Great Wolf for the Win

Our family had a wonderful time at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas.

The girls and I often like to daydream of trips we would like to take. We recently got to take one of our “big dream trips.” For the past year I have heard people mention Great Wolf Lodge. Previous to this I had not been familiar with this resort. Once I spoke to a few other families, we decided that Great Wolf Lodge would be the perfect adventure to go on with our family.

Being in Tulsa, we have two Great Wolf Lodge locations to choose from. One is located in Kansas City and one in Dallas. I went to Facebook nation to see what other parents felt about these locations. There was a 90% vote for Dallas over KC. So we took the advice of the experienced Great Wolf Lodgers. Also, this was a bonus because one of our favorite families lives in Dallas and joined us, and my little brother is there, too. So the stars where all shining to direct us to Great Wolf Lodge Dallas.

I mentioned to the girls too many sleeps before our departure about all the features I predicted they would love about this adventure. This just equalled weeks of asking if it was time to go to Great Wolf Lodge. Then they would ask to view images on my phone. Shortly thereafter, I started joining their camp of counting down the days.

Upon arriving at Great Wolf Lodge, you are instantly taken by how large this facility truly is. We were there on a very busy week, so check-in and parking took a bit. But the girls were just having fun dancing in the car while we waited for our room keys. Wolf ears arrived with the room keys and we had one instant goal: get to the water.

At Great Wolf Lodge, there are endless options for each detail of your stay. The first detail we chose before arrival was the type of room. Steve and I both thought the bunk beds would be a winner with the girls. Of course, we were not in our rooms a ton, but the girls actually slept well in the bunk beds and thought it was so special to have their own “room” next to ours. The room is actually one large room but they felt like they had their own space. I am discovering that with four-year-olds, independence is their favorite way to roll.

Enjoying their bunk beds

Next stop is getting our buddies Carter and Rosie. When you get off of the elevator to the water park level, you pass by a kid’s shopping fantasy. We will go back to the details on this area in a bit.  When you enter the massive indoor water park, it is impressive. My girls are still learning to swim, so I had them in floaties or a life jacket the entire time.

Ready to swim! 

Every evening they offer a story time. Before they read, they put music on and so the kids can dance. We always decided to just eat in the lobby during this activity. It was a fun and easy way to get dinner taken care of.

Every kid gets wolf ears upon arrival.

My girls like to wake up before the sun. Literally, in the morning it was just us and the employees. There is a Starbucks, so we got coffee and decided to stay in vacation mode and play some video games. We knew the girls wanted to win tickets. It is fun that you can just walk downstairs at any time and have fun options. Once all of our friends woke up, we went to the character breakfast. First breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. The breakfast buffet had awesome options. My favorite was the omelette bar and all of the fruit. The characters dance and allow you to take photos with them. Our crew made sure to take as many photos as possible.

Playing video games before breakfast 

Character breakfast! 

Throughout the resort you see kids wear a Paw Pass. We were one of the families that decided to purchase this pass. There are 3 different options with the pass. The option we chose was a great way to provide a suggested schedule of activities between swimming as much as possible. With the Paw Pass you got to get a glitter tattoo, build a Great Wolf Lodge Character, make a bracelet, money to play video games and a wand. The wand is connected to a series of quests called MagiQuest, CompassQuest and ShadowQuest. Honestly, since my girls just turned 4, they did not really know what they where doing. Except, when we walked by certain points they could open treasure boxes and reveal magic photos, which, let me tell you, they loved each and every time! One evening the parents all decided to grab some adult beverages and go up each flight of stairs to play the Quest games with them. It was one of the highlights of the trip.

Glitter tattoos! 

Fun for the grown-ups, too! 

During our stay at Great Wolf Lodge, one day was warm enough for us to go to the outside pool. They have a beautiful pool that has areas for each age group. Also there are always a huge team of lifeguards on staff to help watch your kids. Outside there is a bar for the adults and some yummy appetizers.

If you are also wanting to take a break out of the water during the day, they offer picnic time. There is an area on the main level with arts and crafts, lemonade, picnic blankets and fun. The crew enjoyed making custom cups and keychains.

This trip is for sure going down as a win. The kids had a blast and so did the adults. Blythe & Reese have decided for their Birthday in 2019, this is their top choice. I enjoyed having everything in one place for a few days. And it was even better to experience it with friends.

Things I would Bring Next Time:

• Waterproof case for my Iphone. We barely have any photos in the actual waterpark. And that was our favorite part of the trip.

• Bring more items for snacks. There is a small fridge and microwave in the rooms.

• Drinks for the entire family. You need to stay hydrated.

• A humidifier for our room when we were sleeping.