My family took a short vacation at Great Wolf Lodge this past weekend. I haven’t stopped talking about it since we left. It was absolutely amazing. I have compiled the top ten reasons you should save your pennies and get to your nearest Great Wolf Lodge.
1. The Indoor Water Parks
The water parks are the headliner attraction. They are fun, clean and safe. There is something for everyone in the Water Parks. There is a shallow water playground with small slides and water play designed for toddlers through about age 6. There is a lazy river (my favorite), a pool with basketball nets and a wave pool.
Every inch of the water parks are under the watchful eyes of multiple lifeguards. The location we stayed at (New England) was extremely busy, but because there are two separate water parks, it never felt overly crowded in the water.
2. The Water Slides
Ok, I will be honest and tell you that I only went on one water slide. I am not usually a water slide person, but this one was fairly tame and didn’t put me into cardiac arrest, so I did it several times with my daughter. There are definitely some that are not tame at all, so for the thrill seekers, they got you covered. There is one slide that you stand in, they shut a door around you so that you are in what reminds me of the Hunger Games Capsule thing, count down and the floor drops out and you drop straight down. It sounded like this, “Ready, (door clicks shut), BANG (floor drops out) RRRAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (person screams) every 3-5 minutes.
This is the River Canyon Run, the fairly tame one I went on.
3. The Food
The dining at Great Wolf Lodge was casual. The Lodge Wood Fire Grill was the fanciest spot, but still totally family oriented and casual. They offered a buffet for breakfast and dinner. We did breakfast and it was actually very good and very reasonably priced. The dinner was, I believe, $17 for adults and $8 for kids and 3 and under are free. I’m sure those prices will vary depending on where you are in the country, but for Massachusetts, that’s a really good deal. And there were lots of other options. We got a take out pizza from a food stand in the arcade and we had lunch at one of the smaller spots. The food there was fantastic, but I can’t actually see it listed anywhere on the site. It was a bistro type setting with pub food. The four of us for lunch was less than $50. There’s also a Dunkin’ Donuts IN the building. If you’re not familiar with Dunks, it’s kind of like a coffee cult. And I can’t forget to mention the sweets. They have home made fudge and taffy, ice cream and bakery quality cookies and brownies and more.
4. Magiquest
This is the coolest, smartest thing ever. It’s pretty pricey, but unless your kids are super disciplined, you will have a VERY hard time getting out of doing this. Plus, it is lots of fun, so almost worth the price. Basically, the kids pick out magic wands and then you purchase the virtual game and a guide book. There are several different quests and adventures to go on throughout the hotel. It’s basically like an interactive treasure hunt. My kids really loved it and it seemed like every other kid loved it, too. Actually, I think a lot of the parents were kind of into it, too. Me included.
5. Howler’s Peak Ropes Course
There is a three story, super cool ropes course INSIDE the resort. My kids were ready to stage a revolt because I didn’t pack closed toed shoes and we didn’t get to do this one. I can’t wait to go back so I can do this. I mean, so the kids can do this.
6. Northern Lights Arcade
There is a really cool arcade in the middle of everything. The games are different than I’ve seen anywhere else and the tickets are “green” aka, there are no tickets, your points are saved on a card you swipe. My kids are arcade aficionados, and this one impressed them.
7. Scoops Kids Spa –
They really have thought of everything. There is a kids spa in the resort. You can get a mani/pedi or a facial. Come on.
8. Shopping
I’m not usually a fan of resort shops, but I did quick browse and I did see some cute things, not your usual fare. More craft than souvenir, if you know what I mean. And some cute clothes and bathing suits, too.
9. Miscellaneous Other Things To Do
If somehow none of the above floats your boat, there is also, ping pong, indoor miniature golf, giant checkers, character shows, bedtime stories, a build a bear type store, hot tub and a small outdoor splash pad. Yes, in addition to all of the other stuff I already mentioned, they have those 8 things you can do. Oh, and there’s a gym. For you exercise freaks.
10. The Decor.
Of course I can’t not mention the decor. The room was beautiful and comfortable and clean. There were cute Lodge touches, but it wasn’t over the top. Here are some of my faves from around the hotel:
The antler chandelier and the fall forest wallpaper are KILLING me.
So, you’ve heard it hear, get thee to the Lodge. Great Wolf Lodge. You will not regret it!