When I received an invitation to bring my family to the
opening of the first
Great Wolf Lodge in Illinois, I was excited. I had never
been to one of the chain’s properties and I’m always anxious for a press trip that
keeps me in one place for food, lodging, and activities.
The
Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee was actually not a new
structure, but the brand updated the resort to be similar to their others-a
family-friendly hotel with non-stop fun for everyone in the family.
There was a check-in desk set up near the entrance for the
press group, about a dozen of us with families. In my case, my “family” for the
weekend was Brittany, Shaun, and Kyler.
Since
Great Wolf Lodge is meant for family groups, they have
13 different types of suites. The largest suite can sleep 12.
Our had more than
enough room for the four of us, with two queen size beds and a pull-out couch
in the living room area.
We explored the property and found there was more to keep us
busy the entire weekend than we imagined.
Great Wolf encompasses a combination
of games and activities, such as story time, yoga and character appearances,
with attractions.
This
Gurnee location also has nine different food venues,
which range from a Ben & Jerry's to the Barnwood, where you can feast on steak,
seafood, and craft cocktails.
The group was meeting for the first time at the bar in the
back of the Indoor Water Park, so we decided to go early and check out the
facilities.
There are three large slides within the waterpark, along
with a lazy river (my favorite), and areas for younger children.
I was most
impressed with the machine which brought the rafts (which are large enough for
the whole family) up to the top, so you didn’t have to carry that heavy piece
of equipment to the top.
We sampled some of the delicious food and cocktails at the
bar and got to know each other a bit. Management from Great Wolf, as well as
their public relations company, Agency h5, were on hand to great us and answer
any questions we had about our stay.
When the group broke up, Brittany and I headed outside to
the heated outdoor pool and whirlpool. In the summer, the bar opens its windows
out there, so you don’t have to go inside if you want to get something to
drink.
Everyone in the press group was given an all-inclusive
bracelet so that we could experience everything
Great Wolf Gurnee had to offer.
You do
not need to purchase one of these packages to take advantage of the water park
and daily activities, but it can save you a lot of money if you have kids who
want to go to all the attractions.
The package included tickets to use in the arcade, so we
headed there before going back to the suite.
It was a lot of fun, but we were
pretty worn out from the drive and evening in the water.
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