If you’re looking for a fun-filled, jam-packed weekend away with your family, look no further than Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos! Kristy was heading to PA for her nephew’s birthday, and when she realized she would only be ten minutes from Great Wolf Lodge, she thought she’d grab the kids and pack the bags and head up a day earlier than originally planned. She doesn’t get to sneak away often with the fam, but when she does, she tries to make the most of her trip – so she thought “let’s make this a weekend to remember!” and booked the room. See her recap of her weekend at Great Wolf Lodge with her family below.
It was about a 3.5-hour trip from where we live, so we stopped for lunch at Barley Creek Brewing Company prior to checking into the hotel. Let me tell you, we were so satisfied – get the fried pickle appetizer, it was so good! Everything really was delicious…we had nachos, the B.L.T., wings (my husband especially loved that they were dry rubbed – he said they were super tasty) and two kid’s meals. No dessert for us – that stuffedddd me beyond my waistband. They make their own beer and spirits and have a great variety of drinks options, too!
Upon arriving at Great Wolf Lodge, we noticed lots of construction happening, and naturally we became nervous about how it would interfere with our stay. Parking was a bit confusing, and we weren’t sure if we were going to find a spot or not. I later found out that the weekend we chose happened to be a Pocono race and people were just checking in to attend it (even if they didn’t have kids). This really is a hotel that is geared towards families, so that was a bummer, but we didn’t let that stop us from making the best of it.
When it came to booking our room, I wanted to make sure it was going to be spacious for the 4 of us. The wolf den option was AMAZING! My daughter would not stop talking about having her own TV in her room. We even had a pullout sofa that helped with my littlest one when my kids didn’t want to sleep on the top bunk! They also have a wolf den that sleeps 3.
I was able to get an all-in-one package with my room which, hands down, is so worth it! I added the Pup Pass onto my package because it included a little more with my stay! The all-in-one package with the Pup Pass included: a souvenir cup that was refillable with soft drinks for our entire stay for FREE, a build-a-bear stuffed animal that your little one can make and stuff with a heart they make a wish on, 15% off an outfit for their plush toy, a candy cup that they can fill with candy, 25% off bubble wands (the wolf snow wand is awesome!), unlimited water park, mini golf, bowling, coal maze, discount on the gem rocks, a breakfast voucher, $100 dinner voucher, magi quest wands with light, a $20 arcade card, and the kids even got free wolf ears at the front desk to get them in the wolf mood…am I forgetting something?! We didn’t know where to start…my kids knew though – onto the Magi Quest!!
This was so neat! Throughout the hotel, there were “stations” that the kids could wave their wands over to collect coins and gems and complete different tasks! We were running from one end of the hotel to the next, but it was so fun. My kids were so excited to see what our next task was going to be…if you tried to jump ahead it would quickly remind you that you’re not there yet and tell you to come back later, so it kept you on the right track! Even after the quest was finished, my kids wanted to bring their wands every time we left our room so they could interact with everything all over again! The bottoms of the wand were the ones that came with my package, but they have more options you can upgrade to! My kids picked the two LED lights, and they had many more to pick from! (That also came included in my package).
Each hallway of the hotel had a different theme and a different item to unlock with your wand. I loved the blue light effect.
After our quest, the kids wanted to make build-a-bear plushes that they could cuddle with in bed. They had a couple that came included in our package and more you could upgrade to. My kids went with Violet and Oliver (both came included), and I grabbed 15% off each outfit my kids chose for them!
Before we knew it was time for dinner! From what I heard, this Fireside restaurant was a new addition they added to replace a buffet that was there prior. This American restaurant was great – we had dinner vouchers and breakfast vouchers that applied to Fireside (you do need to sit down and eat in order for it to be applied). What didn’t we order?? The crispy Brussel sprouts appetizer was so good we ordered it twice! My son loved the kids’ chicken fingers, and my daughter ordered the cheeseburger and devoured it. My husband ordered the strip and we shared the pretzel bread crumb mac and cheese. I had the BBQ chicken salad, and it was huge but so good with lots of flavor! Lastly, they had a mushroom flatbread special that I could not pass up! It was also super tasty. Highly recommend. When dinner was done – off to get our free scoop of ice cream from their woodland creamery (yup, that was included too)! We went with scoops of cotton candy and mint chocolate chip!
After ice cream, we all wanted to play some games!! I swear I get more excited over arcade games than my children do…brings back childhood memories, and those claw machines don’t stand a chance with me! (My kids walked out with 11 stuffed animals).
Even though checkout was 11am, we still had the option to use the amenities, and we took advantage of mini golf, bowling and – my daughter’s favorite – the interactive coal mine maze followed by a gem search! (Gems/stones were extra but I also got the discount with my package). We didn’t even get the chance to do the waterpark, but they are expanding their outdoor area by 40,000 square feet with seven new slides! We will be back for sure and if you have little ones, I highly recommend taking a trip to the Poconos and checking them out! Our next stop – Kalahari in November…hopefully!
Groupon currently is running special rates for Great Wolf Lodge, and if you’re looking for some Halloween fun for the family, check out the Howl-O-Ween Events that the lodge is holding from September 28 – October 31!! Events vary by location, but include things like a Monster Bash Dance Party, a Trick-or-Treat Trail, Howl-O-Ween Crafts, Howl-O-Ween Trivia and Boo Bingo, a costume contest, and more!!
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