Last weekend, we surprised the kids with an overnight to Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg, Mass.
It was pretty funny, actually. Buddy — who has been asking to go to Great Wolf for ages now — had fallen asleep on the 50 minute drive (we told the kids we were checking on a new place for soccer supplies) so he missed all the obvious clues: the Great Wolf Lodge logo on the “Attractions” sign on the highway; turning on to Great Wolf Drive; driving by ginormous water slides.
But nothing gets by Mimi. She questioned everything she saw. “Why is there a paw print in the bushes?” “What is that funny sign?”
Finally, Buddy woke up and was totally and utterly confused. I could see him slowly putting two-and-two together. “We’re at Great Wolf Lodge?!” he squealed.
Mission accomplished.
Dr. G. dropped me off at the front so I could check us in, which I have to say was quite a process. Although check-in isn’t until 4pm, you can begin using the water park beginning at 1pm on the day of your arrival, and it seems as if everyone was taking advantage of it. Case in point: it took 45 minutes of waiting in a massively long line just to check in.
And we finally received our wolf ears.
But eventually we did and we headed up to our Family Suite: a standard room (with a bit of rustic charm) with two queen beds, a couch, a table, a refrigerator (key when traveling with kids), and…drum roll please…a plate of delicious baked goodies waiting for us.
The kids couldn’t change into their bathing suits fast enough, and soon we were off, traversing the main lodge lobby, past the arcade and kid’s spa, to the first of the two indoor water parks.
This one was definitely our favorite. Mimi loved exploring Fort Mackeznie, a multistory treehouse, complete with the perfect little slides for preschoolers and younger kids.
But I think her favorite was the Crooked Creek — a lazy river of sorts, which you can either walk around or float along on a tube. Mimi’s preference was to walk it — I think because she was tall enough to do so! I lost track of how many times we went around. And around. And around. But she loved it. And hey, it was good exercise, right?
Buddy enjoyed Big Foot Pass, an agility course on the water, but probably spent the most time in Chincook Cove, a regular pool where you could also shoot basketballs and just swim. Of course.
There are also a few slides on the side of the water park. The first one Buddy and I tried was Alberta Falls, mostly since it was something we could do together, thanks to the double tube. This was definitely a great first introduction to the awesome slides at Great Wolf Lodge. The slide is a fast four-story drop down into the plunge pool. Buddy and I screamed and hollered and laughed the whole way down.
Let’s talk about the plunge pools for a minute. I was pleasantly surprised to find you didn’t really get submerged when you came down from the slide, which often happens at other water theme parks. Sure, you got splashed and wet, but there wasn’t that sudden submersion underwater.
The other slide we tried over here was the Otter Run, a body slide (you know, the kind where you have to cross your arms over your chest and cross your legs at the ankles before going down). I am proud to say I was the only mom in line to go down this particular slide, which was pretty fun.
After awhile, we headed across the way to the other side of the waterpark, where we were greeted with Cub Paw Pool, which was similar to Fort Mackenzie, with lots of different activities (from mini water slides to stationary water jet skis) for smaller kids to play with. We then checked out the wave pool, which had some pretty intense waves!
And, of course, there were some water slides here — and we each had a favorite.
Mimi was JUST tall enough to ride one slide: River Canyon Run, which was a round raft that all four of us (and probably then some) could fit in. The slide itself was definitely twisty and turny (my stomach dropped more than once on this one, for some reason) but not enough to freak Mimi out, and the plunge pool at the end was similar to the pools on the other side: you got went but weren’t submerged. Mimi declared it “her favorite.”
Buddy and I then ran up to try the Howlin’ Tornado — my favorite slide (and Buddy’s too). This was another one that we got to do together. After going down the first part of the slide, you drop into a six-story funnel, swishing up and down the 30-feet sides of the tunnel before making your way back down. AWESOME.
Because of Mimi, Dr. G. and I had to tag team and take turns going on the bigger slides with Buddy, so we traded off after the Howlin’ Tornado so the two of them could try the Wolf Tail…the only slide I wouldn’t do.
Another body slide, you bascially stand in an enclosed tube, there’s a 3-2-1 countdown, then the floor opens up beneath you, sending you straight down an enclosed tube with a few twists and turns. Dr. G. did this one a few times, and was definitely his favorite.
After a few hours of water fun, we went back to our room to change and grab a snack, then headed back down to explore some of the other activities at Great Wolf Lodge, including the arcade and the Howling Timbers Play Park, where there’s everything from mini golf to bowling to an indoor ropes course (which Buddy was BUMMED to not be able to do since you have to be wearing closed-toed shoes.).
By this time we were starving, so we put our name in at The Lodge Wood-Fired Grill, and while we were waiting for a table, we joined in on a dance party in the main lobby led by some of the Lodge staff members. Mimi was in heaven: they played Taylor Swift and Katy Perry and Maroon 5 and Miley Cyrus. She was a party animal.
Dinner, I have to say, was just so-so, at least for me. While there were loads of gluten-free options, my vegetarian options were extremely limited. Namely, pasta. Sigh. So I went with the hummus plate, which was fine, but after spending hours in the pool I was dying for a veggie burger and fries.
(Note: They do have a pizza place on the premises, called Hungry Like a Wolf, but we had pizza the night before and I just couldn’t do it two nights in a row.)
As we were leaving dinner, they were just about to start story time. One of the Lodge members (or Ambassadors of Fun, as they’re called) read a bedtime story about the Great Wolf Lodge characters, including Violet the Fox, who joined her for this particular story hour. The story itself was a little painful to listen to, but the kids loved it.
The next morning, we enjoyed a quick breakfast from the on-site Dunkin’ Donuts (!) before rushing down for more waterpark fun when they opened again at 9am. Check out is 11am, but thankfully you can continue using the waterpark and other amenities for the rest of the day, as long as you are out of your room by check out time.
We went back for second and third rides on some of our favorite waterslides until Mimi threw a colossal temper tantrum just before lunch time, which we figured was our cue to leave.
So if you’re looking to plan a trip to Great Wolf Lodge in the near future, here are some tips and suggestions:
- Consider staying during the week. I knew going into it that the weekend would be really busy, and it definitely was. Although I will say that even with the crowds, the lines for the water slides were reasonable, as was the wait for food. But if you’re looking for a more relaxing, less chaotic stay, go mid-week.
- If you are going on a weekend, wait until mid-late afternoon to check in, or be prepared to wait 45 minutes in line.
- While the option to check out the waterparks, etc. both before check-in and after check-out is awesome, know that they don’t have a bag storage area, so you’ll want to leave/bring your luggage to the car and make sure you have a separate bag for your swimsuits or your change of clothes.
- Each room/suite has a fridge, so bring water bottles, juice boxes, beer, snacks, etc. from home and save some money. You could also easily bring the fixings for breakfast if you wanted.
- The Lodge provides towels, and there were plenty of them, so leave those beach towels at home.
- There were tons of lifeguards all throughout the park, which was wonderful to see! And they weren’t shy about blowing that whistle when they say kids running or more than two people going down a slide at a time. As the mom to one decent swimmer and one non-swimmer, that was a relief. (There are also free life vests for kids as well).
- Make sure to bring either water shoes or flip flops or other shoes that can get wet.
- I was nervous leaving our bags with our phones, etc. just on a chair or chaise lounge while we were off enjoying ourselves, but it was perfectly fine. So on that note, make sure you bring a tote or beach bag or something. (You can also rent lockers for $10/day).
- There are a few gift shops on site, so don’t worry if you realize you forgot goggles or a swimsuit cover-up.
- Bring closed-toe shoes if you think your kids may want to do the ropes course.
- Both waterpark areas do have their own bar areas. Just sayin’.
As we were leaving, Buddy announced, “This was the best time ever!”
Enough said 🙂
To learn more, check out Great Wolf Lodge New England’s website to learn more. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclaimer: We received a complimentary stay with amenities but all copy, opinions and photos are my own.
Mass.