Discovering a Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, OH sealed the deal on a family trip my husband and I were considering to Chicago and Kentucky to visit friends and a few select museums. Little did we know, it would become the highlight of our trip making it the best family vacation ever. No exaggeration. Great Wolf Lodge has a lot to offer such as activities, storytimes, quest games, an arcade, miniature golf, a toddler suitable bowling alley, fitness center, a spa, restaurants, stores, and an amazing water park in a single location.
"Why in the world would I travel from California to the Midwest for a family vacation?", you might ask. Because it is budget friendly, believe it or not, as long as you are willing to make a few adjustments. And there are amazing things to see and experience out there! We flew on Southwest Airlines from Oakland - Chicago - Cincinnati and back at a very low rate. We visited spectacular museums, more on that later. We also got an amazing deal at Great Wolf Lodge.
Great Wolf Lodge has several special offers per location which make the cost per night extremely reasonable, especially at this location when you consider California hotel rates. If you are able to plan at least 60 days ahead, you can save up to 40% on hotel rates. We planned our trip last minute and instead got an exclusive member deal which gave us a 20% discount and $50 food credit. We booked a family suite for $169.99 a night with $50 towards food per day (this includes entrance to the water park for your whole party). Steal, right? Not to mention, as a courtesy to a member of the media, I was surprised with a free room upgrade to the kid cabin suite.
When we arrived around 8 P.M. on a Saturday night, we walked into a dance party AKA "Hustle and Howl" where kids in their jammies were jamming! Upon check in, we were handed some wolf ears for the kids to wear which got them super excited. We were also provided with our waterpark bracelets which would give us access to the park from the day of arrival through closure of the park the day of departure. This was included in the nightly hotel fee. The kids were mesmerized by the Great Clock Tower which is the centerpiece of the lobby where a nightly storytime occurs.
When we reached our room, we used our adult water park bracelets, which had an embedded RFID chip, as the keys to our rooms. Upon opening the door, we noticed a section of the suite was walled off and decorated as a kids cabin. In it were a set of bunk beds and a third individual bed, a nightstand, and a television. You can imagine the kids excitement to have their own cabin within our hotel room!
The suite boasted an incredible amount of space with a king bed, sofa, and gas fireplace. We had the convenience of a bar area with a sink, small refrigerator, coffee maker, and microwave which we love because it allows us to buy and store some of our own food. The usual amenities of WiFi, safe, television, phone, hair dryer, AC, and table with chairs were of course included.
I'm not going to lie. I couldn't envision this place providing all the entertainment we would need for a three night stay, so I was anticipating going to King's Island (largest amusement and waterpark in the Midwest). It is conveniently located right across the parking lot. I thought for sure we'd go for at least one full day. Thank goodness we did not buy tickets to King's Island ahead of time! We scratched those plans when we realized there was plenty to do at Great Wolf Lodge.
The water park had a super fun wave pool, Slap Tail Pond, that even my toddler enjoyed. There was a lilly pad obstacle course called Big Foot Pass, a pool with basketball hoops called Chinook Cove, a ton of spray/pail features, slides small and big, family rides and much more. Our favorite family ride was Coyote Cannon which had a huge thrilling vortex. It was a blast and truly exhausted the entire family.
We got the Paw Pass for our six year old and Pup Pass for our two year old. You get a paw hanging on a lanyard that lists a number of activities and treats you can claim at various stores and locations throughout the resort. The Paw Pass includes the MagiQuest game and wand while the Pup Pass includes the Clubhouse Crew Adventure. Both passes include a creation station animal which is a stuffed animal you can build and dress.
It took my six year old and I two days between activities to complete the MagiQuest game where a Magi sends you on a search for special treasures. You must solve riddles to find all the treasures required to complete a mission. Completion of certain missions leads you onto adventures such as the slaying of a dragon. It's quite a workout as you're sent on a search up and down floors across the entire hotel. Make sure to bring comfortable shoes for that, hahaha!
The Clubhouse Crew Adventure is a simpler quest that can be played with the younger kiddos if you buy one of the Great Wolf mascots at the Creation Station and ask for the game chip to be inserted in your stuffed animal. We ran out of time and weren't able to do it :( There are also more complicated quests for older kids and adults to play such as the Shadow Quest and Compass Quest.
The Northern Lights Arcade was another favorite. The games are made for kids as young as 2 years of age to enjoy, but adults can enjoy them too. Since we were on "California time" we enjoyed the arcade late into the night while other guests were sleeping being that it is open 24 hours. The games reward players with a generous amount of tickets which gets the kiddos super excited. It was so much fun.
My daughter especially loved Scoops kid spa and the royal treatment she got there. She got to wear a plush robe and wear a precious princess crown which she got to take home. It was so fun to get a mommy daughter pedicure and foot massage using our favorite ice cream fragrances. My daughter picked vanilla while I picked strawberry.
Every week, my little girl tells whomever will listen about our most amazing family vacation at the hotel with the water park. She asks when we will go back. She even draws pictures of our trip. It's so heartwarming. Just this week we saw a Groupon deal for the Anaheim Great Wolf Lodge and decided to book a few days in February to celebrate her birthday. Shhhhhhhh! It's a secret ;)
Needless to say, whether you embark on an adventure to the midwest like we did or choose another destination with a Great Wolf Lodge nearby, do include this family resort in your vacation plans. Your family will love it. It's about that time to start planning spring break anyway!
Macaroni Kid Folsom - El Dorado Hills received a free room upgrade in consideration of this review. All opinions and statements are sincere and my own.
