The Pocono Mountains can be found in the Northeastern part of Pennsylvania.  For those of us in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States,  the Poconos are a place to go for a long weekend.  Some might just want to cuddle up in front of a fire or enjoy a few days at a spa.  Others might want to ski in the winter, enjoy brisk walks amid colorful trees in autumn, or horseback ride in the spring and summer.

For us, it is about a murder mystery.

The French Manor Inn and Spa is one of the many bed and breakfasts in the Poconos.  It  is in a very secluded area, and to reach it you will need to drive uphill on a rather narrow road.  The inn is a nice place to stay at at any time of year; however, for one weekend in March and one in November it hosts a Murder Mystery written by one of two people at Otter Productions.

The price includes the room, a cocktail hour on Friday night, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, treats in the afternoon, and another cocktail hour followed by a five course dinner on Saturday night.

The murder mystery itself is a bit different than others.  A few weeks before the weekend you will receive a little write-up about your character.  This will allow you to buy some things for a costume (if you want to dress up). When you check in, you will be given a little folder with a list of all other characters, and one line that you are to read on Saturday night.

At the cocktail hour on Friday evening there will be an “evidence” table which has props and mock articles that pertain to the mystery.  While you enjoy some wine and cheese you can study some of the information.  You can’t take any of the items out of the room, and because the story has already been written, you cannot make-up anything.  That being said, you can take all the notes you want, or take a few pictures with your phone and look at them when you are back in your room.  Don’t want to look at anything?  You can just sit back, relax, and talk with others.

Throughout the weekend more things will be added to the table, so you will want to visit it again a few times on Saturday.

Saturday morning and afternoon you have to yourself.  You don’t eat breakfast with anyone else, and you can do whatever you want in the afternoon.  As for the evening, if you chose to bring a costume, start getting ready and then head down to the dining room around 6pm for the cocktail hour.  At 7pm dinner will start.  Choose any table you want and enjoy the five course meal.  The “murder” will take place when everyone is finishing up with dessert.  It is at this point that you will be asked to read the line you received at check-in.  Once that is over, you are done for the night.  You can choose to stay down and talk with others, look at more items on the evidence table, or head up to your room.

Breakfast on Sunday is still on your own, but you will also be given a piece of paper.  This is when you guess who the killer is, and why the murder happened.  There will also be a tie breaker question in case multiple people get the answer correct. In addition, you will be able to vote for the best male and female costumes and characters.

Winners of best character or costume will receive something like a few mugs or pullover fleece from the inn.  The person who guesses who the killer is will win a one night stay at the inn.

It’s a fun way to get away from all the politics at work and quarrels in the family.