We arrived around 4 pm to friendly staff who promptly found our reservation and gave us the key and directions to our accommodations, which made checking in with a 1 year old a breeze. Our room was located in the Hearthside Inn. The room was basic and not renovated like some of the other rooms, but it was clean and had everything we needed. They also had a crib set up for us in the room. The view the lake of from the balcony was beautiful.

First stop – the pool! The pool area was great. There were multiple pools with tons of seating. Some chairs were in the sun and some were shaded so you could choose what you preferred. The water was warm and there were enough pools so it never felt overly crowded and I didn’t have to worry about other kids doing a cannon ball on top of my daughter.

Meals: At dinner time we were shown to our table. We were assigned the same table for the rest of our stay which made it simple for the following meals. They also had a kid’s buffet that opened 30 min earlier than the sit down dinner which gives the option of feeding your child first and then sending them to the free baby sitting at the play village while you enjoy dinner with adults only. We opted to eat with our daughter for all meals, but it was still great to be able to get her food from the buffet as soon as we got there rather than waiting to order from the menu. The food was pretty good. They had a pretty big selection from the menu and everything that we got tasted pretty good. Nothing was outstanding, but definitely fresh, and the portions were big.

Conference room: We were at the resort for a volunteer appreciation weekend and training so I spent most of Saturday in the conference room. The conference room was located in the basement of the Hearthside Inn. Unlike the rooms, it was newly renovated and was fully equipped with coffee/tea, water and an assortment of pops and juices. There was a large screen for a projector as well as a large white board. The chairs were very comfortable and I thought it was a great place to hold a weekend conference where you get to bring your families.

Activities: While I was in the conference room my husband was on daddy duty. He contemplated bringing my daughter to the free baby sitting service, and enjoy the pool and other water activities on his own, but since the weather wasn’t that great he kept her with him. They enjoyed some time in the indoor pool and walked around the grounds to watch all the other activities going on. There was definitely no shortage of things to do. Unfortunately having a one year old limited my husband to a lot that he could do, but for slightly older kids there is no risk at all for anyone to get bored. After dinner that night and before heading to the nightly entertainment my husband and I got in a round of mini golf while our daughter was sleeping in the stroller. We then headed indoors and played a round of pool while we waited for the others to join us after watching the puppet show which was going as we were putting out daughter to bed. The next morning we had the full day to stay and enjoy everything that the resort has to offer, but it was our daughter’s first birthday so we has to leave right after breakfast to drive home for her birthday party. I would have loved to stay and go paddle boating, kayaking, lie by the pool, try out the ropes course and so much more!

All in all I would absolutely recommend fern resort as a family getaway and I hope to be able to return again soon.