{More} Freshwater Life / Vegan in the Poconos -

Hawley, Pennsylvania is a resort town in the Poconos Mountains Lake Region located just far enough from the thriving metropolis New York City to feel like you’ve entered an entirely different habitat. Though most of the area resorts are for various outdoor adventuring, The Lodge at Woodlach, the area’s high-end destination spa, is a space for more quiet, mindful reflection. So it is no wonder the menu at their restaurant Tree offers spa-goers daily vegan options for all three meals. And luckily they extend this menu to pestering vegans off the street, like me. We arrived in style, ate a wonderful breakfast and explored some of the beautiful grounds.

It is so satisfying to see noted vegan options in unexplored, unexpected corners. Thinking I’d be stricken to Wasa and jam for the morning hour eats, I certainly did not expect to have this kind of breakfast. Along with our a la cart dishes, we enjoyed an unlimited breakfast buffet, including chia steel cut oat meal, fruits and some non-vegan things.

We order everything vegan on the menu. I love doing this. First, a mix of roasted red pepper, mushroom, and tempeh with perfect farm greens. It was light, clean, and well-portioned, like you’d expect in a spa. I needed a bit more kick, perhaps garlic? But I am not taking this dish for granted. Thank you, Tree.

Next, the Heirloom sweet potato medley and kale hash: Tuscan kale, shallots and the egg on a separate plate for my friend. Another delicious combination of the Earth’s best gems. Three types of potatoes? Yes, maam.

Finally, their chia seed and oatmeal pudding—blueberries, Medjool dates, Marcona almonds and maple syrup made this a big step up from the buffet’s oatmeal.

I would have loved to have returned to catch a glimpse of vegan lunch and dinner options, but we had dinner plans inside the great outdoors. But first we explored the tranquil natural setting The Lodge had to offer.

Hitting the road in the Miata, we needed potent coffee for the plans we had for the day. We hit Cocoon Coffee House, right outside the posh shops at the Bellemonte Silk Mill. Don’t expect much of options if you’re vegan, even though it feels like they would have some. Inside the Mill, cute shops, including a small grocer with vegan-friendly items from Natural Contents Kitchen.

After some thrifting for evening dresses, we were back at the homestead, pillaging the property’s garden for our lunch and dinner plans. What a joy to roam about overgrown veggie heaven to pick our meal. I even got to pull carrots out of the ground.

We finally set up camp, stationing next to Forest Lake on the tremendous private property of Forest Lake Club. It was a perfect day for evening gown camping.