Adventuring With Katie: Great Wolf Lodge Waterpark Pocono Mountains

Not long ago, we took a trip as a family to Great Wolf Lodge located in Scotrun, Pennsylvania. Located in the snowy Pocono Mountains, the lodge’s décor of mountain chic fits very nicely the nearby mountain views. It is one of a handful of waterparks in the Pocono area but is the only one we have ever visited.

When we finally took this trip this winter, the trip had already been canceled twice before, so I am really glad that we finally got to go. We originally planned to visit a competing indoor waterpark in mid-March of 2020, but that trip had been canceled by the park a week before we were due to arrive because of the emergence of Covid-19 in Pennsylvania. Eventually, we rebooked with Great Wolf Lodge and were scheduled to visit in November of 2021 but on the morning of our departure multiple members of our household had temperatures so we had to reschedule.

As it turns out, it was a blessing that it took us a few tries before we were able to go because we were able to do more research in the meantime so were knew that to expect when we arrived. Also waiting a little extra time, gave the boys a chance to grow up and grow taller before our visit.

Great Wolf Lodge appears at first glance to be an indoor water park. Honestly though, it is more a Kiddie Resort. After visiting it with my family, I would say that their target audience is children ages 6-13 and their families.

In retrospect, my husband and I decided that our children were the youngest they could possibly be with us being able to truly experience the park. We realized that our children might have been on the young side of things when we originally planned to visit. At 48 inches tall, Mr. Man was exactly tall enough to ride all of the waterslides; 48 inches is the cut-off for the faster slides. Preschool Nugget could ride all of the waterslides that he was comfortable riding. Also by waiting until he was almost 4 years old, Preschool Nugget was mature enough to ride the waterslide by himself at Fort Mackenzie in the treehouse and family play area at the park. As an added bonus, the boys no longer nap in the afternoon so we didn’t have to factor that into our day.

The extra time before our trip allowed us time to plan. I really wasn’t prepared in November, I now see . .

Luckily, this time though, a few weeks before our trip, Mr. Man got the idea to watch videos on Youtube about visiting Great Wolf Lodge. At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of him doing this because it seemed like after watching the video he wanted to do exactly everything that the family in the video did. However, it turned out to be a blessing, because watching the video helped us with how to navigate the park and gave us hints about what to expect.

For example, the boys learned that they would be getting wolf ears . . .

I also learned from this video and the Great Wolf Lodge website that there would be plenty of preschool aged specific water areas in the park. Unfortunately, I then received an email a few days before the trip telling us that the area youngest child are would be under construction during our visit. Since I was prepared, I was able to ask my check-in attendant for a substitution and suggestions of other things that young children could do at the park. Because I knew what to ask her about, we were given a free meal voucher for the restaurant at Great Wolf and some good ideas of pool activities that Preschool Nugget might enjoy instead. I was very happy with the way that it was handled. Great Wolf Lodge wants guests to enjoy themselves.

I should also mention that all the rooms at the Great Wolf Lodge have a refrigerator and guests are all allowed to bring their own food (we learned this in the video). We brought breakfast foods, snacks, beverages as well as peanut butter, Nutella, and bread.

Additionally, Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos has one sit-down restaurant, one pizza place, one Dunkin Donuts, and one Ben and Jerry Ice Cream Parlor in the lodge for your eating pleasure. In the actual waterpark area, guests can dine at a fast-food type food stand and a visit a beachy bar that serves alcoholic drinks. During our two night stay we enjoyed a combination of meals with some food that we brought in and food that we purchased at Great Wolf Lodge. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast buffet at the Loose Moose Family Kitchen.

We also learned from Youtube that many families who visit Great Wolf opt to purchase passes that include additional amusements. Great Wolf Lodge has a Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream parlor, a game room, Glow-in-the-Dark Golf, and a tiny pin bowling alley, a mining attraction, and bulk candy that can be bundled together on the passes. At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to get the passes because I thought we were already paying to go to an indoor waterpark and I didn’t see the need. However, after we saw the Youtube video though, Mr. Man was convinced that he had to play MagiQuest, the fantasy wand game that takes place all over Great Wolf Lodge.

Mr. Katie and I thought about it a little and decided to get passes for both boys. We got Mr. Man the Paw Pass and Preschool Nugget the Pup Pass. The major item in the Paw Pass is the “magic wand” that participants get to take home and unlimited play of MagiQuest during their lodge stay. The major item in the Pup Pass is a Build-a-Bear.

Both boys very much enjoyed their passes and what the passes allowed them to experience.

Here are some hints if you are considering a Great Wolf Lodge Trip:

• Either plan your trip 90+ days in the future in order to get the best deal on accommodations or plan your trip at the last minute in order to take advantage of last minute deals.
• One thing that I learned when rescheduling our trip due to illness is that Great Wolf Lodge will match any deals available on Groupon. At first, I had some trouble rescheduling because we booked our trip through Groupon. However, the friendly customer service person told me that Great Wolf will match any Groupon deals and it is easier to change trip details by booking directly.
• Get the Great Wolf Lodge app before you begin your trip. It lists free activities (and there are several every day) as well as other useful information. We were able to order our pizza on the first day of our stay from the app and pick it up not long after we returned to our room for the day.
• You can check-in and then enter the waterpark at 1pm on the day your stay begins. You can stay till the park closes on the last day of your stay (just check out of your room by check out, put your luggage in your vehicle, and change your closes in the changing room at the waterpark).
• You don’t need to pack towels, life jackets, or puddle jumpers. They are provided for you.
• Your wristband is also your room key. Adults can choose to link their wristbands to their credit cards which makes it coinvent to visit Dunkin Donuts or buy food or drinks at the waterpark.
• The eat-in restaurant serves alcoholic beverages and we heard other guests ordering breakfast drinks while we were eating in the morning. However, this isn’t a party hotel. People were very well behaved. Everyone seems to understand that Great Wolf Lodge is a family destination.
• This might not be the vacation for you if you do not like crowds. Our vacation lasted from Tuesday till Thursday on weeks in late January and it was fairly crowded while we were there. I have heard that it is extremely crowded during long holiday weekends. When I first arrived in the waterpark, I thought it might be too crowded for my tastes but then I got used to it. I probably just wouldn’t like it to be any more crowded than it was.
• In the summer, there are additional water attractions to enjoy as well as a ropes course that was closed for the season while we visited.

You might have noticed that I do not have any pictures from the waterpark area. I didn’t take any because I was having too much fun. However you can check out the park map here. Mr. Man enjoyed the waterslides and MagiQuest best. Preschool Nugget liked hanging out in the wave pool and Chinook Cove (a heated pool with basketball hoops), Mr. Katie liked the waterslides and the wave pool, and I liked the family hot tub and the lazy river.

I hope you are all doing well and I will write more soon.

Cheers,

Katie

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