7 Towns In The Poconos With Thriving Local Businesses

The Poconos is a spectacular subrange of the Appalachian Mountains. It is located in the northeastern United States between the Coal Region of Pennsylvania and the borders of New York and New Jersey. Although known for its nature, the Poconos contains communities with countless commercial attractions. From a curiosity shop to a candy cottage to an NYC-style street grill to a winsome winery to an award-winning brewery, the Poconos’ settlements have something to offer every type of tourist. Here are seven to visit sooner rather than later.

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

Named after the legendary multi-sport athlete, Jim Thorpe is a versatile community in the Pennsylvania Poconos. In addition to natural wonders like Lehigh Gorge State Park, which can be explored via the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, this 4,500ish-person borough offers access to amazing shops, bars, restaurants, and architecture. The Emporium Of Curious Goods sells curious goods to curious residents and curious tourists; the Stone Row Pub & Eatery is a progressive space peddling craft cocktails and boutique dishes; Tommy’s Subs is a shop serving diverse and delicious sandwiches; and Molly Maguire’s Pub & Steakhouse is a vibrant bar, restaurant, and historic landmark, since it operates in the Hotel Switzerland, which is the oldest commercial building in town. Tours of such attractions are provided by the Jim Thorpe Trolley Co.

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Like Jim Thorpe, Honesdale is a Pennsylvania borough with roughly 4,500 residents. It provides peregrinations into Poconos preserves such as Prompton State Park, plus dozens of booming businesses. They range from a bar and grill called the Twisted Rail Tavern to a hip hot dog joint called Paulie’s Hot Dogs to an eclectic bakery called Camp Umpy’s Bagels & Stuff to a brewery and eatery called Here & Now Brewing Company to a herbal gift shop called Mount Pleasant Herbary. Honestly, Honesdale’s best business might be Native, an upscale yet rustic restaurant on Main Street. Venison tartare, smoked duck rueben, Spanish octopus, seared noble road, and ricotta cavatelli are just some of the dishes served with local ingredients in a low-key space. Go native in Honesdale.

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

Stroudsburg is a southern Poconos settlement of around 6,000 people. Its population is nearly matched by its attractions, which include the Olde Engine Works, Cure Cafe, Teddy’s University 1984, Café Duet, Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, NYC Street Grill, Sherman Theater, Compton’s Pancake House, Carroll & Carroll Booksellers, Quench Cafe and Juice Bar, Sarah Street Grill, Benvenuto Pizza & Italian Restaurant, and Fitzpatrick’s Irish and Celtic Store. Also, if you never pegged the Poconos as a winederland, let Stroudsburg change your mind and stimulate your senses with Tolino Vineyards, The Renegade Winery, and RAW Urban Winery & Hard Cidery.

Milford, Pennsylvania

Consistently ranked one of the coolest towns in America, Milford is actually a borough in the northeastern Pennsylvania Poconos. Over 1,000 residents and many thousands of tourists enjoy natural attractions like Raymondskill Falls, historic landmarks like the Grey Towers National Historic Site, and numerous highly-rated businesses. Among them are the Waterwheel Cafe, Bakery & Bar, which is a triple threat of tastiness; Spoonful Soups & Eats, whose made-from-scratch meals include food bowls, paninis, soups, and pastries; Earthly Treasures, a “metaphysical shop” that sells everything from crystals to incense to jewelry to statues; and the Candy and Gift Cottage of Milford, which peddles bottle caps, Beemans gum, and Abba-Zaba, among many other gifts/sweets. One can stay at The Historic Dimmick Inn while marveling at Milford’s marvels.

Narrowsburg, New York

Narrowsburg is narrow in population but thick in attractions. This 380ish-person community straddles the border between Pennsylvania and New York and thus sits between the Pocono Mountains and the Catskill Mountains. Both ranges offer hiking, climbing, biking, camping, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, boating, paddling, birding, fishing, hunting, and all-around sightseeing. Let Narrowsburg be your launch pad for outdoor recreation and also a refuge for rest and libation. The Heron Restaurant provides great cocktails, The Tusten Cup provides great coffee, The Laundrette provides great pizza, the Narrowsburg Farmers’ Market provides great produce, and One Grand Books provides great reads. Lastly, the Fort Delaware Museum can make you feel like a pioneer with its recreated 18th-century settlement. Demonstrations are offered of gardening, smithing, baking, weaving, candle making, cannon firing, and other staples of colonial life.

Hawley, Pennsylvania

Located southeast of Honesdale and southwest of Narrowsburg, Hawley is a hub of Poconos activity. This borough sits on the Lackawaxen River, which runs into the 13-mile-long Lake Wallenpaupack and its 52 miles of shoreline for swimming, sunbathing, and sightseeing. After diving into the water and exploring the surrounding greenery, a tourist can unwind with a hoagie from the family-owned Lake Wally Cafe, a burger from casual Pat’s Bar, a “lousy” steak from the eccentric Crazy Country Club, and a beer from the award-winning Wallenpaupack Brewing Company. But you can get almost all those things at The Settlers Inn, a luxurious Main Avenue bed & breakfast in an authentic 1927-built Arts and Crafts-style lodge. It is the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel of Hawley-wood.

East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

A growth on the eastern flank of Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg is actually larger—and arguably livelier—than its host. Nearly 10,000 people call this borough home, while thousands of others call it a fantastic weekend, week, or even a months-long retreat. Weekenders can hit up the Trackside Station Grill & Bar and then crash at the Cherry Valley Manor just south of town; over weekers can set up camp at the Delaware Water Gap-Pocono Mountain KOA and then explore the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area; and those months-long mainstayers can enroll at East Stroudsburg University, which is a public institution with about 5,500 students. Regardless of the length of stay, you would be wise to see the Silverback Distillery and the Pocono Indian Museum. The former is the “only mother-daughter distilling duo in the nation crafting high quality, award-winning spirits” and the latter is the “only museum in northeastern Pennsylvania dedicated to showing the history of the Delaware Indian.”

Although the Poconos is famous for its nature, this region in the northeastern United States is full of life in a different way. Its low-key communities have lively, independent businesses like shops, restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, markets, cafes, and hotels. The best of these can be found in Jim Thorpe, Honesdale, Stroudsburg, Milford, Narrowsburg, Hawley, and East Stroudsburg. Go poking around the Poconos for commercial wonders.