Great Wolf Lodge has always been great at celebrating the holidays. Recently, they announced a new event that will take place this summer at every one of their 17 North American locations — the Great Wolf Lodge Summer Camp-In! They hosted us for a day visit last week, to learn more about Spring and Summer at GWL properties ; you KNOW we’ve spent plenty of time and money there though – in regular, unhosted visits – to form some genuine opinions. Namely, that we genuinely love Great Wolf Lodge – in large part because of the themed activities and events for holidays throughout the year. Check them out!
Holidays & Year-Round Celebrations at Great Wolf Lodge
Spring-a-Palooza
During spring, Great Wolf Lodge celebrates the season (and the Easter holiday) with bursts of color. Guests can enjoy a spring-themed scavenger hunt, bubble dance parties, and perhaps even beautiful indoor flower displays.
Easter Character Breakfast
Join a couple of the Great Wolf Kids – and the Easter Bunny! – for a breakfast buffet, balloon animals, and lots of fun!
Northwoods Tea Party with Violet and Friends
It’s tea time at Great Wolf Lodge! We’ll welcome you with a song and dance before we begin our events. Take part in the Stacked Tea Cup Race and decorate your very own Tea Cup or Flower Cookie. And one of the Great Wolf Kids characters will be there for a meet and greet, too.
Summer Camp-In – New for 2019!
Character Breakfast
Join Wiley and friends for a breakfast buffet filled with tasty food, festivities, and more.
Pool Parties
Kick back with poolside music, games, and refreshments. There’s limbo, the Duckie 500 race, and other activities.
BBQ
Our flame-it-and-claim-it dinner of epic eats is a buffet-style meal of slow cooked favorites.
Trailblazer Challenge
Earn badges and rewards by participating in activities including arts and crafts and competitions below.
Arts & Crafts
Including Face Painting, Balloon Animals, Button Making, Postcards, Coloring sheets, Wolfagami, Rubber Ducky Decorating, Craft Stick Tent Photo Frames, Dream Catchers, and more!
Competitions
Come play Camp Bingo, Camping Trivia, Camping Memory Match, Minute To Win It Cornhole, Rubber Ducky 500, Hula Hoop Competition, Water Bucket Ring Toss, Flamingo Ring Toss, Bean Bag Can Toss, Fish Bowl Challenge, Sponge Water Bomb Toss, Limbo and Conga Lines, Hole in One Putt Putt, … plus Arcade Challenges and Bowling Challenges!
Campfire Ceremonies
Gather around the fire for face painting, s’mores, and Storytime. Stay for a dance party under the stars.
Seasonal Room Decor
Treat your campers to a seasonal suite featuring a cozy campfire lamp, plush pillows, and summer décor.
Howl-O-Ween
Trick-or-Treat Trail
Don your costumes (or not!) and trick or treat throughout the lodge. Costumes, candy, and hair-raising fun await your wolf pups along the themed trail.
Spooktacular Storytime
Experience the magical atmosphere during Howl-O-Ween Storytime, for a spooky and hilarious time with your family.
Monster Bash Dance Party
It’s time to put on your costume and show off your best moves at the Monster Bash Dance Parties.
Thanksgiving Dinner
Many Great Wolf Lodge locations offer Thanksgiving buffets – open to the public – for “a day of joy and play.”
Snowland
We would love visiting Great Wolf Lodge during the holidays if only for the gorgeous lobby. But that’s irrelevant, because there are tons of other fun things to choose from, too!
Life-Size Gingerbread House
Check out the giant gingerbread house in the lobby – and make a reservation to eat INSIDE it!
North Pole University Activities
A Snowland stay enrolls your little ones in North Pole University, where they can complete fun ‘courses’ to receive a snowplow – and a special Rowdy the Reindeer trading card!
Visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus
In addition to visits from Santa, our Cincinnati/Mason, Ohio location has even offered carriage rides, cookie decorating, and letters to the North Pole.
Festive Family Holiday Movies
Holiday Caroling + Snow in the Lobby
Celebrate the season by singing your holiday favorites every evening after the lobby show. Snow may even start falling right there in the lobby!
Snowland Storytime
Put on your favor PJs and snuggle up for story time with a very special guest of honor.
Polar Wolf Walk
Walk, talk, and learn all about animals that love the snow.
Hot Cocoa with a Great Wolf Kid
Our hot cocoa bar is perfect after a long day in the water. As an extra treat, meet a Great Wolf Kid, too!
Dashing through the Lodge Scavenger Hunt
Track down clues to win a special prize in this fun, festive dash around the lodge.
Snow-n-Glo Dance Party
Our dance parties are even more magical during Snowland. We’ve amped up the energy by adding falling snowflakes, glow sticks, and more!
Merry-oke
It doesn’t matter if you know all the words – sing some holiday classics with your new lodge friends!
Also new this year – Day Passes!
In my Ultimate Guide to Great Wolf Lodge post, I praised the fact that Great Wolf Lodge did not offer day passes – except to current overnight guests (if a grandparent or friend wanted to visit, etc).
When I found out this month that select locations are offering them, I was a little concerned. I asked explicitly though how they worked, and whether this means they’ll be more crowded than we’ve come to expect.
The manager explained that Day Passes can only be purchased online or by calling Great Wolf Lodge customer service; they must be purchased at least 24 hours in advance, for a specific date.
The dates I checked at our location run from $55-85 per person, per day. The manager assured me that day passes are “extremely limited” and based on occupancy, and that we shouldn’t notice a difference in crowd levels. You know I’ll report back here if I think otherwise!
More Great Wolf Lodge Resources
What to Expect When you Visit Great Wolf Lodge
Ultimate First-Timers Guide to Great Wolf Lodge
YouTube: What REALLY Happens at Great Wolf Lodge…
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