly owed over $1 million to Monore County in back taxes.

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The resort was made known once again in 2014 when police searched the complex during the manhunt to find Eric Frein. Frein was responsible for an attack on the Blooming Grove Barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police which killed Corporal Bryon Dickson and severely injured Trooper Alex Douglass.

Portions of the resort caught fire in 2017, 2020, and 2021, according to abc27’s sister station WBRE. According to traveladdicts.com, many of the remaining buildings on the property have since been torn down.

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