By: Ashley
Earlier this month, I stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, NC. I was there for the Reviewer’s Retreat blog conference, but luckily got to bring Atticus, my brother, and my sister along for the ride. We had a blast!
The Lodge
As soon as you walk into Great Wolf Lodge, you are transported. The attention to detail throughout the Lodge is amazing. The lobby is a warm welcoming place with a massive stone fireplace and plenty of comfy seating. Amid the exposed woodwork, amazing carvings, and animals (don’t worry, not real 
) there is a giant clock tower. This giant clock tower is known as the “Great Clock Tower” and the center of a nightly pajama time show! The clock tower comes to life revealing forest creatures, introducing characters, singing songs, and more. We made sure to take Atticus one night before bed. It was a great way to end the day. 
The Water Park
The Water Park at Great Wolf Lodge was clean, safe, and FUN! To me, those are three major factors when thinking about taking your family to a water park. There was plenty of room in every area… and activities for kids of every age. Atticus could have stayed there all day long. Indoor pools, outdoor pools, pool-side basketball goals (with plenty of balls for everyone), slides for everyone, and a wave pool… it was wonderful. I was really impressed with the variety of things within the park. We spent a lot of time in the area designated for little kids but even that was full of surprising splashes from overhead buckets, a just right slide, and even jet skis that shot water. What about the big kids? My brother and sister took turns going on the big slides with me so that someone was always with Atticus. There are slides big enough and exciting enough to keep even your most daring dare-devil happy! 
The Rooms and Amenities
There are several different styles of rooms at Great Wolf Lodge. The same attention to detail, and maintaining the outdoor lodge atmosphere carries throughout every single room. Whether it is a picture of a bear in a bathtub in the bathroom, or the natural looking wood nightstands, you will always know you are at the lodge. The beds were extremely comfortable and the room was clean. (I know that should be a given, but if you travel, you know it’s not!) The internet connection was smooth and the in house, kid friendly TV station was a huge plus for me. We try not to watch a lot of TV, but it was nice to know there was something there if we needed it. OH! And how can I talk about the room without mentioning the awesome room key? The room keys at Great Wolf Lodge are bracelets (similar to a hospital bracelet). Your room key is always with you (even in the pool), waterproof, and keeps your room completely secure!
Magic Quest
Our trip to Great Wolf Lodge would not have been the same without Magic Quest. Throughout the hotel, there are interactive animals, books, treasure chests, paintings and more. These things come to life with the power of a magic wand. You sign up (or sign your child up) to play this massive interactive fantasy game. After purchasing a magic wand, you are on your way to stop in at the magical forest to receive any instructions you might need for a quest or adventure. After completing tasks throughout the Lodge, you can go on to score points, find a fairy, and maybe even fight a dragon.
Great Wolf Lodge Delivered
There were 2 things that really stood out to me about Great Wolf Lodge. The first is definitely a “Mom Moment.” With a busy toddler who is out of a crib, I hadn’t really thought about bring bedrails (or anything else for him to sleep on). I asked the front desk if they had any cot materials and they offered a pack-n-play. Unfortunately, Atticus is a little big for that. Evidently my face showed my concern, and they instead offered bedrails! In about 10 minutes (pretty fast for a lodge that size), someone had brought bedrails to our room AND installed them for us! AWESOME!
My number one rave about Great Wolf Lodge was the incredible customer service. Every single employee (or “Pack Member” as their called) was friendly, helpful, and polite. It was obvious that customer satisfaction was a priority.
Since Atticus is just barely 2 years old, I hope that we have the chance to head back to the Lodge… GREAT WOLF LODGE! It was a great family trip and one that I would gladly make again.
Meet Ashley (Managing Editor at MomStart): Ashley is a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and former teacher working to navigate through the mysterious world of Mommyia. Read more about her adventures at Momicles and follow her @Momicles2010 .
The kids were SO into the Magic Quest activities!
I wanna go! That is really cool. I have heard such an things about Great Wolf lodge..never anything bad!
I really wanted to go this year, but it just didn’t happen. Thank you for sharing about the Lodge – I’m going to make sure our family is there next year – no matter what
I would love to take my kids to Great Wolf Lodge. I think they would love it.
That looks beautiful. We need to start taking vacations in places outside of FL.