A Howling Staycation

To start the decade right, we finally decided to see what Great Wolf Lodge was all about. In Grapevine, Texas, this wilderness themed family resort sits right in the center of DFW right across from Gaylord Texan. This location debuted an 11 million dollar facelift in 2018 and is the brand’s largest resort with 605 rooms.

Walking into The Great Wolf Lodge is like walking into a giant tree house. There is an actual tree right in the lobby and it looks like a big cabin. Everyone in our party was given a wrist band, the adults’ bands can open the room and be used to charge on. We arrived after lunch and ventured straight to our KidKamp Suite. The girls literally screamed with excitement when they saw their bunk bed tent room! We changed into our swimwear and went straight to the water park. I loved the way that they checked our bands, cut the extra piece off, and then proceeded to measure the girls and give them color coded bands based on their height. The nice lady also told us which slides each girl was not allowed on. We spent most of the day playing in the water park. After eating dinner we came back to find the cutest pajama party and dance party in the lobby. We even went down to the arcade and played for a while. The hotel was popping when we woke up too! There was story time and kids yoga in the lobby. The Starbucks on property was perfect for a morning caffeine pick me up. We made sure to hit up both the arcade and the water park one last time before check out! The girls are dying to go back again soon. I outlined all the hotel details that I learned below and hope you get to visit a Great Wolf Lodge soon.

Rooms for every family

• Standard
  • Family: Two queen beds and full sleeper sofa
  • Family with Balcony/Patio
  • Luxury King Suite: King bed and full sleeper sofa
  • Luxury King Suite with Balcony/Patio
  • Queen Sofa Suite
• Themed
  • KidKabin Suite: Queen bed, full sleeper sofa, twin bed and twin bunk beds
  • KidKabin Suite with Balcony/Patio
  • KidKamp Suite Queen bed, full sleeper sofa, twin bunk beds
  • KidKamp Suite with Balcony/Patio
  • Whirlpool Suite: King size bed, full sleeper and private whirlpool in the room
  • Wolf Den Suite: Queen bed, full sleeper sofa, twin bunk beds
  • Wolf Den Suite with Balcony/Patio
• Premium
  • Brown Bear Suite: Master bedroom with King bed, second bedroom with two queen beds, main room with full sleeper sofa and seating area for 6
  • Grand Bear Suite: Master bedroom with King bed, two queen beds and full sleeper sofa in living area
  • Grand Bear Suite with Balcony/Patio
  • Grand Royal Bear Suite: Master bedroom with Queen bed, queen bed in living area with full sleeper
  • Grand Royal Bear Suite Balcony/Patio
  • Grizzly Bear Suite: Master bedroom with King bed, two queens in second room, full sleeper in main room
  • Grizzly Bear Suite Balcony/Patio
  • Loft Suite: second story loft bedroom with Queen bed, two queen beds and full sleeper in main room
  • Majestic Bear Suite: Master bedroom with Queen bed, two queen beds in main room with full sleeper

Things to do

• Water Park: This 80,000 square foot facility houses activities for all ages in a comfortable 84 degrees. With 6 water slides, 2 hot tubs, a wave pool, play pool with lily pad rope course, lazy river, water tree house, and little kid friendly zero entry play pool, cabanas, restaurant with drinks, food, and libations, and even an outdoor pool for warmer weather days, Great Wolf Lodge has water play for everyone in the family.
• Northern Lights Arcade: fun for the whole family, play all sorts of games, for fun or for tickets. Loads of prizes available at different price points. Paw Points are placed on a re-loadable card that doesn’t expire, so you can come back and use your card as often as you want.
• MagiQuest: explore the hotel with a swipe of a wand. Each quest takes 15- 30 minutes and can be stopped and picked up during your stay. The wand will remember your past quests for the next time you visit. Mini Magi Mode is catered for kids 5 and under.
• Compass Quest: An add on layer to MagiQuest, this is for school age and up. Use a compass to unlock 9 adventures. Great for groups! Each game lasts 4-6 hours.
• Build A Bear Workshop: Build a bear just like you would at the regular shop, but you can make Great Wolf Lodge characters as well.
• Howler’s Peak: Indoor ropes course for children 48 inches and taller. Smaller structure is available for younger children accompanied by an adult.

Daily Activities around hotel

• Character meet in greets are available throughout the day.
• Wake up with Wiley and friends in the lobby in the mornings with Yoga Tails. Walk around the lobby on your Wolf Walk and see the Northwood Friends Show.
• Party in your PJs every night. Meet one of the Wolf Kids, enjoy story time, and dance party with all your new friends.
• Throughout the day enjoy an animated woodland show at The Great Clock Tower Show.

What to pack

• Shampoo and conditioner– You’ll be in the water often and the one’s offered don’t cut it after all the chlorinated waterfalls you’ll be enjoying
• Swimsuits and cover ups
• Flip flops or water shoes
• Beach bag if you want to bring anything extra down to the pool
• Pajamas and slippers for the kids to wear during the night time activities
• Sneakers if you are wanting to enjoy the ropes courses

Til the next one,