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It’s nearly the end of Summer and here in the Midwest, that can only mean one thing — snow is just around the corner! While some may think that being in the Midwest means constant cold through the Winter months, the exact opposite can — and is! — true!
Did you know that Great Wolf Lodge now offers Day Passes for those who want to visit without staying in their hotel accommodations?
We recently took a day trip to our Sandusky Great Wolf Lodge to check it out. What we came back with was a SUPER good time and a LOT of tips for those planning a day trip for themselves.
Here’s what you need to know about a Day Trip to Great Wolf Lodge:
- Arrive Early.
The waterpark hours change seasonally, so be sure to check your locations’ hours.
Arrive just when the waterpark is opening to avoid a rush. The folks who have stayed overnight are not yet up. Plus, that days’ check-ins haven’t arrived yet either. - Leave the towels at home!
The waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge has towels available for guests to use, so it’s not necessary to pack yours from home. - Have a plan for meals.
A day of fun at the waterpark will leave your children with a seemingly insatiable hunger. The good news is that GWL has a lot of options.
There are options for seated dining, quick dining in the park, and other options (like pizza!) in the resort itself.
As a family of 5, it was most cost-effective to just order a large pizza and a couple of sides for lunch. I kid you not, my picky eaters finished the. entire. pizza! Bonus points? It truly was delicious. - Check the daily schedule for activities.
Scheduled events range from character appearances to storytime. The event calendar changes daily, so check your location’s website for the can’t-miss land attractions. It will help to give a break from the water attractions. - Rent a locker.
Without a room to leave your belongings in, the easiest way to ensure that our belongings were safe while we were enjoying the attractions was to rent a locker.
The lockers were on-site in the waterpark, easily accessible, and made me feel so much better about the safety and security of my valuables. - Leave the puddle jumpers at home!
The waterpark is equipped with both lifevests and puddle jumpers for kids of all ages and sizes, so there is no need to bring any floatation devices from home.
Obviously, a lifejacket or puddle jumper doesn’t mean a child is 100% safe in the water (they never are — and you should always watch your children around water), but it does provide some small sense of relief regarding having a child in the water and on the water slides. - Wear sandals or flipflops.
Putting your shoes on and off to go between the waterpark and dry activities will definitely happen and there’s a fairly good chance you won’t be completely dry. I suggest wearing shoes such as flipflops or sandals. - Be prepared for exhausted children.
At the end of the day, your children will, without a doubt, be exhausted. Be prepared for your children to sleep on the way home.
My final tip — HAVE FUN! Well, that’s honestly the easiest part, right?
Want more information? Check out Great Wolf Lodge for pricing on Day Passes and overnight accommodations.
We’ve been meaning to go ourselves. Always fun when the family gets together.
How fun! We’ve always wanted to go here. My kids love water parks, and this place looks fabulous.
I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Great Wolf Lodge, there is one in Dallas I believe . . . maybe we can save it for a winter getaway when swimming inside would be a novel experience in Texas. I’ll remember your tips!
This is such an amazing idea! Day passes can open up the place to a large public! They seem to be pretty great. Loved how your little one is posing in the last photo! 🙂
The closest Great Wolf Lodge is 3 hours away for us. I never thought of just making it a day trip but it could definitely work if we stayed somewhere else.
That looks like a wonderful idea for a trip with kiddos! I’ll recommend this place to my mommy friends, they will get crazy about GREAT WOLF LODGE!
Wow, that sounds like a great place to visit and to make a beautiful memories with our kids. I like your tips most especially the last one HAVE FUN!
WHOA! What a fun looking place!!!! A total kid attraction! I bet my son would love it when he gets a bit older!
I’ve been wanting to take the kids to Great Wolf Lodge. It looks like so much fun!
I’ve heard so much about the wolf lodge and would love to visit it one day, such an amazing place.
Great place to visit, it is great that you can actually make it just a day trip. These are great tips to get prepared and have a great day.
This looks like such a fun day! Great tips to plan for a no-hassle day!
You can never go wrong with Great Wolf. We prefer the WI Dells location the most.
Wow perfect fun for kids. I have been to water parks here in India with my kid and he enjoyed a lot.
Great tips for a fun trip to Great Wolf Lodge! We are planning a trip there soon and will definitely make use of this!
The Great Wolf Lodge sounds like so much fun! I’ll have to visit here one day soon. I haven’t been to a water park in years.
It’s really a great place for the kids to pay a visit to. They are going to have great fun when we go there in weeks.
This seems like the perfect place for kids to have fun and parents to relax even if just a bit. 🙂
Lovely photos, lovely memories. <3
Nice resort, your kids must have had tons of fun, all kids love swimming, I think!
I’m sure the kids loved it most! Such cute little faces. <3
This looks like such a great place for me to take my kids! They’ve not been to any kind of water park, and I think this would be a lot of fun for them
This looks like such a fun place to bring kids, we need to take a trip there. Thanks for all the tips:)
Wow, I have never tried this recipe looks really delicious and easy. I will try to make this for my kids, thanks for sharing this amazing list!
Seems like a nice place to hangout with kids. In as much as i don’t have any plans to visit Great Wolf Lodge anytime soon, but if i ever do, i wish they are still as awesome as they are now. Nice tips.
What a great place to visit and have fun. In our home everyone is crazy about waterparks. It’s good that they have meal options too. Thank you for wonderful tips.
A day pass is such a great option, especially if you live close to a Great Wolf Lodge. Sometimes you just need that day trip.
To have fun at any place, it is always better to come in early and I’m glad you’ve listed that first! Anyway, having a schedule of activities really helps to make the most of every minute and ensure you’ve done all that you planned for.
What a super cool place to go with the kiddos and break the routine. Thanks for sharing all those tips. Great guide.