Last week we made our second trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington. This time we went with friends and of course it was a ton of fun! I wasn’t actually planning on writing a blog post about it, but I’ve had so many people ask about my experience and trip that I figured a blog post was in order with my tips for Great Wolf Lodge.
I won’t go into all the details and attractions, because you can find that all on their website. Instead, I’ll share some tips for families going to Great Wolf Lodge.
I was asked the question, is there enough to do for my child. The answer is a big yes! In my opinion, from age 3 and up, there is a lot of fun to be had and experienced. Here are some of our favourite things as well as tips for Great Wolf Lodge.
5 Tips for Great Wolf Lodge
1. Be ready to spend lots of time at the waterpark. It is open from 9am-9pm. We went at least twice a day to the park. There is something for all ages, from a toddler area, waterpark and waterslides, to a deeper pool, basketball in the water, tunnel waterslides and hot tubs. For the kids I would suggest bringing robes and flip flops. There is no need for life jackets as they are provided in all sizes.
2. Passes are worth it. On this trip, we bought a Pup pass for the 3 and 4 year olds and Paw passes for the 6 year olds and it was definitely worth it. It keeps the kids busy and having fun with a magic wand game and quest, building a stuffy, an adventure game, free ice-cream, free goggles, a fill up of candy, glitter tattoos, leather bracelets, colour your own pillow case or t-shirt, arcade tokens, the list goes on!
3. There is lots of free stuff to do as well if you don’t buy the passes. There is a team that goes around building balloon animals. There is a colouring station where kids can colour pictures, make a mask or your very own Great Wolf Lodge button. Every night there is a special story time as well as a clock tower shows throughout the day.
4. The rooms also come equipped with a mini-fridge and a microwave. Although the lodge has a restaurant, buffet and a couple casual dining spots, when you’re traveling with kids, it’s good to have snacks and easy meals because they always seem to be hungry. Don’t be afraid to fill a cooler and bring it with you. There is also a Starbucks in the lobby and they make fresh smoothies along with everything else!
5. Be prepared to join in the adventure. There is a lot of fun to be had for the whole family. It is tiring, but worth it. Try and have some down time of sneak in a nap (for parents and kids) so the you can all stay up a little later to enjoy. Give yourself a day after the trip to recover, relax and unwind. You’ll need it!
Hopefully these tips for Great Wolf Lodge will be helpful when you are planning your next trip!
For some of our other favourite Family-Friendly Trips:
10 Things for Kids to do in Banff
10 Things for Families to do in Winnipeg
Tips for a Family Beach Vacation
*This is not a sponsored post. I just wanted to share my experiences.
I enjoyed seeing an Undercover Boss (show in our country where a CEO goes undercover and takes jobs in his own company that show him what is “really” happening) several years ago where the CEO of Great Wolf Lodge took us undercover in her own company. It was a lot of fun. This sounds like the kind of place for several families to combine and visit together. Happy you had a good time!
That must have been a fun episode to watch!
I’ve always wondered what it was like at the GWL in Grand Mound. Thanks for sharing the photos. Looks like everyone had a great time!
Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
It really was a lot of fun Mary!
Thanks for this Salma! Bookmarking this for when we go 🙂