Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells, WI ~ Review

Although winter can be a beautiful and fun time, it also brings bitter cold and weather conditions that don't allow us to be outside much of the time. Needless to say, the kids and I have been feeling very cooped up and since about January, have been in need of a good family outing. That's why I was excited to learn we were going to have the opportunity to visit the Wisconsin Dells, WI Great Wolf Lodge for a fun family mini vacation.

For those who aren't familiar, Great Wolf Resorts is a chain of family oriented resort hotels located throughout the United States. They feature themed indoor and outdoor waterparks along with spas for adults and children, themed suites, restaurants, supervised children's activities and more!

Great Wolf Lodge gave us a complimentary night stay so we could review all that this great resort has to offer. The opportunity couldn't have come at a better time and the four of us were excited to have a mini vacation last month.

We have been to different motel/waterparks, however...never to a Great Wolf Lodge before. I had read several reviews and information about the one in Wisconsin Dells, but was still very curious how we would like it. As we drove up to the resort, we were already impressed. It's very large and absolutely beautiful. It stands out amongst everything else around it. Just seeing the outside peaked our interest even more.


Upon entering the lobby, this is the amazing view we were greeted with!


I could tell right away that this is a very family-friendly resort and one that is perfect for children of all ages. Kaelyn and Kaden were both in awe with the animals, the huge snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, etc. I will admit, I was equally as impressed!

Right from the start the staff were very friendly and willing to answer any questions we had about the resort and our stay. It was at check-in time that we also received our wristbands for the waterpark.

As we headed to our room, Kaelyn couldn't contain her excitement. It was fun to see her little eyes light up as we came across bear statues, a little playhouse....

...even the elevator was fun for her!

When we got to our room I couldn't have been more pleased! We were set up in one of their KidCabin Suites which is ideal for families with little ones. There's a gas fireplace, private balcony, queen-sized bed, full-sized sleeper sofa, mini fridge, microwave, table and chairs...and the kids' favorite part by far....an adorable Northwoods Cabin set up which was equipped with a bunkbed, daybed and tv.


It was perfect! They go to bed before my husband and I, so it was nice that they had their own place away from the rest of the room.

Once we had seen the room and gotten settled, we decided to check out the rest of the resort. We came across several great dining places and were able to try them all out during our stay. There was a Camp Critter Buffet, Pizza Hut Express, Loose Moose Bar & Grill (where the kids got wolf ears to wear with their meal) and Bear Paw Sweets & Eats™ snack shop all within the resort. Those who stay here are definitely not going to have a hard time finding food. If anything, it the difficult part will be deciding what to eat as there's just so much to choose from. I love it!


We also came across the Elements™ Spa Salon and Scooops® Kids Spa. Although we did not have time to try these out, I think they're a wonderful addition to the resort. How fun!

We even spent some time in the Buckhorn Exchange Gift Shop where they have everything from Great Wolf Lodge t-shirts and magnets to home decor and toys. They even had a Great Wolf Stuffing Station where Kaelyn picked out a wolf and stuffed it. She carries her wolf around and sleeps with it every night.

The Cub Club was also a neat little kids area. It's a room with tables, crafts, books and more. Kaelyn had a great time painting, Kaden colored and they both enjoyed playing the games and reading the books.



Of course, the highlight of our stay and something Great Wolf Lodge is widely known for is their indoor and outdoor waterpark! Here in the Midwest the weather does not permit for use of the outdoor waterpark this time of year (especially the weekend we were there - but it did look fun)...

However, we did get to enjoy hours and hours of fun at their huge indoor waterpark. There's 300,000 gallons of water which makes it one of America's largest. With 19 huge slides, 6 pools, giant water fort, a lazy river and more...this makes for a great time for kids (and adults) of all ages!

Since our kids are younger, we spent a lot of our time on the Crooked Creek (lazy river)...

Wave pool...

Fort Mackenzie, which alone provided hours of fun (a four story interactive tree house with slides, bridges, etc)...


and the Gushin’ Geyser (great for toddlers and younger children)...
We could have spent days on end enjoying this amazing waterpark. There are so many fun activities that children and adults can both enjoy. They have towels and life vests available which I thought was great. There are also places to eat and shop within the waterpark. It was a great way to have some water fun indoors and doesn't come close to any other indoor waterpark we've been to. It's incredible! It's also a very comfortable 84 degrees which is just perfect. The kids loved it...especially Kaelyn!

Each night there's a story time for the kids. The animatronic forest creatures of the Great Clock Tower (in the lobby) come to life, sing songs, etc. There's also a story read and then Wiley and Violet (the wolves) show up to talk with the kids. Kaelyn was tickled to get her picture taken with them. It was a great time to wind down after a busy, fun day.


We had a great stay at Great Wolf Lodge and were very impressed with all it had to offer. The waterparks and activities make it one of the most kid-friendly, family-oriented resorts we've been to. We had a fantastic time with all the water fun and the great KidCabin room topped it all off. We will definitely be visiting again, and next time I have a feeling we'll be taking more family members with us to enjoy the fun together!

I would highly recommend Great Wolf Lodge as a fun family vacation any time of year! Be sure to visit their website to find a location near you.

**Thanks to Great Wolf Lodge for one complimentary night stay to help facilitate this review. All opinions found here are my own and were not influenced in any way.**