Great Wolf Lodge {A Review}

On Friday night my family and I traipsed off to Great Wolf Lodge.

Well okay, we didn't walk there (since that is apparently what traipsed means - I looked it up) but we did drive there.

Wasn't that totally worth your time for me to clarify that?

I thought so too.

You're so welcome.

Anyway, the reason we traipsed drove to Great Wolf Lodge is because the great people at Great Wolf Lodge invited my family to spend the night, play in their water park and generally have a good time so that after my experience there I would be compelled to tell you...

Go immediately to the closest Great Wolf Lodge near you!!!  Do not walk, do not hesitate, do not pass go and collect $200 (although you may want to hit the ATM on the way) just GO!!!!!!

And I seriously do mean every single word of that.  They didn't tell me to tell you that, they were probably just hoping I would say something remotely like that to you all, so that worked out well.

Seriously this place is so. much. fun. You must go as early as yesterday.  In fact, you may have even wanted to go as early as last week, it's that much fun.

The whole Great Wolf Lodge experience is amazing.  As soon as you walk in the doors you feel like you've walked into a North Woods Cabin.  You truly feel you are "away from it all."

Many of you may have recently seen Great Wolf Lodge on the TV show Undercover Boss (great episode by the way) and one of the "hitches" the under cover boss had was with the lengthy check-in process.

Well I'm happy to report to you that the boss must have made some serious changes because the check-in was not lengthy at all.  It was speedy, informative, and no longer than any other check-in process at a regular hotel.

But what I can't wait to tell you about is the room!  Great Wolf Lodge hooked us up with one of their KidCabin Suites.  (That's how great Great Wolf Lodge is folks.)

Here's what the KidCabin Suites look like.  When you walk in you see this to the left...

Well, you don't see the children.  They don't come with the room, you have to provide your own.

But inside this Kids Cabin is a bunk bed...

(again, child not included)

And a single bed...

(Hopefully by now you know... children aren't included.)

And a video game/TV area...

At this point I would just like to say two things...

1. Children aren't included.
2. The room ROCKED.

Then, as if the hook up with this KidsCabin Suite wasn't enough, the incredibly great people at Great Wolf Lodge went the extra mile and left this on our bed....

Whatever could it be?...

Well, hello my little pretties... come to mama.... I won't hurt you a bit.....

Cookies!

Great Wolf Lodge left us a very nice note saying that since we were special guests they wanted us to enjoy some milk (in the fridge) and cookies!

Milk and cookies?!  Uh, sign me up for that one.

Oh, wait.  I did.

SCORE!

Now, I've been told that milk and cookies are not a standard thing that happens for all guests, so please don't go all crazy on your Great Wolf Lodge front desk people if you don't have any in your room when you go (because I've already told you you should go).  It was just a nice little bonus.  And besides... it WAS my birthday weekend.

At this point I don't even have time to tell you about the other fun amenities at Great Wolf Lodge.  There are truly so many I'm sure I would forget half of them and not even do them justice, so it's probably better that way... but just to name a few...

• major arcade
• a show (complete with snow fall) in the main lobby
• amazing food (seriously, the breakfast at Lumber Jack's Cook Shanty is AMAZING)
• crafts at Cub Club

It's all fun stuff, but not as fun as the MAIN attraction... the water park!

While the snow was falling outside, we were warm and toasty in the 84 degree water park.  The water must have been heated too, because it was just right.  And besides, if you do get a little on the cold side you can warm up in their hot tubs.  They even have an "adults only" one!

The thing I liked about the water park the most? There wasn't a single pool over 4 feet deep.  And most weren't over 3 feet.

I felt completely comfortable letting my 7 & 9 year old "have at it."  Plus there were literally lifeguards everywhere. 

Instead of me being a "crazy mom" and worrying and following them around constantly, I got to be a true "lazy mom" and ENJOY myself too.  For those of you who truly know me (and know that I am as paranoid as any mother can be with my children around water) you know how huge that was for me to be able to do that.

And if you have younger kids than I do, or even babies, they have water play areas and slides just for them!  There truly is something for every age here, folks. 

So... what's my conclusion here?  I mean this post DOES have to end eventually doesn't it?  It's like the longest blog post I've ever written already.

Okay, here's my conclusion....

I would HIGHLY recommend Great Wolf Lodge to any family with young children.  Children 10 and under will LOVE it and even older kids would enjoy themselves, but I feel that this particular Great Wolf Lodge property we visited (the Sandusky one) is perfect for kids 10 and under.

I also wanted to let you know that while you can go "all out" money-wise at Great Wolf Lodge, it can also be done on a tight budget.  

Seriously.  If you have the money to splurge, then go!  If you don't have the money to splurge, you can STILL go.  

And I mean that.  Great Wolf Lodge has lots of freebies, you can pack a cooler for your own meals (because even though the food is SUPER yummy, it is a bit pricey - our family of five spent around $50 per meal), and you can also find great deals on the rooms (especially during winter).

To learn more about Great Wolf Lodge or to view prices at the one nearest you, visit their website!

As for me? I'm going to go rest my fingers. 

A BIG thank you to Great Wolf Lodge for providing my family this great opportunity to stay in their KidsCabin Suite, eat milk and cookies, and play in their water park in exchange for my honest review of their Sandusky property! No other compensation was received.

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