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8 Tips For The Perfect Day Trip to Great Wolf Lodge

August 21, 2019 by Rachel 28 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links

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?

Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky Ohio

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.

Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky

Here’s what you need to know about a Day Trip to Great Wolf Lodge:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
Great Wolf Lodge Ohio

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.

Plan a Trip to Great Wolf Lodge on a Day Pass

Filed Under: Akron, cleveland, Columbus, Columbus Ohio, explore locally, Explore Ohio, Family Travel, NEO, Ohio, parenthood, road trip, tips + tricks, travel, Travel Adventures Tagged With: akron, cleveland, explore Ohio, Family Travel, ohio, road trip, Travel Adventures

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fatima Torres

    August 21, 2019 at 8:35 pm

    We’ve been meaning to go ourselves. Always fun when the family gets together.

    Reply
  2. Amber Myers

    August 21, 2019 at 9:17 pm

    How fun! We’ve always wanted to go here. My kids love water parks, and this place looks fabulous.

    Reply
  3. jennifer

    August 21, 2019 at 9:33 pm

    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!

    Reply
  4. Aishwarya Shenolikar

    August 21, 2019 at 10:21 pm

    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! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Rachel

    August 21, 2019 at 11:12 pm

    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.

    Reply
  6. Natalia

    August 22, 2019 at 7:58 am

    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!

    Reply
  7. Gervin Khan

    August 22, 2019 at 8:59 am

    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!

    Reply
  8. GiGi Eats

    August 22, 2019 at 9:29 am

    WHOA! What a fun looking place!!!! A total kid attraction! I bet my son would love it when he gets a bit older!

    Reply
  9. Christa Anne

    August 22, 2019 at 10:32 am

    I’ve been wanting to take the kids to Great Wolf Lodge. It looks like so much fun!

    Reply
  10. Chad

    August 22, 2019 at 11:37 am

    I’ve heard so much about the wolf lodge and would love to visit it one day, such an amazing place.

    Reply
  11. Kevin Akidi

    August 22, 2019 at 12:13 pm

    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.

    Reply
  12. Sarah Dudley

    August 22, 2019 at 1:15 pm

    This looks like such a fun day! Great tips to plan for a no-hassle day!

    Reply
  13. Amanda

    August 22, 2019 at 1:42 pm

    You can never go wrong with Great Wolf. We prefer the WI Dells location the most.

    Reply
  14. Kuntala Bhattacharya

    August 22, 2019 at 4:13 pm

    Wow perfect fun for kids. I have been to water parks here in India with my kid and he enjoyed a lot.

    Reply
  15. Steph Social

    August 22, 2019 at 4:45 pm

    Great tips for a fun trip to Great Wolf Lodge! We are planning a trip there soon and will definitely make use of this!

    Reply
  16. Jasmine M

    August 22, 2019 at 10:52 pm

    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.

    Reply
  17. Pixie Garl

    August 23, 2019 at 2:28 am

    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.

    Reply
  18. cudrag.cristina

    August 23, 2019 at 2:35 am

    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

    Reply
  19. tweenselmom

    August 23, 2019 at 6:21 am

    Nice resort, your kids must have had tons of fun, all kids love swimming, I think!

    Reply
  20. Miljana

    August 23, 2019 at 1:08 pm

    I’m sure the kids loved it most! Such cute little faces. <3

    Reply
  21. Jen Walker

    August 23, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    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

    Reply
  22. Julie Hoag

    August 23, 2019 at 4:55 pm

    This looks like such a fun place to bring kids, we need to take a trip there. Thanks for all the tips:)

    Reply
  23. alexandra cook

    August 23, 2019 at 6:06 pm

    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!

    Reply
  24. Ewuzie Kingsley

    August 23, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    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.

    Reply
  25. Arun Dahiya

    August 24, 2019 at 6:20 am

    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.

    Reply
  26. Cindy Ingalls

    August 24, 2019 at 11:13 pm

    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.

    Reply
  27. Dalene Ekirapa

    August 25, 2019 at 8:41 am

    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.

    Reply
  28. Enriqueta E Lemoine

    August 27, 2019 at 8:55 am

    What a super cool place to go with the kiddos and break the routine. Thanks for sharing all those tips. Great guide.

    Reply

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