Have a Howling Good Time at @GreatWolfLodge

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This was perhaps my favorite spot that we visited, and I will tell you why. Everything was in one place- you didn’t have to go anywhere else once you got to your hotel- because your hotel was also your waterpark, restaurant, activity center (even a computer area for kids) and and more. And all I had to do was park the car!
Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, Ohio(Ohio’s first Great Wolf Lodge) is a great place to spend time with family, and would be a fantastic spot for a family reunion. Their huge indoor waterpark is reserved for guests only, thus guaranteeing that you will never have to wait on a long line. There is also an outdoor pool and waterpark area, open seasonally.

Once you arrive, you are greeted and checked in by friendly staff, and you make your way to your room. We stayed in one of the “themed” rooms, the “Wolf Den”. My children loved it, and I have to say so did dad and myself. It was really adorable, with a sectioned off “kid cave”, complete with bunk beds inside. There is a video came console and TV set in there as well, which you can pay to have access to.
The kids loved to play in there, and that it made them feel like they had their “own room”. I loved that it gave me some privacy, and that I could have some small degree of separation from them, while not really being separate from them at all. (Come on, we have all been on family vacations- the kids go wild, and sometimes it’s nice to be able to have a little “grown up space”. How many times can one really hear Mom? Mom? Mom! Mom?) I can still see them and hear them- there is no door- but they can go into the “cave” and play, and I can re-pack a suitcase or find a missing toothbrush in relative peace, LOL. The room was very large, very clean, had an excellent view of the outdoor waterpark- and even a little balcony you can sit on, or dry your wet bathing suits 🙂

I love the whole “Lodge” look and feel of the hotel- like place in the woods, but modern and with technology and conveniences and comforts, LOL. There were multiple restaurants, as well as a little snack/dessert shop, where you can grab ice cream, fudge, pastries- you know, all the “good” vacation foods! 🙂
Little Man and I deserted daddy and Kamikaze one morning (we were awake, they were not! hehe) and went to Lumber Jack’s Cook Shanty, where they served a family style breakfast at our table. This means that they brought food to our table- pre-fix food, not food that we choose or order- and you can have as much as you’d like. The food was very good, I have to say! It was very pricey, though- for an adult? 12$ plus tax and if you order a beverage, that is additional as well. For Little Man, since he was only 3, I only had to pay $3.49 for his cup of chocolate milk. (Nope, that was not a typo!) I was kind of shocked at the bill. But, it is what it is. At least the food was good- and Little Man can really pack away his breakfast! (I’m sure you have seen my posts on his love of breakfast, LOL- the boy is addicted! No cereal for him, no sir!) He ate more then his body weight in bacon and french toast sticks, I think. I was allowed to have ONE french toast stick- it was better then the ones I make 🙁
Poor me! It was crunchy, but soft inside. I can never get mine crunchy, unless I burn it, LOL. Everything was very good.

Now- onto Great Wolf Lodge’s main attraction- the heated indoor waterpark!
At 84 degrees year round, the temperature was perfect. The water was both warm and refreshing, and the room was not so cold that you felt chilly out of the water, yet not warm enough that you felt sticky-muggy-hot. With over 200,000 gallons of water rushing around you, there is sure to be some family fun taking place! As you walk in, your children will be measured up, and a colored bracelet given to them according to their height. This lets the rest of the nationally accredited lifeguard staff know which areas they can safely access, and where they should stay away from. Can’t swim, or not a strong swimmer? Great Wolf Lodge provides life vests at various sizes for all children. This not only gives parents peace of mind, but lets your whole family have fun, and stay safe.

What do you dislike most about taking your kids to a water park? Long lines? Paying for parking? How expensive the tickets are? (Times how many people there are in your family….) Paying for parking, besides paying for all your tickets? (which is SUCH a scam) Oh yeah, and having to rent a locker for 10-15$ to store your sunblock, towels, etc in? Getting burned from being out in the sun all day? Long lines? wait, I said that already…..Can you tell that I hate long lines? With a whiny kid, to boot, since kids also hate waiting! LOL. Plus, if you are also staying in a hotel, that is an ADDITIONAL expense, right? What are we, made of money?

Here is a little hint- staying at the Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky will seriously decrease both your spending and your time spent in lines, while increasing the amount of time you have to spend actually enjoying yourself! More rides, since there are very short lines, no driving in to the waterpark- because you are AT the waterpark! Just walk down the hall, take the elevator down, and BAM! There you go. No need to pay for parking, because, oh yeah, you are there already….You are inside, so no sunburn- and if you go to the outdoor water park, you can always go back inside if you are feeling over-exposed and take a break. You can’t do that at most places!

Besides- if you DO want to get out a bit- you are right in the middle of a ton of action! This location is fabulous, you are seconds from Cedar Point, tons of restaurants, a haunted mansion, so much to do! Check out my recent post on Cleveland for more ideas in the area 🙂

The slides, 4 story treehouse waterfort, multiple pools, leisure river (like a “lazy river”) water basketball, lilypad hop-across, slithery water-snake toy- there is so much to do, you will never, ever be bored. There are smaller pools and play areas for little kids, where no big kids can tromp them. And the giant water bucket sounds the clanging alarm every few minutes before splashing everyone below with hundreds of gallons of water.

There is more to see and do at Great Wolf Lodge- storytime, build a stuffed animal, put on a puppet show- don’t you want to go see for yourself? Check out their website HERE. You can also follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook and YouTube, you know you don’t want to miss anything!

Disclosure- I received a stay at Great Wolf Lodge in order to facilitate this review. All reviews are mine.