Great Wolf Lodge

I had a conference for work at Great Wolf Lodge this week and we decided to make it a vacation. Bristol got some quality time with her grandparents and we got some much-needed one on one time with our older two. We had never been to Great Wolf or an indoor water park and weren't quite sure what to expect. It was awesome! The cost of the hotel room is a bit higher than normal, but also includes the indoor water park for up to 6 people. You can play from 1:00 pm until close (8 pm) the night you check in and from 10 am to 8 pm the next day, too. The hotel also had all sorts of other neat little things we weren't expecting.

This animated scene behind us comes to life during the clock tower show three times a day. The current theme is Winter Wonderland and at the end of the ten minute show it "snows" with tiny bubbles filling the whole lobby- very cool!

 We were wondering what we would do until the water park opened at 10 in the morning. We watched cartoons and ate donuts in bed before heading to the Wolf Walk in the lobby. One of the staff members taught us about several animals (wolves, moose, bear) and we made origami wolves. Brayden & I are giving his wolf a face, below.

 The finished wolves. Brayden and I made the one on the left and Brinley drew the face on the right.

 Next we hit up the coloring station where Brinley announced that she wants to be an artist when she grows up! We finished our scavenger hunt and turned it in at at the front desk and they each got to pick two prizes from the toy chest.

 Finally, it was time to play! January is TOTALLY the time to go! It was not crowded at all and we didn't have to wait in line for any of the slides or rides, we had the wave pool and kiddie area to ourselves most of the time. It was awesome. The water is 82 degrees and the water park is 84 degrees, which was perfect.

 The kids loved the kiddie water slides, the big water slides and the inner tube water slides. I thought Brinley might be scared, but she wanted to go again and again! Which was all good and well for her because she was not the one carrying the double inner tube up the 67 stairs to the top of the yellow and blue water slides! I took Brayden on one of the rides where you have more of a boat type of inner tube and they have music and sound and he did not like it- too fast and too scary! Kenny and I were able to go on all the slides and the Howlin' Tornado (crazy, I tell you!) while one of our friends watched the kids.

Our little engineer loved this area where you could control the water by turning the panels different ways to block it or let more or less water get through.

 Life jackets and towels were provided and we enjoyed the lazy river and the wave pool.

 She looks like she is 3 going on 15 in this picture...

 Brinley really wanted to do this, but she wasn't quite tall enough to reach the ropes up above.

After climbing up these nets to get to water slides and climbing up all the stairs to get the other water slides, I was exhausted. It was a good workout!

 Brinley and Daddy racing on the water slides. Brinley won!

We left the park to go to Zaxby's (one of our faves!) for lunch and then came back for more fun. We can't wait to go back!