

(Discreet signs remind parents to use swim diapers and they’re sold on property, but enforcement and accident monitoring is left to the pool attendants.) Older kids will want to try Slideboarding, the new interactive video game waterslide. Toddlers have a 12″ zero entry pool with a tiny slide, little sprays of water and rope railings. Don’t worry - young guests get extra attention. There’s a large wave pool for swimmers, a lazy river for single or double float potatoes, a four-foot-deep pool where gymnasts can balance between an overhead rope structure and sculpted lily pads (not as easy as it looks!), a raucous pool for teen basketball players, and dry benches for spectators.Ĭertified lifeguards and attendants are positioned at every attraction regardless of the number of hotel guests all staff undergo background checks and have EMT training available. There are hoses, waterguns and a huge dump bucket, lots of big slides, and a water rollercoaster where rafts are hauled on a seemingly liquid conveyor belt. Of course, the draw is the 90-foot-tall, climate-controlled, 79,000-square-foot playground with one million gallons of 84☏ water pumping through. (Warning: Story Time can get crowded, so show up early if you want a seat up close.) Take Us to the Water These themes and stories change seasonally. Storytime takes place at the lobby’s enormous cuckoo clock, and though it doesn’t “cuckoo,” the stately animatronic trees, smiling animals and a young boy do sing together. Once the kids check out the dragon lair on the 4th floor, they can see what challenges they’ll face if they plunk down their money for this run-around video game, and mom and dad can see how far they’ll have to walk.Īnother signature Great Wolf activity is the Story Time, in which children and adults gather at night to to listen to stories in their pajamas. MagiQuest, a interactive video game in which “magic” wands charged with smart chips are used to activate light fixtures, treasure chests and other resort furniture to gain points, is especially popular. However, Great Wolf Poconos is not about supervised childcare, as most things kids do are with their parents. While it could never be mistaken for New York Chic, the resort is so sincerely playful that even black-clad toddlers and their au pairs will have fun while world-weary mom and dad relax. By the front door, a black bear greets arrivals. On the sloped log roof shading the reception area, near a pile of fishing gear, is a skunk that has slipped its trap. Urban families will be delighted with the Canadian North Woods decor: elk antler chandeliers and life-size replicas of timber wolves.

The Great Wolf Lodge Poconos is a cookie-cutter version of other Great Wolf resorts - but what a wonderful cookie.

Within a few hours’ drive of New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Boston is an easy, weather-proof vacation that’s toddler- to teen-friendly. This formula was replicated in 2005, with great success, in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Typically, the locale offers a variety of recreation and shopping options, but not so much as to detract from the resort’s on-site activities and restaurants. Great Wolf Resorts is a Midwestern company known for building indoor waterparks within driving distance of major metropolitain areas. This Great Wolf Lodge indoor waterpark hotel within a quick drive of New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia is a refreshing, weather-proof getaway year round. Cozy Room at Great Wolf Lodge Peek-a-Boo at Great Wolf Lodge Relaxing After a Long Day of Play at Great Wolf Lodge Waterslide Tunnel Fun at Great Wolf Lodge Great Wolf Lodge Lobby Decorated for the Holiday Season, Photo Courtesy of Great Wolf Lodge
