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Recently, we just did our first family vacation and spoiler alert: it was a success!
We stayed at GREAT WOLF because they’re doing a really cool Summer Camp-In experience until Labor Day weekend and we had the opportunity to stay and check it out!
For those that don’t know, Titus and I actually met at a summer camp. Now 9 years later (5 of them married), we were able to bring our kid to one and getting to experience the summer camp again felt like it all came full circle!
Just like summer camp all those years ago (okay, we’re not that old), we got to experience camp food, music, games, and the pool. And since it’s all indoors, there were no worries about it getting rained out!
Summer Camp-In Experience With Great Wolf Lodge
Great Wolf Lodge is an indoor water park, but more like indoor destination! There are tons of games, activities, restaurants, and even shopping for the whole family to do.
Can you have fun with a toddler? Multiple kids? Kids that are just too cool to hang out with their parents and might act like they don’t know who you are? Yes, yes, and yes!
There are many restaurants on-site for every budget, so you wouldn’t even have to leave if you didn’t want to! We especially liked the Campfire Kitchen because the food was really good! It didn’t hurt that they serve Coke either. That’s one of Titus’ favorite beverages and he may or may not have picked it for each meal 😉
GREAT WOLF is the type of environment where lots of families would just hang out in the lobby. Will loves to walk everywhere and he got a kick out of everyone staring at him and saying how cute he was. I mean let’s be real, I did too… 😉 #proudmom
I think the water park was one of our favorite things we did! I know for sure it was Titus’, because he’s a kid at heart 🙂 And because he told me haha.
Just in case you’re wondering if your family of diverse ages can have fun here, there are activities for everyone! Will is 1 and loved splashing and walking around with us in the toddler/kid area. There were kids even younger than Will there too! At the same time, it’s not too “kiddy” for the kids old enough for slides and swimming on their own.
Parents can do the surf simulation, lazy river, slides, or dunk basketballs.
He even sat with me the whole time during the lazy river too, which I was surprised! Titus walked with us on the side just incase he wanted out, but Will seemed happy enough to sit and “be lazy”. Now if only we could bring that attitude home… 😉
There are lots of activities for the older kids besides the water park and Titus was saying how it would be fun to go back when Will is bigger and do some of the more adventurous things, like the climbing wall and ropes course!
For some reason, Will just got a KICK out of the arcade. I don’t know if it was all the lights or the sounds or what, but every time we tried to leave he cried haha.
He also loved sitting on the carousel that was out of order. He wasn’t going anywhere, but he got so upset when we took him out haha.
We even managed to bowl a couple of games with Will’s *help* 😉 Parents, you know I use that term loosely haha. But it all worked out because I won! I mean, yeah I know, my competition wasn’t fierce, just my husband and my 1-year-old, but give me this! Oh, and did I mention we were playing with bumpers? *hides face*
Because there was so much to do, we definitely felt ready for a nap when it was Will’s nap time haha. Being able to go back to the room, grab a Coke, and rest up was so nice!
Just like a good ol’ camp experience, they served barbecue for summer and that made for some happy campers hehe! I’m surprised I made it this far in the post and haven’t tried that pun yet!
Keeping with the summer camp theme, they had a story time at night with camp characters and s’ mores. You have to pay for the s’ mores which I thought was probably the only bummer of this trip, but I got my sugar in other ways so it’s all good 🙂
The staff was crazy friendly too. Even going out of their way to get us coupons “just because we looked like a nice family”. I mean, c’ mon, how great is that!
Even though Will looks cute in 100% of these pictures 🙂 , don’t let his cheesy smiles fool you. He definitely had his tantrums and not wanting to go to sleep right away at night, but it didn’t stress me out as much being at a family-centered place because hey, they’re parents, they understand! In fact, they may be dealing with their own strong-willed kids too! 😉
Overall, we really enjoyed our Summer Camp-In Experience with Great Wolf Lodge! There were a lot of classics that brought us back to our camp days. Plus, you didn’t have to worry about the weather because it was all indoors and happening no matter what!
Titus and I both agreed that we could definitely see ourselves coming back! Our first family trip was a success and now it makes us want to take more!
We stayed at the one in Minnesota, but check out their website, because they might have one near you!
