Earlier this summer, a couple of my mom friends and I surprised our kids with a fun overnight trip to Great Wolf Lodge Concord-Charlotte! Great Wolf Lodge is a family resort hotel with locations sprinkled throughout the US. The shining star of Great Wolf Lodge is the large indoor (and in some locations, outdoor) water park that is offered at no additional charge to hotel guests. Each Great Wolf Lodge (GWL) location has different rides and water features, but the general idea is the same: stay and play for one inclusive price.
Our family had been interested in a trip to GWL for a while but timing and price were never quite in our favor. For this trip, we found a homeschool group discount rate and were thrilled to find a few other families to join us in kicking off the summer. So with a sense of adventure and ambition, our group of 4 moms and 8 kids loaded up for the 2.5 hour drive from Raleigh. The best part? Our kids had no idea where we were going! They were full of guesses- Virginia? California? A luxury hotel? They had no clue the amount of fun that awaited them. To be fair, I didn’t know what to expect either.
| Check-in at the resort is typically 4:00 pm, with an 11:00 am check out time. However, guests are invited to arrive as early as 1:00 pm to enjoy the water park before check-in, and can stay as late as 8:00 pm on the day of check-out. I really think these extended hours in the water park make an overnight stay worth the drive. |  |
The kids were in awe when we walked into the water park that first day. Upon entry, kids are measured and given colored wrist bands according to the height limits of the water rides. Our eight kids ranged from 4 years old to 8 years old. Only two of them were given “yellow” wristbands which means there was only one large slide they couldn’t ride. All the other children were tall enough to ride all the slides. We all had an amazing first day riding the slides, getting dumped on by gallons of water, floating in the wave pool and simply being together through all the fun.
| In addition to the water park, Great Wolf Lodge offers a full schedule of lobby activities, most of which are included in the hotel stay. After showers and dinner, we came up to the lobby for storytime followed by a late-night dance party, a simply genius idea that ensured our already-exhausted kids were 100% worn out for bedtime. |  |
The next morning we woke up to the smell of coffee and bagel sandwiches, something we had ordered the night before to be delivered to our room in the morning by the onsite Dunkin' Donuts. The kids couldn’t wait to get back to the water park, so we headed there right when it opened to secure a table and chairs for the day.
| This Great Wolf Lodge location also has a seasonal outdoor pool, so Day Two had us spending several hours soaking in the sun while enjoying a mega pool party. With staff-led dance activities, hula hoop games, ring toss games and summer-fun music, hanging by the outdoor pool was the epitome of summer fun. After our pool party, the kids also loved having a full day to explore their favorite indoor water slides and activities again. We ended up staying at the water park until about 6:00 pm before packing up and heading home. |  |
Hands down, Great Wolf Lodge was one of the most fun places we’ve experienced. I felt that our time was well spent and with the group rate, the price was more than worth all the fun we had. We left with so many amazing memories!
If you are considering a trip to Great Wolf Lodge, I would recommended joining their email list to receive special offers or scouting Groupon for discount codes. Also, I will give you a heads up that there are several additional “Pay to Play” options designed to entice kids, who will undoubtedly beg parents to indulge. Our crew knew that we were only there for the water park this trip, so we didn’t participate in the arcade, bowling, Build-A-Bear, 4D theatre or MagiQuest. The water park really did offer plenty of fun for us, but with so many additional options to explore, we will absolutely be back!
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