It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Contrary to many, we actually love the wintertime in Colorado! As the temperatures start to dip and the snow falls, there’s a distinct sense of beauty that warm climate places just can’t match.
And speaking of snow, we had the opportunity to be a part of the Great Wolf Lodge’s “Snowland” kickoff from November 17-19 in Colorado Springs. Since this Great Wolf Lodge just opened in December 2016, this was the inaugural “Snowland” event for the location. And let me tell you, it was spectacular!
For those of you that don’t know what the Great Wolf Lodge is, think of it as a resort with an awesome indoor waterpark. It also has an Adventure Park with a litany of activities, such as mini-golf, mini-bowling, a climbing wall and a rope course. But first, let’s start of with Santi’s favorite activity this weekend: MagiQuest!
MagiQuest
MagiQuest is a full-blown wizarding adventure throughout the entire resort. Participants are given a wand with a little chip on the bottom and asked to explore the hotel through a variety of Quests. There are screens, decorations, treasure chests, and other objects sprinkled throughout the resort and some of the quests culminate in “boss battles” against dragons or goblins, which may have been Santi’s favorite part. The cool thing about MagiQuest is that is combines technology and games with exercise, because we probably walked a couple of miles inside the resort going from objective to objective. It really wore Santi out! He was able to complete all of the quests throughout the weekend and become a “Master Magi,” where he was “knighted” during a special ceremony.
Overall, MagiQuest is a fun little diversion that allows kids to run around and explore the hotel while adventuring on quests. If you have older kids, feel free to get them a wand and let them loose for a few hours, they definitely keep themselves entertained during that time!
Indoor Water Park
The indoor water park is the main attraction at the Great Wolf Lodge, and rightfully so! As Colorado temperatures start to dip into below freezing points, it’s great to have an indoor (and warm!) venue (exclusive to resort guests) where the kids can splash around for hours. The water park has activities and pools for kids (and adults) of all ages. Our 2-year-old Nora spent most of her time at the Cub Paw Pool, a shallow area for young children that also had 3 small water slides. I don’t think I can count how many times Nora went down the water slides, but it was definitely more than 30 times!
Santi (our five-year-old) had such a blast with the rest of the water park! He started off at Fort Mackenzie, a multi-level water fort that has a few slides as well as a giant bucket that tips over and spills hundreds of gallons of water on unsuspecting people below every four minutes. Next to the fort there’s a little obstacle course where one has to balance on lily pads and hold on to some ropes to get across. Santi, with his never-ending motivation and can-do attitude, took multiple tries until he finally made it across. The proud look on his face and celebration dance was unforgettable!
There’s also a huge wave pool that Santi and Nora both loved exploring. And by exploring, I mean Nora would stand on the edge, rush in, then rush out as soon as the waves started getting tall, haha! Santi was determined to make it to the deepest part of the wave pool, and had a great time doing so.
I also have to mention the ridiculously fun water slides! There are a variety of individual and group tube-based water slides that are 3 to 6 stories high. Jess and I had to take turns going on them since unfortunately the kids were too young for most of them. All in all though, we could have spent all day in the waterpark. But alas, there were more activities that were calling to us!
Adventure Park
The Great Wolf adventure park also offers a variety of experiences for all ages. And the best part about it is that they’re all indoor! The resort offers a few different passes that bundle the activities depending on how many you want to do. Aside from MagiQuest, you can also play mini-golf, mini-bowling, go on the climbing wall, do a rope course, sift through dirt to discover gems, and play games at the arcade. There’s also a Build-A-Bear style stuffed animal station that includes an interactive little exploration game similar to MagiQuest.
The adventure park may be visited without staying the night at the hotel. If you are driving through or local it is a great place to stop for the day.
Snowland Festivities
If magical adventures, an indoor waterpark, and the adventure park are not enough to whet your entertainment appetite, Snowland will help with that! The lobby has a life-size Gingerbread House with a table inside that you can actually reserve and have dinner at. Even better, proceeds from those reservations are donated to the Ronald McDonald House!
It also wouldn’t be a proper Snowland without some appearances by Santa Claus! Santa has a neat little picture station near the Adventure Park where kids can sit on his lap and families can take pictures, so check the schedule for when those appearances take place. Finally, the lobby has daily indoor “snow showers” that enhance the experience and the kids loved even more than they love bubbles!
Overall
We were very pleasantly surprised by the sheer number of activities at the Great Wolf Lodge. Our room was spacious and comfortable, the many dining options were all delicious, and Nora even got a pamper session and got her nails painted at the Kids Spa! Snowland runs through January 1, 2018 and the Great Wolf Lodge is the perfect resort for a little weekend (or weekday) getaway.
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