Recently we were invited to stay and check out the brand new Great Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs. We’ve shared our excitement for this resort from the start, but the experience blew our expectations out of the water– even faster than a drop on the Wolf Tail!
Individually they are enough to consider a Great Wolf Lodge vacation, but together, these 7 reasons are more than enough to prove why Great Wolf Lodge should be your next Colorado family vacation.
1. The Suites
Great Wolf Lodge Resort offers accommodations for each budget and family size. While you probably won’t find yourself in your suite too often there are three suite categories available.
These suites can accommodate parties of 6 and smaller. We were given a Deluxe Queen Suite and found that it had plenty of room for our family of 5. All suites, including these offer a mini-fridges, microwaves, coffee makers.
These adorable suites feature either the Wolf Pup Den or the KidCabins. They can host parties of 7 or smaller and boast a special cave or cabin themed area complete with bunk beds for the kiddos.
Catering to those with larger families or those traveling with a group, these suites can accommodate parties of 9 and smaller. They have a separate bedroom and much more space.
2. The Water Park
The water park offers plenty of entertainment for kids and kids-at-heart of all ages and swimming abilities. Our toddler to our tween found hours of enjoyment swimming, splashing and sliding. There are so many incredible attractions but, my almost teen loved Wolf Tail and the Howlin’ Tornado, my 5-year-old adored Alberta Falls, and my toddler enjoyed splashing in Slap Tail Pond.
Fun Fact: No need to bring your flotation devices from home. They have all styles and sizes available to use for the day!
3. The Adventure Park
Need to dry off for a little? The fun only continues in the Great Wolf Adventure Park. Here you can climb the 21′ Rustic Ridge climbing wall, test your bravery with the Howlers Peak Ropes Course, sift for precious stones, play a round of mini golf, sharpen your skills at the arcade or with a game of mini-bowling, build your own stuffed animals at the Creation Station, or explore the giant clubhouse. Again, there was something for everyone and the whole family had an incredible time adventuring together.
4. The Food
I can proudly say we tried each and every dining location during our stay. Calories don’t count on vacation, right? I also had the opportunity to listen to Chris Hammond, the Corporate Director of Food & Beverage of Great Wolf Lodge Resorts. He was comically honest in his recount of getting rid of the old menus and starting over with all food and beverage in the Resorts. He stated that he read each and every TripAdvisor and other reviews, as painful and heart wrenching as they sometimes were, so he could better understand where the problems lay and how they could fix them.
During his presentation at our media lunch, you could tell how passionate he was about food and creating an experience for each guest. He listed some of the questions they consider when choosing ingredients and creating each dish. Things like, “Is it non-GMO? Does it contain less than 5 ingredients? Can it be made gluten-free? Is it “clean” eating?”
Another topic he was passionate about, and is found with the same passion in the resorts, is allergies. Not only do they take dietary needs seriously and have special procedures in place to make sure there is no contamination, they’re enthusiastic about creating special opportunities for those guests. Say for instance there is a guest with gluten allergy, they will go above and beyond to find out and make what that guest is craving, whether it be mac & cheese or baked goods or pizza, you name it.
5. MagiQuest and Clubhouse Crew
My “too cool” pre-teen pretended he wasn’t excited about our stay. He played it cool and was happy to go, but he usually makes sure he doesn’t seem to eager or happy. I told him about MagiQuest and I got the usual reaction. Wands in hand we went to try it out and struggled a bit at first trying to figure out how to begin. After a bit though, he figured it out and then explained to the rest of us how it worked and what we all needed to do. With each successful task, I could see him getting more and more excited. Once he finished the first mission, he wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore and by the end of our 3-day-stay he had achieved the title of Master Magi. It was fun for him and for all of us and nice to see his teen-typical somber attitude show genuine excitement.
Both MagiQuest and Clubhouse Crew are interactive games played throughout the resort. MagiQuest is for older kids and involves finding items throughout the resort to help you complete your magical adventure. You can purchase wands, costumes, toppers and the such in the MagiQuest store.
The Clubhouse Crew game is for little kids and involves “playing” with their Creation Station pals at certain areas throughout the resort. It was cute too and had my little ones filled with delight as they’s go find the next station.
6. The Characters and Lobby Activities
From early in the morning to late at night, you can find Wiley, Violet and friends in the resort lobby hosting a variety of scheduled activities. We could Wake Up with Wiley and Friends, spend lunchtime doing activities and even enjoy Nightly Story Time in our pajamas! After a big day of water thrills and adventuring, Nightly Story Time was the perfect way to begin winding down for the evening.
7. Family Togetherness
This is hands down my hubby’s and my favorite reason and while we’ll be visiting again soon. We roamed the halls together as a family battling dragons and collecting ancient runes. We spent a whole splashtastic day racing down water slides, catching waves and getting soaked. We faced our fears, we danced with new friends, we encouraged a little friendly competition, we laughed until we couldn’t breathe, we smiled so much our cheeks hurt, it was quality time we spent together and fully absorbed in each other. From the pre-teen to the toddler to us, we all had a fantastic time and we all enjoyed spending it together.
I hope you have the chance to check out the new Great Wolf Lodge Resort in Colorado Springs with your family soon too! I’d love to hear if you have or are planning a visit to any Great Wolf Lodge in the comments below!
Along with the stay, we were given certain experiences and perks as guests of Great Wolf Lodge Resorts in order to write a complete and full review. The opinions in this article are strictly my own and 100% honest to our experience. For more information please see the Disclosures page.
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