June 13-16, 2024
Located in Kansas City, Kansas, the Great Wolf Lodge is a fantastic attraction for families. Boasting several different indoor and outdoor pools with water slides for every level of rider, a lazy river, and a water fort, the water fun alone is a great draw! The Lodge also offers themed hotel rooms, an arcade, a candy shop, a Build-A-Bear store, mini golf, laser tag, and an interactive themed “quest” the leads the participant on a magical scavenger hunt throughout the hotel. Surprisingly, though the Lodge is only an easy 4 hour drive away from us, none of us had ever been!
Ben, April, Bennett and Ben’s mom, Lisa, all loaded into the car at 6:00 AM Thursday morning to embark on their adventure. With one quick break along the way, the car ride passed quickly with Lisa entertaining Bennett in the backseat while April drove and Ben “navigated” (napped).
Though the hotel’s check-in time isn’t until 4:00 PM, guests can enjoy access to the waterpark for the full day. Shortly after arriving, the group changed into their swimming gear and headed to the water park.
It took Bennett a little time to warm up to the water, but he was soon enjoying the small water slides and splashing in the shallow pool. For lunch the group enjoyed burgers and french fries from the poolside restaurant.
Once we had our daily fill of water fun we checked into our hotel room and ordered pizza from one of the other hotel eateries. Everyone went to bed early after having a travel and fun-filled day!
Day two was filled with more water adventures; with Bennett exploring the lazy river and running through the treehouse. He got brave and tried one of the larger water slides but after getting a face full of water at the bottom he decided he didn’t want to try that one again! The group spent much of the day at the outdoor pool, soaking up the sunshine while Bennett enjoyed the small frog-shaped water slide. Mom and Dad had purchased a “Pup Pass”, allowing Bennett to participate in certain activities at the Lodge. After spending some time in the water, Bennett chose to build a dragon stuffed animal at Build-A-Bear and then ventured into the arcade. Blasting virtual dinosaurs with a water cannon, racing a virtual motorcycle and race car, and riding in a kid-sized Lightning McQueen (from Disney’s “Cars”), Bennett had a great time! Mom, Dad, and Mimi Lisa played a few games too. Bennett was able to collect a few prizes with his hard-earned tickets.
A lovely dinner was enjoyed at another of the hotel’s restaurants before everyone headed to bed.
The third day started out a little rainy but the clouds quickly cleared off so the outdoor pool could still be enjoyed. With events hosted throughout the day to entertain the kids, there was plenty to do both in and out of the pool; though Bennett was happiest floating down the lazy river and sitting in the shallow pool with his family, pretending to be various animals like a “baby racoon”. Mom, Dad, and Mimi took turns floating with Bennett and enjoyed the sunshine with a poolside drink. The last activities on Bennett’s pass were to collect a small bucket of candy from the candy shop (choosing from many different shapes, sizes, and flavors) and a scoop of ice cream from the sweets shop. After another delicious dinner at a hotel restaurant the family relaxed in the hotel room until bed.
In the morning the group packed up their belongings and then enjoyed a full buffet breakfast before loading into the car. Four hours of driving (with a short stop for fuel and snacks) led the family back home.
The trip was a “howling” success! With something to offer everyone there was enough entertainment to keep the group busy and all were able to enjoy some new experiences. Everyone agreed that another trip to Great Wolf Lodge would be planned in the future!