Hellobee

We have a Great Wolf Lodge about 20 minutes from us, and after seeing so many fun pictures from friends we decided to book it ourselves for a mini staycation. Our kids absolutely loved our time there and have been asking to go back ever since we went last year.

They give the kids complimentary wolf ears at check-in!

Personally, a one night stay was plenty for us. A one night stay gets you two days at the waterpark, so, though the rooms can be pricey on its own, if you think about the price as being inclusive of a two day waterpark entrance for the whole family, it actually seems pretty reasonable. After check-out, you have access to the waterpark until it closes at night.

You can go to Great Wolf Lodge before check-in too and get full access to the waterpark.  So although the official check-in time is at 4 pm, we got there at 1 pm and were able to access the waterpark.  Our room also happened to be ready too even though we checked in early at 1 pm, so going early definitely doesn’t hurt!

Great Wolf Lodge is great for the whole family – it has smaller areas and mini slides for the little ones to splash and play and giant slides and pools for the bigger kids and adults. The targeted age range for Great Wolf Lodge is 3 to 15 years old, so there are plenty of options for the whole family.

At Great Wolf Lodge, you’ll find a wave pool, a lazy river, a dedicated section for babies and toddlers, several giant slides that have height requirements (must be at least 48″ tall to ride), slides that hold 2-4 man rafts (so you can go down slides on rafts in pairs or as a family), and an outdoor pool.

The wave pool actually gets pretty strong and mimics ocean waves. There are lifeguards all around Great Wolf Lodge monitoring the swimmers. I liked how alert and focused they seemed. They were constantly scanning the waters and making sure everyone was safe.

The water is heavily chlorinated, and it can feel stuffy inside the waterpark with the chlorine and humidity, so that’s just something to be aware of if you’re sensitive.  Towels, life jackets, and floaties are provided by the lodge, so no need to pack any of that.

You’re not allowed to bring your own food/snacks into the waterpark. They have someone checking bags as you enter. There is a grill inside the waterpark where you can order basics such as chicken strips, fries, burgers, and hot dogs. They will also measure the heights of the children as you enter and give them a color-coded wristband to wear depending on height. This helps them easily determine whether or not a child is eligible for certain rides.

As for rooms, they have standard, themed, or premium rooms. We went with a themed room and are glad we did because the kids loved having their own separate cave-like area that housed their bunk bed and a32-inch, flat-screen HDTV of their very own.  This meant more peace and quiet for us too at night when we were in the room (never a bad thing) because they were so preoccupied in their cave.

We went in October, so everything was Halloween themed and they even did a trick-or-treat maze for the kids to collect candy and do photo ops.

Great Wolf Lodge gets two big thumbs ups from our kids!

Other tips:

• Sites like Groupon or Living Social will offer discounted packages for Great Wolf at times, so keep an eye out. Or you can sign-up for their mailing list and get alerted of special offers or room discounts throughout the year.
• It’s best to go during off-season like Sept/Oct or Feb/March, or during weekdays.
• A refillable souvenir cup for drinks can be purchased for $14.95 plus tax, and includes free refills for the duration of your stay.
• The lodge will give you a list of activities and show times available. For example, our lodge had story time at 8 pm and a 9:30 pm dance party.
• Our Great Wolf Lodge has an outdoor pool, so pack sunscreen just in case for anything outdoors.  Let’s just say we ended up purchasing sunscreen at the lodge, and it was more than I normally would’ve paid.  Everything you buy there will be overpriced.

Overall, we had a great time at Great Wolf Lodge and will definitely be back again!

Have you been to Great Wolf Lodge? How was your experience?  Feel free to share any additional tips in the comments!