I’m a little late to post this but last month we visited and stayed two nights at the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC! This is our second time visiting and we still found it just as fun, if not even more fun than the first time!
You can read about our first trip to GWL here. We planned to make it an annual winter trip but last year Ella broke her arm and then Covid-19 hit the world. I did a lot of research before coming because we are taking this pandemic very seriously, Great Wolf Lodge has an amazing program called Paw Pledge to keep their guests and staff safe and healthy against Covid-19. I’ll share more about that on this post. I’m so glad we finally made it, it was such a fun time!
We arrived on a Monday afternoon, checked in and headed straight to our room. We stayed in a Kid Kamp Suite with a patio and it was beautiful! The kids had their own area/room with bunk beds. They were so excited about this because they’ve never slept in bunk beds before.
We unpacked and put our swimsuit on and headed straight to the pool!
We spent the entire evening at the pool, even ordered pizza (from Hungry As A Wolf in the resort) so we didn’t have to leave.
It’s hard to believe that the last time we were here the kids were wearing floaties the entire time and we wouldn’t let them more than a foot away from us. Now they are so independent and swimming like little fishies!
I mentioned the Paw Pledge above and wanted to share about it some more. I was SO impressed with how Great Wolf Lodge is handling Covid-19. You can read more about it on their website but here are the things I specifically loved: travel flexibility (you can cancel for a full refund or change to a future date without penalties), masks are required by everyone 5 and over except while eating or swimming (most under 5 were wearing masks though too), cleaning enhanced protocols, hand sanitizer stations all throughout the resort, 6 feet social distancing, many contactless environments/procedures (you can order your meals on their app), etc! Honestly, we felt very safe this entire trip which made it that much more special.
The next morning, we got donuts from Dunkin Donuts (by the lobby), I love that you never have to leave the resort…everything is here!
We then headed back to the pool to swim!
Our only goal for the day was swimming and eating, we did that from 10-4! We ate lunch by the pool (Buckets Incredible Craveables in the waterpark) and even had an ice-cream snack.
The rare photo of just the two of us!
The kids started getting very cranky so we decided to head back to the room to shower and take a little nap.
That evening, we used our Pup Passes to head to Build-A-Bear. They both made wolves. Ella named hers Harriet and Camden named his Wolfie. 😉
If you have kids, I highly recommend these!! You can find out more about the different Paw Passes here. With our passes, the kids got to: Build a Bear, pick out goggles, arcade tokens, select candy, and get ice-cream. They always think this is so fun! It’s those little extra things that make trips so special!
Then it was dinner at the Lodge Wood Fire Grill and OH MY GOODNESS was it GOOD!! We got the Bavarian Pretzel for an appetizer and a salad. Judd got the mac and cheese and the kids both got cheeseburgers. I had the Wild Mushroom Pappardelle and it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever had and I eat a lot of food, haha!
Camden saw someone order a “big cookie” so we ordered that for dessert, the Warm Soft Baked Skillet Cookie and it was incredible!
We were all in a food coma after this so we headed back to the room to chill before bed!
The next morning consisted of eating breakfast at the Loose Moose Cottage and then we headed home with our new wolf friends.
It was an incredible getaway and I already can’t wait for next year. I think both kiddos will be tall enough to ride the biggest slides by then, ahh!! Thank you so much to the Great Wolf Lodge for hosting us!
Anosa
What a lovely getaway, I could do with one what such a long time, and glad to see sanitizer stations installed.
Brianna
I loved that too!
Nikki Wayne
Such a lovely place to explore with my family. Thanks for recommending.
Brianna
You’re welcome! 🙂
Melissa Dixon
I have yet to go there but a lot of the moms in my circles are talking about possibly going. They always ask me to check it out and give them my review but I think I will have to send them over here to see yours, great pictures!
Brianna
It’s a great place to visit with kids!
Lynndee
What a fun place for the whole fam to enjoy. Looks like y’all had a blast.
Brianna
Thanks! We did!
melissa chapman
Great wolf Lodge is a great place and we took our kids there many times when they were young. It is so nice to see that it is still open in these times.
Brianna
It is! I am too, I really appreciated how safe they are being!
Rose Ann Sales
Great sleepwear you have there. And I also love it that you don’t have to leave the resort just to buy some stuff.
Brianna
That is definitely a perk!
Kathy
This looks like such an amazing place. I have been wanting to take my girls here for some time now. We’re hoping to go to the one in WI Dells sometime. It looks like a blast!
Brianna
That would be so fun!!
Beth
It looks like your family had a lot of fun together! The big cookie looks so yummy!
Brianna
It was delicious!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN
It sounds like so much fun there. We really need a family holiday. Hopefully soon!
Brianna
I hope you get to soon too!
Chef Dennis
Oh wow! This place is wonderful! I will definitely bring my family here. I am so glad to see you and your family having so much fun.
Brianna
Thank you so much!
Kuntala
Great Wolf Lodge looks like an amazing place to take a vacation with the family. I love how much there is to do there.
Brianna
I feel the exact same!
Nomadic Memoir
Looks like a great place to spend time with kids. It is good that health safety precautions are in place.
Brianna
It was very fun! I’m thankful they were being safe too!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
This is such a wonderful place for the kids! I will add this on my bucket list,
Brianna
It definitely is!
Cristina Petrini
What a beautiful place! What a dream! I love these places so much and here, in Italy, they are all closed! It’s crazy bullshit, the more they all close and the more the infections rise the more they open and the more they go down … I envy you very much!
Brianna
Aww I hope things get back to normal for you soon! Things are definitely still not back to normal here but were making progress.
Mae
What a great weekend getaway you had! Looks like you all had fun! Dang! I’m reminded we haven’t had a getaway since this pandemic started!
Ntensibe Edgar
Aaawwww….this is so nice to see you people out there again! And the Great Wolf looks just perfect, in this time of the year.
Janeane M Davis
Great Wolf lodge is such a great place to go for family fun. My children have loved it every time they have gone.
Elise Ho
I was a speaker at an event at Great Wolf Lodge several years ago. I was extremely impressed by who well they ran the events and the property itself. It looks as if you had a great time.