Great Wolf Lodge is a chain of indoor waterpark resorts that cater to the whole family. Also known as Great Wolf Resorts, their collection of family resorts features a waterpark, restaurants, spas, and activity opportunities. Every member of the family has access to activities that will keep them entertained for as long as they stay at any of Great Wolf’s resorts. The official headquarters of Great Wolf Resorts is in Chicago, Illinois. The official mascots for the resorts are Wiley the Wolf, Violet the Wolf, and Oliver Raccoon. There are also additional characters such as Brinley Bear, Rachel Raccoon, and Sammy the Squirrel. There are currently twenty lodges located in the United States, as well as one located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. While Great Wolf Lodge has an impressive collection of luxury-quality family resorts, there are twenty other places that serve as suitable alternatives.
Not only do Great Wolf Lodges offer great vacation opportunities with waterpark features, but most of them also have access to world-class golf courses. Some of the resorts mentioned in the list also happen to have their own golf courses. Some are like Great Wolf by having more than one location. Like Great Wolf, they also offer luxury-class accommodations and amenities. There are also a few mentioned that may be just a single location but still has enough in common with Great Wolf to be classified as a suitable alternative.
1. Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center (Alexandria, Minnesota)
Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center has a 38,000-square-foot indoor waterpark that has three waterslides that stand as tall as a four-story building. The resort has a collection of guest rooms, cottages, and townhome accommodations. Even in the middle of freezing cold winter, the family can enjoy the great indoors of a waterpark that is bound to keep them entertained for hours.
2. Boyne Mountain Resort: Boyne Falls, Michigan
Located at Boyne Falls, Michigan is Boyne Mountain Resort. This is a year-round resort that features an on-site waterpark. Avalanche Bay is an 88,000-square-foot waterpark that offers six waterslides, a surf simulator, a children’s poo, as well as so much more. At Splasherborn Mountain, those who dare to go there will get soaked in its watery avalanche. When it’s time to relax, enjoy the Mountain Grand Lodge & Spa or the Clock Tower Lodge. All of this is part of one of the state’s highest-rated resorts.
3. Bridges Bay Resort (Arnolds Park, Iowa)
Located on the shores of Lake Okoboji, the Bridges Bay Resort is the pride and joy of Arnolds Park, Iowa. In the Midwest, it’s one of the most popular vacation destinations, thanks to the views of the lake, the accommodations, and restaurants. The Boji Splash Indoor Waterpark is its a true highlight, however, as the variety of waterslides offers something for everyone. There’s also an outdoor pool and a zipline. This is an award-winning resort that’s been recognized in 2020 as a People’s Choice winner.
4. Camelback Resort & Indoor Waterpark (Tannersville, Pennsylvania)
Located in the Poconos in Tannersville, Pennsylvania is Camelback Resort & Indoor Waterpark. It’s practically a neighbor to Great Wolf Lodge Poconos, which is located in Scoturn, Pennsylvania. The place was popular enough before adding in the lodge in 2015. Since then, it has been rated as one of the best waterpark resorts in the state.
5. Canad Inns Destination Centre (Multiple Locations)
Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Canad Inns Destination Centre features a world-class indoor park that serves as a welcome sight with its 40,000 square foot acres of resort space. There’s something to do for the entire family. For adults wanting their own watery fun, they do have their own hot tub. The resort also has pet-friendly hotel rooms should visitors care to stay at the on-site accommodations it has available. Canad Inns, like Great Wolf Lodge, has more than one location. This Canadian-based hospitality provider is the largest of its kind in the province of Manitoba and is a Platinum Club member of Canada’s Best Managed Companies. The name of the waterpark is Splashers, which is also located in the Canad Inns Destination Centres of Brandon, Portage la Prairie, and Winnipeg. These large communities are in Manitoba, Canada, which serve as the Great White North’s answer to sharing the same concept as a waterpark resort as Great Wolf.
6. Castaway Bay (Sandusky, Ohio)
Situated in Sandusky, Ohio, is a Caribbean-themed indoor waterpark that feels like you’ve just stepped into a whole new world. It may be a bit on the small side compared to the rest of the waterpark resorts on the list but it makes up for it as an ideal hangout for families with young kids.
7. Chula Vista Resort, Trademark Collection by Wyndham (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin)
The Wisconsin Dells is a popular place to go for a waterpark resort. Chula Vista Resort is located on the banks of the scenic Wisconsin River, right next door to its world-class family hotel that has so much to offer. The waterpark is an impressive 80,000-square-foot resort that’s free for hotel guests to access. You don’t have to stay at the hotel if wish to access the waterpark. All you’ll need is a day pass. Just bearing the Wyndham name is enough to clue in this resort belongs to a company that owns an impressive roster of hotels and resorts.
8. CoCo Key Water Resort (Mount Laurel, New Jersey)
As a family resort, CoCo Key Water Resort in Mount Laurel, New Jersey has an indoor waterpark measuring 65,000 square feet. The size, as well as the tropical-themed layout, serves as a great hangout for kids of all ages throughout the year. The aquatic jungle gym and the cargo net challenge add to the fun, as well as the beastly waterslides, Barracuda Blast and Sharks Slam. As for the little ones, there’s the Baby Slide and Baby Bungee. CoCo Key Water Resort is inside The Hotel ML.
9. Crown Reef Beach Resort & Waterpark (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)
The Crown Reef Beach Resort & Waterpark is located in Myrtle, Beach, South Carolina. It features two giant waterslides, a kiddie slide, its infamous Salty’s Splash House and the Silly Sub. The resort offers suites, just like Great Wolf Lodge. It also has all the amenities to cater to the entire family. Because it’s on Myrtle Beach, many of the suites offer great ocean views.
10. Falls Avenue Resort (Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada)
In the Great White North, Falls Avenue Resort from Niagara Falls, Ontario is the Canadian answer to a facility similar to the Great Wolf Lodge. Great Wolf Resorts does have a location in Canada that also happens to be in Niagara Falls. these two behave like rivals as they both have impressive indoor waterparks and they both have guest rooms and suites that have something for everyone.
11. Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
Measuring 111,000 square feet is the waterpark at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Just like Great Wolf, this is a world-class family resort that has enough to offer on its own to serve as a great tourist destination. Then again, this is Music City we’re talking about. SoundWaves didn’t simply get its name as a waterpark just because. The Gaylord Opryland Resort is part of the Marriott brand of hotels that are known for offering modern guest rooms with plenty of amenities bound to cater to every member of the family.
12. Greek Peak Mountain Resort & Hope Lake Lodge & Conference Center (Cortland, New York)
The Cascades Indoor Waterpark at Greek Peak Mountain & Hope Lake Lodge in Cortland, New York, has much in common with the Great Wolf Lodge. The indoor waterpark offers several waterslides that offer year-round fun for every member of the family. In the winter, when not enjoying the slopes of Greek Peak in the Five Finger Lakes, soak it up while indoors as the facility stays open throughout the year.
13. Jay Peak Resort (Jay, Vermont)
During the winter season, when not skiing the slopes, head over to Jay Peak Resort in Jay, Vermont. While there, make the most of its Pump House Indoor Waterpark. It’s one of the top attractions listed in Vermont and is the state’s only indoor park facility. If you’re up for it, Le Chute is a waterslide that blasts riders downward at speeds up to forty-five miles per hour. Jay Peak Resort has so much to offer that it rivals Great Wolf Lodge as an alternative choice for a great family getaway.
14. Kalahari Resorts & Conventions (Multiple Locations)
When asked on TripAdvisor which resorts are suitable alternatives to Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions is mentioned. Kalahari is noted to bring a taste of Africa onto American soil with its setup. It also has the nation’s largest indoor waterpark, along with an impressive collection of luxurious amenities each member of the family can enjoy. Kalahari has multiple locations aside from Pocono Manor. There are also locations in Sandusky, Ohio, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, and Round Rock, Texas.
15. Massanutten Resort (Massanutten, Virginia)
The Massanutten Resort is located just outside Shenandoah National Park in Massanutten, Virginia. This is a four-season retreat that has activities bound to keep visitors busy on the slopes and in the water. There’s also golfing and mountain biking should the guest want to do more than enjoy its massive, world-class indoor waterpark.
16. Omni Hotels & Resorts (Multiple Locations)
Just like Great Wolf Lodge, Omni Hotels & Resorts has more than one location. Now, not all of them have impressive waterparks, but some of them do. The two standouts are Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, located in Palm Springs, California, and the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia. Both of these resorts have a world-class waterpark that’s just as impressive as the resorts themselves.
17. The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark (Monticello, New York)
Considered one of the best resorts in the Catskills, The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark boasts they’re the official home of the largest waterpark in the state of New York. It also serves as a world-class resort with all the luxuries and amenities every member of the family can ask for. It’s located one hundred miles away from New York City, making this a convenient getaway for New Yorkers who happen to have kids in tow.
18. Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin)
Just fifty miles southwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and eighty miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois, is Lake Geneva. One of its biggest features is Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark. This world-class family resort is the baby sister, so to speak, to the luxurious Grand Geneva. Aside from the impressive waterpark, the guests can also enjoy a championship golf course, as well as miniature golf courses. This is an award-winning resort that’s been recognized as one of America’s top ten waterpark destinations.
19. Wilderness Resort (Multiple Locations)
Less than twenty miles north of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park is Wilderness at the Smokies in Sevierville, Tennessee. The resort’s Wild Waterdome indoor waterpark is the largest of its kind in the state and is best known for Storm Chaser, which is a four-person raft ride that plummets fifty-five feet in the dark. It’s Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort is located in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin which has America’s largest waterpark resort. They also have Glacier Canyon, which serves as the home base of Lost World Outdoor Waterpark. Soaky Mountain Waterpark doesn’t have its own on-site lodging facility as the others do, but there are three Wilderness owned and operated accommodation facilities right across the street from it. Choose between Wilderness Villas, River Lodge Suites, and Stone Hill Lodge, which is not far from Wilderness at the Smokies in Sevierville.
20. Zehnder’s Splash Village Hotel & Waterpark (Frankenmuth, Michigan)
Zehnder’s Splash Village Hotel & Waterpark in Frankenmuth, Michigan is a Bavarian-themed resort that’s been in business since the mid-1800s. It originally started out as the New Exchange Hotel before it was transformed into a luxury-classed family resort.
FAQs
What is the best age for Great Wolf Lodge? ›
While the best ages to enjoy the lodge is 7 – 13, that doesn't mean older kids can't have fun too! There are still plenty of attractions and activities to keep kids of all ages entertained with parents following behind letting their children lead the way.
Which Great Wolf Lodge is the biggest? ›Great Wolf Lodge South Florida is under construction with plans to open in 2024. This will be Great Wolf's 21st resort and its largest with 500 family-friendly suites and a 100,000-square-foot indoor water park.
How much did it cost to build Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine? ›In its entirety, the development resides on a 52-acre site and cost more than $100 million to build. Of the 98,000-square-foot indoor entertainment area available to lodge guests, more than 80,000 square feet are designated for the indoor waterpark area, making it one of America's largest indoor waterparks.
How many square feet is Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine? ›Great Wolf Lodge is located in Grapevine, Texas. The new hotel and water park have combined square feet of 686,000.