Great Wolf Lodge.. a vacation destination kids & parents love!

We had the most amazing time at Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, North Carolina. The kids and I and my father (from Orlando) drove to Charlotte Friday and I was very pleased with the easy drive. Take 85 from Atlanta and that's just about it. Great Wolf Lodge is just off the highway and couldn't be easier to spot.

Myself and several other local editors & bloggers enjoyed a 2 night/3 day stay at Great Wolf Lodge last weekend and I can easily say that I and my kids had the time of our lives!

Great Wolf Lodge is North America's Largest Family of Indoor Waterpark resorts. Designed to capture the atmosphere of the Northwoods, Great Wolf Lodge's waterparks offer an amazing experience for both parents and kids in a one-of-a-kind, rustically elegant setting. The perfect place for families to re-connect, and create lifelong memories which is exactly what myself, my two kids, and my father did this last weekend at Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte.


Parents can reserve a fully-themed resort suite as their base camp, then immediately set out on your Great Wolf adventure. Adventures are everywhere at Great Wolf Lodge and they don't all involve water! However, chances are you'll likely first discover the gigantic indoor waterpark, where it's always 84 degrees.

~ WATERPARK

Great Wolf Lodge's waterpark has activities, slides, and pools for all ages. Parents can even reserve a Cabana for a day where they can enjoy comfortable lounge chairs, a TV, refrigerator and a microwave so there is no need to go back and forth to their room during the day.

The waterpark features:

• Kiddie pool complete with slides and very shallow water up to 1 1/2 feet deep
• Beaver Tail Lake - wave pool with inter tubes
• Chinook Cove Activity Pool - basketball hoops, floating snake, and more. Great for all ages
• River Canyon Run
• Howlin' Tornado
• Big Foot Pass
• Totem Towers - my 3 year old loved these slides!
• and more.. visit the Great Wolf Lodge website to see all of the waterpark features.

After you and your kids are exhausted from swimming for hours, you'll enjoy dining at one of Great Wolf Lodge's themed restaurants, playing at the interactive arcade, relaxing at the full service adult or kids spa, and if you feel so inclined.. working out in the fitness center.. (strange, I know!).

~ FOOD/DINING

The food was fabulous. With plenty of dining options to choose from all of your family members will find something they appreciate. Dining options include a buffet, Dunkin' Donuts (bagels, sandwiches), Pizza Hut express, and other delicious eateries.

I particularly enjoyed The Loose Moose Cottage buffet where I filled my plate with just about every food that I love. During our stay I enjoyed crab legs, macaroni and cheese shells, salmon, ribs, waffles, bananas, watermelon, carrots & ranch dip, and scrumptious chocolate cake. I also enjoyed ice cream from The Bear Paw Eats & Sweets™, a bagel and cream cheese from Dunkin' Donuts, and buffalo wings from Camp Critter. Not all at the same time of course.

There are many convenient food options so don't worry, you will never find yourself hungry or wondering where you're going to eat your next meal or snack. There are even snack bars inside the waterpark.

We spent about $200 on food for four of us the entire weekend. We went to The Loose Moose Cottage once for dinner and once for lunch, then to Camp Critter for one dinner, Dunkin' Donuts for a bagel for lunch one day, and had ice cream and wine Saturday. My goal was to try all of the food options and I think we did just about that. We didn't hit Pizza Hut, but I'm sure we'll cover that next time.

~ MAGIQUEST

MagiQuest is found all over the lodge. Kids walk around with Magi Wands in search of portals, runes, and more. I couldn't believe how much time my 10 year old spent on MagiQuest with a huge waterpark within feet of him! He had a blast with MagiQuest though and can't wait to play again.

~ gr8_space Tech Center

• Video games
• Computers
• TV - Movies
  

~ SUITES

The rooms are colorful and cozy with a rustic feel from ceiling to floor and amenities including a microwave and refrigerator. Some rooms come with special 'nooks' for the kids with bunkbeds and their own tv.
Learn about all of Great Wolf Lodge's Suites on the Great Wolf Lodge website

~ ACTIVITIES

• Storytime

• Face painting
• Magic shows
• Scheduled activities including story time, Cub Club, face painting, and more keep kids of all ages well entertained and occupied.
  

~ FOR THE ADULTS

Adults can enjoy a glass of wine or beer in their room, at the bar, or in one of the restaurants. There are places where children can hang out by themselves while parents enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet (what's that?) such as gr8 space Tech Center. Kids 8 and older can hang out in gr8 space Tech Center without their parents (ages subject to change) but younger children must be supervised by their parents.

There are programs run by the Cub Club where parents aren't allowed and this allows parents to relax, get a bite to eat alone, or visit the spa for some down time.

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The first thing you see straight ahead of you when you walk into Great Wolf Lodge is the Clock Tower. This is where most of the activities such as pajama story time and the magic show take place. There is a great fireplace in the lobby where I sat and relaxed for a few moments everyone in a while if I could pull it off. The kids didn't appreciate me sitting down too long.

I saw tiny babies, toddlers, elementary age kids, and teenagers - all having a great time at Great Wolf Lodge.There really is something for everyone to do there and you will probably find that there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything so I recommend planning for a 3 night stay if possible.

The drive time from where we live, just north of Atlanta, was about 4.5-5 hours. That was with my 3 and 10 year old in the car with me and you know how that can be, right?

*Some activities listed here are seasonal. Check the Great Wolf Lodge website for current events and activities.

What will you have to pay for during your stay at Great Wolf Lodge?

When you reserve a suite, you get access to the waterpark. You have the option of purchasing a meal plan when reserving your suite, so be sure to check the options out. There are fees for Scooops Kids Spa, gr8_space, MagiQuest, and the Northern Lights Arcade.

OUR NEXT VISIT to Great Wolf Lodge

I can't wait to visit Great Wolf Lodge again. I hope to go back during summer vacation for 3 nights/4 days so we are able to enjoy more activities than we did this time. My 3 year old daughter didn't get to go to the Cub Club to do arts and crafts and such, so I'll have her do that next time. There are a couple of slides I want to go down that I didn't get to this time so I'm anxious for that as well.

Great Wolf Lodge is a one of a kind family lodging and entertainment experience that I will highly recommend to everyone I know. The customer service is exceptional, the food is great, the waterpark is extremely safe with plenty of lifeguards and the overall feel of the lodge is cozy, and secure.

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Great Wolf Lodge links:

• Charlotte, NC Great Wolf Lodge website
• Great Wolf Lodge Facebook page
• Great Wolf Lodge on Twitter

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It's your turn to talk!
Have you been to Great Wolf Lodge? Tell us about your Great Wolf Lodge experience and submit your Great Wolf Lodge photographs to your AtlantaMoms.com photo album with the tag "Great Wolf" and they will be added to our Great Wolf Lodge photo album!