A few weeks ago my husband’s cousin invited us to go with them to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grandmound, WA. We’d heard really good things about this place from friends and family and had wanted to take the kids here for ages! We got an awesome deal on Groupon and took off mid-week, before spring break, which was the perfect time to go. 

We arrived late, after driving for almost 4 hours. We checked in, and got wrist bands that acted as our key cards and credit cards. They gave the kids some cute wolf-ears, then we arrived at our KidCabin room and the kids LOVED the bunk beds, the cute cabin style decor, and having their own TV in their room.

The room also had a mini fridge and a microwave. We’d heard that the food at the Great Wolf Lodge was nothing special, and very overpriced, so we brought our own food in, and were SO glad we did!

If you want an idea of what to take: for breakfast I made a big batch of Steelcut oats, reheated them in the microwave, and served them with some brown sugar. We also brought bananas and granola bars. For snacks I made oatmeal cookies, and brought chips and fruit (which helped with the long drives). For lunches: I made bagels with cream cheese, and chicken salad croissant sandwiches, which were so nice to pull out from the fridge already made. For dinner I pre-made a white chicken chili, then reheated it in the microwave and served it with cornbread.

You’re not allowed to take any food or drink by the pool, except for water. We were glad we brought our own case of waters in with us. The kids were excited to have ice cream one day. They have GOOD ice cream there! The Lodge has a daily list of activities. The earliest is the Great Clock Tower Show which starts at 9, and helps pass the time, because the pool doesn’t open until 10a.m! Look at the anticipation of these kids! It’s best lining up outside the doors to get in there right at 10. It’s quietest first thing in the morning so you don’t have to line up or wait for the flumes, and you can also reserve the pool chairs or tables that you’ll need. They go pretty quickly! When we got in, the big kids ran off right away with their cousins to explore, while we took the babes to the splash pad and slides. There was so much to do, and definitely something for ALL ages to love!
There’s Braden getting blasted by the big bucket of water that dumps down every 5-10 mins. He’s braver than I!
And here’s our cute little crew! My advice if you’re looking to go to the Great Wolf Lodge, especially with young kids, is to go with friends! Our kids loved it more for having friends to play with, and the adults took turns babysitting the little ones, so we could ride the flumes and slides {which is the BEST part about the whole place!} We got rooms next door, so at night we could chat and laugh and hang out while the kids were asleep.

During the day the Mum’s took the babies upstairs for naps while the Dad’s took the big kids to the arcade for a couple of hours. It was nice for them to take a break from swimming for a while. The heat in there, and the chlorine can wear you out quickly!
One night the Mums took the big kids to the dance party in the lobby, while the Dad’s stayed with the sleeping babies. That was really fun! The girls had their eyes on some glow in the dark cotton candy, and at the end of the party, they had some left and just gave it to them for free, which made their night!

On the last day we checked out at around 11.30a.m. (We asked kindly at the front desk if we could have a little later checkout, and they gave it to us for free because it was relatively quiet– (and because I have a nice British accent that charms people into saying yes a lot!) 😉

We took a spare change of clothes and waters to the pool with us for the day, the babes took naps on us, and on makeshift towel beds by the pool, and when everyone was ready to leave, we were able to change in the bathrooms. They have one big communal room, or toilet stools, which are really dirty! P.S. Don’t forget to bring a plastic bag to take your wet clothes home in. I spaced that detail, but my friend had my back.
So, to sum up: The Great Wolf Lodge could use some clean locker rooms for changing and some good affordable pool side food, otherwise– I have zero complaints about this place! Everyone LOVED it, and would definitely go back again. I hope these tips have been handy for any first timers like us out there!

HAVE FUN! <3 Sarah