We are busy people and could only swing three days for vacation this year. I am usually pretty stingy since we really don’t have a ton of money to spare, but I decided we needed a trip, and it needed to be something fun, not just a stay in a random hotel in a boring tourist area.
I picked Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos. I remember being younger and seeing the commercials on TV with the little jingle they had and thinking how fun it seemed. I have looked into pricing before and couldn’t imagine spending so much on just a few days, but this time, after two days of staring at my trip in my online shopping cart, I booked it and I am so glad I did!
I could write a ten-page post about how great our trip was, but in the interest of time and not boring you to tears, I’ll just list the best points.
It’s indoors
We happened to take our trip in the middle of a rainy band, which was awesome because almost everything happens inside at Great Wolf Lodge and I didn’t have to feel guilty for missing the sun.
Wolf ears!
When you check in, all kids get their very own pair of wolf ears. It was a great way to get them right into the spirit of the place and make them feel like part of the club (since everybody wears them in the hallways and such).
A room on top
Our room was on the top floor so we had cathedral ceilings. Combine that with a separate living space and giant log headboards and it was a really cool space.
Fridge
Food is expensive, but luckily every room has a fridge and microwave. I brought breakfast items, sandwich fixings and a lot of fruit and water. We did have a few restaurant meals on the trip, but bringing food along was great to save money and let the kids unwind for some meals.
The waterpark
It’s pretty impressive. There are big slides all over the place that twist and turn, go outside of the building and come back in, dumping riders into the lazy river. There are pools, things to climb and shoot water at people and a giant bucket that fills up and dumps out. Since our kids are small, we spent all of our time in the wave pool, which surprisingly both kids loved and a wading area that had slides the perfect size for Little Miss. She must have gone down them 50 times, making friends with other kids are she ran up the stairs to the top. We also did a few loops around the lazy river, all four of us in one double tube.
It’s crowded and hot, but it’s right in the hotel so there is no reason you can’t hang around for an hour or so before heading back to your room for a rest.
Story time
There is an animatronic forest friends show in the lobby several times a day and at night it is followed by story time by the fireplace. Kids wear their pajamas and wolf ears. Little Miss made us do it both nights. Mr. Man fell asleep both times.
Other activities
There is always something to do. We did a wolf walk (a game of eye spy followed by learning how to make an origami wolf), face painting and bingo, which were all free. We also played in the arcade and took pictures with a costumed character. There are a ton of other things to do, though you have to pay for them. Since our kids are little, they were content with the free stuff and the neon stuffed wolves we bought at the gift shop.
Photo book
There is a gift card for a Great Wolf Lodge photo book in your room when you check in! Most of my pictures are blurry since my kids never stop moving, but I can’t wait to make our book.
Starbucks
There is a Starbucks in the lobby. Waterparks are exhausting. I needed to recharge. Often.
If this all sounds like fun and you want to go, I will offer a few tips:
1. Pack food, you will save big time.
2. Bring several bathing suits. They just don’t dry in the hotel and there is nothing worse than putting on a wet bathing suit and walking through the air conditioning.
3. Bring hoodies and warm bathing suit covers because the hotel is chilly, especially when you are wet.
4. Check the schedule. The daily activities are posted on TV screens in the lobby.
5. Leave the hotel if you want breakfast. We went to the Compton Pancake House one morning and had more food than we could stuff in for only $19!
6. Bring extra shoes. I only packed flip-flops for all of us and they were always wet, even when we were at dinner. Yuck.
7. Prepare to spend money. There is a lot to do and you are either going to spend money or say a lot of No’s. Find your balance.
Little Miss keeps telling me we are going back or she tells me how much she misses The Great Wolf Lodge. It wasn’t cheap, but it was a great trip and I would love to go back. Maybe I’ll start a Great Wolf Lodge jar to go with our Disney World jar. Or maybe I’ll just start playing the lottery.
I picked Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos. I remember being younger and seeing the commercials on TV with the little jingle they had and thinking how fun it seemed. I have looked into pricing before and couldn’t imagine spending so much on just a few days, but this time, after two days of staring at my trip in my online shopping cart, I booked it and I am so glad I did!
I could write a ten-page post about how great our trip was, but in the interest of time and not boring you to tears, I’ll just list the best points.
It’s indoors
We happened to take our trip in the middle of a rainy band, which was awesome because almost everything happens inside at Great Wolf Lodge and I didn’t have to feel guilty for missing the sun.
Wolf ears!
When you check in, all kids get their very own pair of wolf ears. It was a great way to get them right into the spirit of the place and make them feel like part of the club (since everybody wears them in the hallways and such).
A room on top
Our room was on the top floor so we had cathedral ceilings. Combine that with a separate living space and giant log headboards and it was a really cool space.
Fridge
Food is expensive, but luckily every room has a fridge and microwave. I brought breakfast items, sandwich fixings and a lot of fruit and water. We did have a few restaurant meals on the trip, but bringing food along was great to save money and let the kids unwind for some meals.
The waterpark
It’s pretty impressive. There are big slides all over the place that twist and turn, go outside of the building and come back in, dumping riders into the lazy river. There are pools, things to climb and shoot water at people and a giant bucket that fills up and dumps out. Since our kids are small, we spent all of our time in the wave pool, which surprisingly both kids loved and a wading area that had slides the perfect size for Little Miss. She must have gone down them 50 times, making friends with other kids are she ran up the stairs to the top. We also did a few loops around the lazy river, all four of us in one double tube.
It’s crowded and hot, but it’s right in the hotel so there is no reason you can’t hang around for an hour or so before heading back to your room for a rest.
Story time
There is an animatronic forest friends show in the lobby several times a day and at night it is followed by story time by the fireplace. Kids wear their pajamas and wolf ears. Little Miss made us do it both nights. Mr. Man fell asleep both times.
Other activities
There is always something to do. We did a wolf walk (a game of eye spy followed by learning how to make an origami wolf), face painting and bingo, which were all free. We also played in the arcade and took pictures with a costumed character. There are a ton of other things to do, though you have to pay for them. Since our kids are little, they were content with the free stuff and the neon stuffed wolves we bought at the gift shop.
Photo book
There is a gift card for a Great Wolf Lodge photo book in your room when you check in! Most of my pictures are blurry since my kids never stop moving, but I can’t wait to make our book.
Starbucks
There is a Starbucks in the lobby. Waterparks are exhausting. I needed to recharge. Often.
If this all sounds like fun and you want to go, I will offer a few tips:
1. Pack food, you will save big time.
2. Bring several bathing suits. They just don’t dry in the hotel and there is nothing worse than putting on a wet bathing suit and walking through the air conditioning.
3. Bring hoodies and warm bathing suit covers because the hotel is chilly, especially when you are wet.
4. Check the schedule. The daily activities are posted on TV screens in the lobby.
5. Leave the hotel if you want breakfast. We went to the Compton Pancake House one morning and had more food than we could stuff in for only $19!
6. Bring extra shoes. I only packed flip-flops for all of us and they were always wet, even when we were at dinner. Yuck.
7. Prepare to spend money. There is a lot to do and you are either going to spend money or say a lot of No’s. Find your balance.
Little Miss keeps telling me we are going back or she tells me how much she misses The Great Wolf Lodge. It wasn’t cheap, but it was a great trip and I would love to go back. Maybe I’ll start a Great Wolf Lodge jar to go with our Disney World jar. Or maybe I’ll just start playing the lottery.