Back in 2020 before then pandemic had reached the U.S. we were able to go to the Great Wolf Lodge in Colorado and really enjoyed it, so when we got the chance to visit the original location in the Wisconsin Dells this summer as part of our trip to Minnesota we were very excited to go. Each Great Wolf Lodge is a little different and of course there were changes because of the pandemic, but we had a lot of fun being there.

Wisconsin Dells is an area known for their waterparks, so I want to talk first about how the park was at the Great Wolf Lodge, and then I’ll talk a little bit about the hotel part and also Magiquest. Since the Colorado park is our main point of reference for comparison I’ll make references to differences and similarities between them.

The Great Wolf Lodge Water Park at Wisconsin Dells

Every Great Wolf Lodge has an indoor water park, it is kind of their trademark thing. They vary in size and features though. The Great Wolf Lodge at Wisconsin Dells has a much larger water park than the one in Colorado. Although we had tons of fun at both of them I think we enjoyed this one more (except maybe Meagan who was pregnant with Isla at the time and could not ride the big slides).

There were both indoor and outdoor parts of the water park and since we were there during the summer we were able to enjoy both of them. One of the great things about the Great Wolf Lodge is the range of options that they have for all the ages in your family.

Indoor Water Park

When you first enter the water park you are in an area with a medium size yellow slide that takes single or double tubes and empties into the lazy river. At first Lucy was too scared to ride this slide, but once she warmed up to the idea it was her favorite thing to do and she probably went on it twenty times (always on a double tube with an adult). We all enjoyed the lazy river too, both from the slide and just riding it around.

Behind the yellow slide there is an area for small children with little water slides. Then there are a couple of slides that are little bigger (but don’t use tubes for riders). Lucy loved the small slide area and played there a lot. She eventually warmed up to going on the bigger slides if someone else went down the slide next to it with her. These slides are enclosed and that was a little scary for her. In this area they also have a pool with basketball hoops.

In another area of the indoor park there is a large play structure with one of the giant buckets of water that dumps periodically. Lucy did not like the anxiety of the bucket dumping, so we did not spend much time here. This structure does have a couple water slides that do not use tubes, but they were closed when we were there.

In another section of the indoor park there is a wave pool and a small kids play structure. Lucy had some fun in the play structure, but it was really designed for very smaller children. Behind this area were the larger indoor slides. There is a race way and two tube slides here which were all fun. There is also a drop slide which we never have the courage to ride.

The last slide to mention in the indoor water park is the funnel slide, The Howlin Tornado. This is a slide that dumps you into a large funnel. It takes four person tubes and unfortunately does not have a conveyor to get the tubes to the top of the slide (unlike the similar slide in Colorado), so you do have to carry that big tube all the way to the top. This slide scared me but it was fun to ride.

Outdoor Water Park

In addition to all that inside, which is open year round, there is the outdoor water park which is open during the summers. Out here is almost like a whole other water park and we spent lots of time outside as well.

There is a big pool just outside where Lucy loved to just swim around. The pool has one side that is zero entry with some splash pad features for little ones. There is also another play structure out here, but it was closed due to staffing shortages. It has another giant bucket and an open water slide.

There is also another lazy river like area outside, but it did not use tubes and it fed into the main pool. Lucy especially liked how there were ledges here that made areas not as deep and she could jump off them to us.

Lastly there is a slide tower with two big tube rider slides. These slides were fun. We were fortunate that the lodge was not very crowded when we were there (this may have been to Covid limitations) so we did not have very long lines to wait in for any of the attractions.

Great Wolf Lodge Hotel

The Great Wolf Lodge is not just a water park though, it is a whole experience. Staying in the lodge was nice. Of course things were operating a little bit differently than normal for Covid but it was still fun.

This hotel is more lodge themed on the outside and inside than the one in Colorado was and as a fan of theming I appreciated that. When you first enter you will see the large clock tower. This is where their animatronic show takes place each day. I liked the show in Colorado better than this one, but the clock made a nice centerpiece.

We stayed in a bigger double room this time because we were with a larger group, but it was not one of their special character suites. It was a nice room though and even had a little balcony off of it.

On of the things we loved about the Great Wolf Lodge last time were the activities that they had to do. Of course that was changed for Covid. They still gave wolf ears to the kids but they didn’t have an activity to decorate them and they didn’t do any crafts. But they did still do the story time at night which Lucy and went too. The held it in one of their event rooms so they could socially distance and had circles on the ground for each family to sit at.

This lodge had a lot fewer attractions than the Colorado lodge did. There was an arcade located near the water park and a Build-a-Bear that was in the corner of the gift shop. They also had a couple of restaurants, but we did not eat at any of them.

One of things on Lucy’s bucket list for this trip was to get a picture with Wiley the Wolf because she had been to scared to do it in Colorado the year before. They were doing a few social distanced character meetings while were there, so she got to fulfill her wish.

Magiquest

While the lodge was missing lots of attractions found at the Colorado lodge, when it came to Magiquest it had a much more involved setup. We had played a full game of Magiquest in Colorado so we already had a wand and knew what to expect in terms of gameplay. But here there is actually a separate building for Magiquest (connected by long hall to the lodge), and it is really a much cooler setup.

Magiquest here is played across three levels with a giant tree running up the middle. Because it has its own building instead of being spread through the lodge the theming and immersion are much higher. We didn’t have time to play a full game, so the staff put Lucy’s wand in “mini magi mode” which just let her run around and make all the different items light up. She had a lot of fun doing this.

Part of the Magiquest building is also an indoor play structure complete with climbing towers and slides. Unfortunately all these areas were closed due to the pandemic, but in normal circumstances they would be open for kids as part of playing Magiquest.

Sum Up

We had a lot of fun at the Great Wolf Lodge at Wisconsin Dells. Overall the water park was, of course, the main attraction and what we were going for. Almost everything in the water park was open at some point during the day (except hot tubs) even with Covid restrictions and staffing shortages.

We didn’t have very many interactions with staff (pack members) at this lodge because of Covid, but the ones we did seemed friendly and nice. It did seem like they were trying to provide a good experience while still being safe. Overall I think it is great place for a family vacation.