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Arriving at Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono Mountains, PA

Last Sunday, we arrived at Great Wolf Lodge for a one-night (two day) stay to celebrate the twins’ 10th birthday. The boys chose this trip over a party with friends at a pool, a laser tag arena, bowling, etc., and it was a great family getaway.

The view from above the park, from windows in the lodge lobby.

A one-night stay at the Lodge included four passes to the giant indoor water park that the Lodge is famous for. Guests may use the water park on the day of check-in, beginning at 1pm, and after check-out the next day, until 9pm.

The whole place has almost too many amenities to list, including four eateries, a bowling alley, arcade, and Starbucks. Some cost additional money, but others, like a kids’ Cub Club with crafts and games, as well as an evening story time, are FREE.

Hope you enjoy our photos. There are ten other locations across U.S. and one in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I’d recommend it for families with kids ages 2 and up, as well as young adults who love water parks. Seriously. We saw young couples, youth groups, and families with at least three generations at the park together.

Hope you enjoy our pictures!

Will and Evan under the front entrance.

A few of the hundreds of animal carvings and decor around the lodge.

It was the twins’ first stay at a hotel EVER. All rooms at the lodge are suites, and some (which we did NOT spring for) have log cabins WITHIN the room, with bunk beds for the kids or corners that are tents for the kids to sleep in. Ours was the most basic room, with two queen beds and a fold-out sofa (which Evan claimed, because he wanted his own bed).

Evan’s territory…

Will, happy with a queen bed to himself!

Amazing view from our balcony – it went on for miles….

Sunday afternoon we spent a few hours at the water park, headed out to Pocono Brewing Company for dinner, and returned to the lodge with plans to return to the water park. Everybody was up for it, but me (designated family party pooper, ask any of them, ha ha).  I was having a hard time reconciling the huge burger and local brew I’d just enjoyed with going back down the water slide any time soon. The boys, however, were WAY into it. Go figure…it may have been the Mountain Dew.

Pocono Brewery’s ‘Other Woman’ IPA

Evan on Mountain Dew

BUT, I suited up and was glad that I did. We splashed until almost 9 pm and finished the evening at the lodge’s ice cream parlor, before crashing for the night. Interesting note: the lodge makes an announcement over loudspeakers at a bit after 9 pm, reminding everyone that “hibernation begins at 11pm, please be considerate of other guests and keep the noise down.” Now THAT is my kind of hotel. Totally quieted down, even before the “hibernation” hour. NICE.

The next morning, we started with the breakfast buffet, checked out and spent a few more hours at the park, before heading home.

These stairs divide into lines for five of the water slides. The waits were VERY reasonable, for the three that we did over and over (and over and over — giving me the only real exercise I had during the trip!)

A few of the slides actually leave the building before they……

….splash down inside. We all loved these!

Heading for the Lazy River…

Playing basketball in the pool.

Scott navigating the cargo net. There is a nasty rumor going around that there is also a picture of ME doing this, but you can’t prove it (because I deleted that particularly unflattering .jpeg a few minutes ago!).

Body slides we raced in, down from the top of the Fort Mackenzie.

All in all, a great, GREAT time was had by all, and we MAY make it an annual trip!