Endless Fun for Families at Kartrite Resort & Waterpark
We love all sorts of travels and adventures with the kids, but that doesn’t always mean hopping on a plane or taking a long road trip with chrouses of “are we there yet.” Luckily, there are tons of ways to have the best weekend ever in New York state with a family travel adventure to Kartrite Resort & Waterpark.
Located only 90 minutes from Westchester in Monticello, New York, Kartrite Resort & Waterpark is an all-suite hotel that’s home to the state’s biggest indoor waterpark. This includes more than 80,000-square-feet and 11 water attractions for endless hours of fun. Read on to check out more about our stay and some nearby attractions in Sullivan County.
Accommodations
As a family of five, we stayed in a two-bedroom deluxe suite. The room featured two bedrooms (one room had two queen beds and the other had a king-sized bed), along with a common living room-style area and two bathrooms. The living-area included a queen sofa, fridge, table, microwave, and coffee maker. We loved how spacious the room was, which felt like our own apartment. The beds were comfortable and cozy — we basically melted into them after our long day of waterpark adventures.
No matter what your size is, you’ll find comfortable and suitable accommodations. This includes 324 all-suite resorts, ranging from junior suites to three-bedroom suites.
Indoor Waterpark
The kids were all about the indoor waterpark. Fun for kids of all ages, you’ll find some epic waterslides, a lazy river, and the most relaxing affinity (aka warm) pool. My older kids were all about the thrilling waterslides with favorites being the high-speed Krakken and Nor’easter. My younger daughter had the best time at Kartrite Island with its collection of smaller waterslides, over 100 water experiences, and a timed giant water bucket for guests who want to get even wetter.
Other favorites include the Later Gator Crossing which is a mini obstacle course using ropes and Empire Bay, the lazy river where you can opt to get really soaked — or not. The Affinity Pool was perfect for me where we enjoyed a very warm and soothing pool that has areas to relax both inside and outside.
Families can also find access to towels that you can grab throughout the day and life jackets for kids of all ages.
The waterpark also features a clear 60,000-square-foot barrel shaped roof that heated year-round to 84 degrees. You can enjoy warm-weather and sun no matter what the temperature is outside.
The waterpark also has many options for food and drinks with Bar Mez on the second level and the Surfside Grille for lunch.
Cabanas
We enjoyed a private cabana during the day, complete with a TV, a mini fridge, a fan, curtains for privacy, a table, and chairs — both inside and outside. There are two cabana levels — one on the ground floor where the waterpark is and the second level next to Bar Mez. We loved having access to a cabanas to sit in-between rides, have a place to enjoy a bite, or simply chill.
Food
The location offers tons of delicious options for meals and treats — and everything in between. This includes eight bars and eateries such as Bixby’s Derby, Surfside Grille, Harvey’s Wallbanger, Eat. Eat. Eat, The Highline, and more. We enjoyed Bixby’s Derby for dinner which featured a mix of upscale American fare. The kids menu if quiet hilarious with selections like the “I Don’t Know” penne pasta or “I’m Not Hungry” cheeseburger and fries.
The kids enjoyed burgers and chicken parm while I had the pan-roasted salmon with warm fregola and beets, arugula, citrus emulsion and my husband had the pork osso bucco with yukon gold mash, glazed carrots, and natural jus. This on-site restaurant was sophisticated yet also child friendly, offering a variety of options for both palates.
We also enjoyed buffet-style dining at Eat. Eat. Eat for breakfast. The kids loved this where they could get a little bit of this-and-that such as waffles, french toast, bacon, sausage, fresh fruits, granola, a variety of cereals, pastries, bagels, and more.
For coffee and quick grab-and-go bites, I enjoyed The Highline. Here you can find fresh acai bowls, pastries, breakfast quesadillas, and more that you can enjoy at one of their cafe tables or back in your room.
At the end of the day, we had the best time relaxing over a fire pit making s’mores! We purchased a s’mores kit at Pops Sweet Shoppe and found an area to construct our gooey creations. Bring a sweatshirt or blanket – it gets cold at night! At Pops Sweet Shoppe, you’ll find candy, homemade chocolates, pastries, ice cream, and so much more!
Activities and Events
In between adventures at the waterpark, we also enjoy many on-site events. There is a daily activities schedule posted throughout the resort where you can plan your day in between water adventures and indoor attractions.
During our stay, this included a fun morning of goat yoga with the cutest baby goats who were by our side as we stretched and moved. There was also a fall festival happening during our stay where the kids enjoyed bounce houses, pumpkin bowling, a corn hole tournament, apple cider donut decorating, and more. At night, they offered a movie in the main lobby where families could unwind find a chair or sit on the floor.
There is also Playpoplois arcade, archery, the Carabiners ropes course and zip line, Van Winkle’s Alley for mini bowling, a Scrapeskyer climbing wall, and arts and crafts. Other attractions include Virtuality, the VR Experience and XD Theater with an interactive 3D gaming experience.
There is also a mini outdoor climbing playrgound, giant outdoor connect 4 and giant Jenga as well as a Kartrite Scavenger Hunt that kids can participate in during your stay.
For outdoor adventures, you can hike one of their five trails. This includes six miles of beautiful hiking access with varying levels. The beauty is you don’t have to drive to another destination — which is located right in Kartrite’s backyard.
Upcoming Events
During your stay at Kartrite, you and your family can also enjoy their collection of fun and engaging on-site events. In October, this includes the Halloween Hullaballoo. Held from October 28th-30th, kids can dress up and participate in their costume party or bust a move at their Glow in the Dark dance party. They will also have pumpkin decorating and trick-or-treating over the course of this weekend.
Some other fun things include spooky slime-time, family game night, outdoor chalk the walk, a magic show, tie-dye art, and tons more. Check out the complete calendar of events here.
Sullivan County
In addition to our adventures at Kartrite Resort & Waterpark, we visited Buck Brook Alpacas. Open year-round, this alpaca farm offers tours, alpaca walks, alpaca yoga, craft workshops, and more. Located in Roscoe, New York, we enjoyed a farm tour where we learned all about alpacas and this interesting 40-acre family farm. During this 40-minute tour, we got very close to the alpacas (and even petted some baby alpacas) as well as learned more about their beautiful angora bunnies and ducks.
Alpaca walks are another fun way to interact with this animal where you go on a guided farm trek and walk with an alpaca. Tours are around 30-minutes where you will learn harness and show basics, then walk around the property with in a guided small group.
The location is beautiful with incredible views of the beautiful Catskill Mountains. There is also a sweet on-site shop to get all of your alpaca essentials, including the coziest socks and special alpaca stuffed animals. Tours and other experiences Buck Brook Alpacas at should be booked in advance (they get busy)
There is also the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the location of the 1969 Woodstock Festival where you and your kids can learn more about this historic concert. This includes 20 films, five interactive productions, 164 artifacts, more than 300 photographic murals, and much more! There is also a cool augmented reality tour that will make you and your kids feel like you are back to the Summer of 1969.
Sullivan County Food
On our way home, we stopped for food at Benji & Jakes. The beautiful location is situated on Kauneonga Lake where we enjoyed the best sunset views with dinner. The eclectic Italian/American menu offered a variety of soups, salads, pasta dishes and of course pizza! We started by trying the most delicious corn “ribs” made with lime juice and truffle oil and some garlic knots.
We also had a house margherita pie that the kids couldn’t enough of. I loved the salad with chicken and homemade minestrone soup. The kids also enjoyed the burrata ravoli and traditional penne. Benji & Jakes also offers tons of specialty pies like death by pizza (spicy marinara and poblano pepper sauce, mozzarella, romano, pepper jack cheese, cilantro pesto), green dream (marinara sauce, sliced avocado, shallots, fresh cilantro, mozzarella, lime juice), and grino disco (vodka sauce, mozarella, ricotta, artichoke, crimini mushroom, broccoli), to name a few creative options.
At the end of the weekend no one wanted to go home. With endless fun and non-stop attractions, our visit to Kartrite Resort & Waterpark — and nearby attractions — offered a little bit of everything for a fun escape that’s not too far from home.
Kartrite Resort & Waterpark Details
555 Resorts World Drive
Monticello, NY 12701
For additional information, visit www.thekartrite.com
Prices start at $249 in low season and start at $449 in high season
$42 Resort Fee per night (plus tax, per suite)
Includes self-parking, daily in-room coffee, select daily activities & crafts, Wi-Fi, waterpark towels, electric car charging stations, self-service washers & dryers, access to hiking trails and guidebooks, movie nights, and children’s waterpark life jackets
