Staff, guests gearing up for Family Holidays at Lake Arrowhead Lodge

This Thanksgiving, the Martin family will gather to celebrate, create memories, eat some great food and connect with old friends. As usual, there will be no cooking, cleaning or entertainment stress.

For nearly 20 years, the Martins have been heading to UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge for Thanksgiving Family Holidays. It’s a tradition steeped in UCLA pride as parents Cheryl and Troy, both Bruin alumni, reunite with their daughter, Paige, and son, Cade, who is flying in from out of state, at this picturesque family resort and conference center in the mountains, less than 90 miles east of Los Angeles and Orange County. 

“I started coming up to Lake Arrowhead Lodge when I was two years old, and I think my first Family Holiday stay was Thanksgiving,” said Paige Martin, shown above with her dad during one of their many walks to the Zen Deck, a tradition they started many years ago and have done in every season.  “I always looked up to my student counselors and appreciated how outgoing and friendly they were. It means a lot to me now to be a counselor for Bruin Woods and Family Holidays and to have that impact on kids, as a role model, and help them make friends and have a good time.”

Family Holidays at UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge are four- to five-day all-inclusive stays that take place during five major holiday periods — Thanksgiving, Winter Break, New Year’s, Presidents’ Day and Spring Break — and are a mini version of the popular six-day Bruin Woods Family Camp, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this past season.

“This is a time for people to come and unwind however they choose, knowing that they have the option for their children to be cared for and given social engagement through age-appropriate recreation, athletics and crafting activities, basically from breakfast until dinner each day,” said Anna Turner, guest experience manager at Lake Arrowhead Lodge. Program counselors, like Martin, are hired, trained and managed by professional staff from UCLA Recreation, which oversees all UCLA youth programs and recreational camps. 

At the same time, there is a full slate of all-day activities for adults, including wellness activities, karaoke, silent disco, mountain bike tours, crafting, mafia games and UCLA faculty lectures, to name a few. These offerings start early in the morning and run into the night.

“We offer entertainment and memory-making experiences for all age groups — from babies on up to the grandparents,” said Turner. “I can’t say enough about how much there is for everyone to do. I’ve been to resorts that offer child-care or minimal activities, but we have something planned every waking hour of the day. This is part of the true specialness of our program, just the sheer density of what you can do when you’re here.”

While guests enjoy the fun, Executive Chef Christa Carretero and her culinary team are hard at work crafting fresh, thoughtful meals — an essential part of the Family Holiday experience.

For example, the Thanksgiving holiday menu features herb-garlic roasted turkey, cornbread, classic mashed and citrus-glazed potatoes, cornbread with cranberry compote, and seasonal rustic soups. Looking ahead to Dec. 26-29, the Winter Break Family Holiday menu will spotlight cuisine from various regions and cultures across the United States. For New Year’s Family Holiday, Dec. 29-Jan. 2, the menu will shift to dishes steeped in the ideas of renewal and good fortune.

“Whether it’s just family, or it’s families and new friends, good food adds to the experience of togetherness, community and tradition,” said Carretero. “I really just want to capture the coziness of Lake Arrowhead Lodge and help set the stage for some memorable and meaningful holiday gatherings.”