My older kids (13 and 11) have always LOVED Great Wolf Lodge, so for Abram’s 11th birthday, he requested another visit. We hadn’t been since before Covid, and I was a little nervous that the two boys would be too old to enjoy everything. Wrong! They had a great time, and their 2-year-old sister and 6-year-old twin cousins did, too. There is so much that you can do with one night at Great Wolf Lodge!
Lobby
As you enter, the main attraction is the Great Clock Tower, which has shows intermittently throughout the day. In addition, we had our visit during spring break, so we got to see the “Spring Breakout” decor; the highlight of this was the colorful umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. The spring break celebration included dance parties, yoga, crafts, and games; they really make it seem like an all-inclusive resort for kids! We have also visited over winter break when they make it snow inside the building and hand out snow wolf ears. There is typically a seasonal celebration happening no matter when you choose to go.
Rooms
We went ahead and booked a one-night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, NC. We initially were going to do it over a weekend, but cost for a Sunday/Monday was basically half the price (~$200 versus ~$400). When the boys were younger, we would get the bunk suite, which is sectioned off and includes its own T.V., but this time we went for the cheaper option of two queens. Our room was huge and included a living area with full-sized sleeper and a vaulted ceiling. The outdoorsy decor was really cute, too.
Water Park
Of course, we were barely in our room at all. My older kids split their time between the water park and MagiQuest, a game where kids run around the entire hotel using wands to complete quests (more on that below). The water park in Charlotte includes a wave pool, over five big slides, a water fort treehouse, a children’s area, a basketball pool, and an obstacle pool. The fort area also includes a dump bucket; the ringing bell signals that it is getting ready to tip, so your kids might either want to run toward it or get out of the way!
There is also a restaurant in the pool area, Buckets, that serves basic American fare and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). If you happen to have older kids, you could grab yourself a drink while the kids enjoy the slides. Having a restaurant inside of the water park is really handy so that you don’t have to leave to eat.
Tickets to the water park are included with your stay. While check-in is at 4:00, you can start using the water park at 1:00. (We actually got a text the day of saying that we could start using the water park even earlier.) Checkout is at 11:00, but you have access to the water park until close. Towels are provided.
Hours for the water park are typically 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
MagiQuest
Even more than the water park, my kids LOVE MagiQuest. It’s fairly complicated to explain (and, quite frankly, to play), but essentially, you get a wand (with or without a topper) and run around the hotel on quests. Some of the tasks you have to do require physical objects that open or light up with the wand, and some of them are more like you are in a life-sized video game doing things like defeating a dragon with your wand. My older kids love video games, so this is perfect for them. If you have younger kids, they might not understand the tasks for the quests, but they will enjoy running around the hotel pointing their wands at things and seeing what happens. MagiQuest is not included in your hotel price, but current pricing is below:
Wand (Depending on type chosen): $19.99-$24.99
Game $16.99
Wand Toppers (Depending on type chosen): $17.99-$19.99
MagiQuest Bundle (Vellara Wand and Game): $34.99
There is an entire MagiQuest store in Great Wolf Lodge, and the workers there can help explain the game to you. They will also answer your questions if you are stuck in your quest. You will probably need their help in the beginning as it takes a bit of time to understand what you are actually supposed to do for the quest.
Side Note: If you have a previously purchased wand, it will save your earlier quests. We had a wand pre-Covid, and it still worked and had game data from more than four years ago.
Wolf Pass, Paw Pass, Pup Pass
If you are want to experience a little bit of everything, you might be interested in getting a Great Wolf Lodge pass. These are divided into a Wolf Pass, Paw Pass, or Pup Pass. Here are the differences:
Wolf Pass — $99.99
- One MagiQuest or ShadowQuest game
- Choice of classic wand, standard topper or Magi belt
- One Build a Bear animal (outfit not included)
- One small souvenir Great Wolf cup filled with candy
- One scoop of Bear Paw Ice Cream
- One Northern Lights Arcade Paw Points game card ($5)
- One Oliver’s Mining Sluice experience
- One round at Howl in One Mini Golf
- One movie at Howly Wood XD Theater
- One game of bowling at Ten Paw Alley
- One game at AtomicRUSH
- One game of Laser Tag
Paw Pass — $79.99
- One MagiQuest or ShadowQuest game
- Choice of classic wand, standard topper or Magi belt
- One small Great Wolf Lodge Candy Shop candy cup
- One scoop of Bear Paw Ice Cream
- One Paw Points game card for Northern Lights Arcade ($5)
- One game of Lazer Tag
- One game at AtomicRUSH
- One play in our interactive Howlywood XD Theater
- One pair of Great Wolf swim goggles
Pup Pass — $59.99
- One Build a Bear animal (outfit not included)
- One pair of Great Wolf swim goggles
- One small Great Wolf Lodge Candy Shop candy cup
- One scoop of Bear Paw Ice Cream
- One Paw Points game card for Northern Lights Arcade ($5)
We bought a Paw Pass when the boys were younger, and they loved all of the activities. Since my kids have been to Great Wolf Lodge a couple of times, they knew that they wanted to spend all of their time at the water park and MagiQuest this time, but their 6-year-old cousins got a pass and enjoyed getting to explore most of what Great Wolf Lodge had to offer.
Food
Since there is so much to do with only one night at Great Wolf Lodge, we typically eat onsite. Other than Buckets, there are two nicer restaurants (Loose Moose Family Kitchen and Lodge Wood Fired Grill), a pizza and pasta restaurant (Hungry as a Wolf), a bakery (Bear Paw), and Dunkin’ Donuts. While convenient, restaurants onsite are pricey, and you could probably find more quality food for the price outside of the hotel. With that said, we have gotten the breakfast buffet at Loose Moose Family Kitchen before, and it was very good. If you choose to go the cheaper route of Dunkin’ Donuts in the morning, be prepared for a really long wait. If you already know that you are not going to leave the hotel at all during your stay, dining packages are available for a cheaper price.
Shopping
An all-inclusive hotel wouldn’t be complete without places to buy their merchandise. Great Wolf Lodge has a gift shop, a swim shop, a candy shop, a Build-a-Bear shop, and a MagiQuest shop. You can get souvenirs, swimsuits, food, MagiQuest supplies, and any forgotten essentials in these shops.
Enjoy Your Trip!
Great Wolf Lodge has always been one of my kids’ favorite places to go for a short weekend vacation. We have always just spent one night at Great Wolf Lodge when we go, but there is so much to do that kids could stay in the hotel for days on end without leaving!
