The day after school got out, we did an overnight stay at the local Great Wolf Lodge with Steve’s parents. We’ve stayed at similar places while living in Wisconsin (the Dells) but it’s been years and we only had two kids at the time.
Although Steve’s parents live close and we see them frequently, and they’re able to support our kids in their events, sometimes its nice to have some uninterrupted quality time without the distractions of life. This was the perfect little getaway to accomplish this.
This place is geared towards families and leans heavily towards younger families. Having said that, Hallie had a great time playing with her siblings on their level. She would have enjoyed far more intense water slides, but she had a great time. It’s a small enough area that the kids paired up and went their different directions and you could see them all most of the time. They also had an outdoor pool that was colder than I would’ve expected in Arizona this time of year and the hot tub was not so much hot, but more lukewarm which is perfect this time of year. 🙂
Outside of the waterpark they also had other entertainment options – the Magi Quest, with an interactive wand, kept the kids busy for hours – no joke. Its a scavenger hunt/quest where kids are finding items throughout the property and waving their wand at it and then they go to interactive stations where it tells them what to do/where to go next. It’s geared for a little older, perfect for Bennett’s age and he could do it without supervision. The younger kids had a blast, but required Bennett’s help on some parts. It seems silly, but when you’re done with the water, it was a great activity. They also have a tiny miniature golf area, two lane bowling alley and small ropes course. Naturally, the only thing included in the room rate was the waterpark, and the kids have to walk by the other activities to get to the waterpark. It’s like a dang grocery store – why in the world is the milk in the back?! They clearly know their audience.
Bennett was quick to say he would love to go back – I think the whole family would enjoy another stay. However, in the future, we will definitely be avoiding the weekend.
