Great Wolf Lodge - A Review

After spending a long weekend at Arizona Grand, I was questioning why we were now going to yet another hotel with a yet another water park. But, it was my daughter's birthday weekend, and this was booked prior to the last minute Arizona Grand weekend, so we stuck with the plan. And I am so glad I did!

I heard ALL the stories about GWL. Some good, some not so good, but no matter what, I decided I had to see what all the fuss was about, for myself. It seemed like every parent needed to experience GWL at least once, so I decided a surprise birthday weekend seemed like the best option.

I didn't do much research. I pretty much booked the trip, said no to all of the extras, packed a bathing suit, and went. In hindsight, I wish I had done just a wee bit more planning and research, but even though I went pretty much blind, we still had a great time.

We visited the Grand Mount location in Washington state, which is in Chehalis, about an hour south of Seattle, no traffic. We left on a Friday afternoon, so sat in more traffic than I would have liked, but we made it with still plenty of play time left in the day. The kids had no idea where we were going. They kept asking if we were going to Disneyland (and they ask to go back almost daily).

When we arrived, we were greeted by a GREAT WOLF and a GREAT LODGE. Everything was supersized. And that theme continued inside.

We pulled up to the front to check in, find out where our room was and then drove and parked close to our room. As I mentioned, this place is huge, so expect to do a lot of walking.

When I checked in, I requested a room close to the water park. The room we got wasn't exactly close to the waterpark, but after, what seemed like a million, trips back and forth, I guess it wasn't too far. The room itself was a standard room. Nothing fancy, by any means, but it was good-sized. Two queen beds, a separate living area with couch and small table and chairs, a tiny bathroom, and a balcony overlooking the parking lot. The room had a refrigerator, and we brought some of our own water and snacks. We only slept in our rooms, so a not-fancy room was a-okay for us.

There is SO much more to do than the water slides. Magicquest, ropes course, arcade, glow in the dark mini golf, shadow quest, compass quest, moonstone mine, and build a bear workshop. There are also free activities throughout the day, such as: dance party, characters show, story time, character appearance and arts and crafts. My kids participated in the dance party one night.

Waterpark access and unlimited sliding is included in the hotel room price. All of the other activities are extra, and they add up. We did the ropes course, mini golf and visited the arcade (far too often, in my opinion). We didn't do any of the interactive quests, but I definitely would if we go back. It seemed to keep the kids well entertained. **My kids are 5 and 7.** I would recommend all of the activities for kids aged 5 and older. 3 and 4 year olds might enjoy most of them, too, but I can't speak for that from experience. I did see kids of all ages. And lots of pregnant bellies, too!

Water Park:

The water park is FUN! There are options for all ages. There is a section for younger kids (which we didn't explore because, ya know, my 5 and almost 7 year olds, are BIG KIDS! There is a wave pool (my son's favorite), a pool with a bridge to cross and numerous basketball hoops (another favorite of my son's), two mellow slides, and 4 more exhilarating slides (we went down all of them except for the HOWLIN' TORNADO). There is an indoor/outdoor hot tub, a snack shop, and a bar. There are also towels for your use while you are the park (you can't bring them back to your room).

Dining:

There are a few dining options in the lodge. We did the buffet because the kids liked making their own plates, and we liked the options. The prices were reasonable, the food was decent, and the service was outstanding. I forget the name of our server, but she was just the sweetest. She was so sweet that my daughter asked if we could bring her home with us. <3 These are the other dining options on site: buckets incredible craveables , Lodge Wood Fired Grill, Hungry as a Wolf, and Starbucks (the line is LOOOOOOOOOOOONG in the morning, so be prepared). Oh, and I can't forget the candy shop.

Here are some tips:

1. A weekend at Great Wolf Lodge is a great rainy weekend activity. When we went, we had rare summer-like days, after weeks and weeks of cold rain, so I was not happy about being stuck inside , but super grateful to get outside for the ropes course! And, the hot tub is half outside.

2. Sign up for the interactive activities. It gives you a break from the waterpark and keeps the kids out of the arcade

3. The arcade is great, but expensive. We walked by the arcade every time we left our room, and this place sucked my kids in more than any other activity. I wasn't expecting this, so just wanted to prepare you.

4. Bring water shoes for the waterpark, bring beach towels from home, or bring a change of clothes to the park so you can change in the bathroom before walking back to your room. You can't bring the waterpark towels to your room, and most of you will probably have a decent walk back to your room.

5. Bring a waterproof case for your phone. As you can see, I took ZERO photos at the water park as I was not prepared. They sell cases in the gift shop, but you can find some on Amazon for much better prices.

6. Have fun! It really is a great place for kids of all ages. Even adults!

We had a really, really good time, and we will go again. It felt like a mini, mini-Disneyland with so many fun, entertaining options!

Reach out with any questions or comments!