Williamsburg, Virginia, has always been one of our family’s favorite vacation spots. We usually visit this charming city a handful of times yearly for weekend excursions. We often make time to explore Busch Gardens, Colonial museums, and historical sites. Our top pick for lodging is Great Wolf Lodge. It’s such a fun resort that offers a wide variety of activities for kiddos of all ages. From the indoor water park to the outdoor ropes course, and MagiQuest adventure to arcade gaming, there’s something for everyone in the family. After multiple visits to Great Wolf Lodge, we’ve become experts. This guide is here to help make trip planning stress-free by sharing tips and tricks we have learned over the years.
TIPS
Download the App- The Great Wolf Lodge app is extremely useful! From making a reservation to ordering food, it is a very handy tool. The app provides useful insight about your stay, such as account information, points, and details about your upcoming stay. The weekly schedule of FREE activities is easy to view to make plans. The hours of the waterpark, dining options, and a map of the resort are also available. During your stay, you can utilize the app to skip lines when it comes to things like ordering food, such as dinner from the Northwoods Pizzeria or breakfast from the Dunkin’ Donuts on campus.
Make the most of your time – One of the biggest perks of staying at a Great Wolf Lodge is that you can start using the waterpark and all of the activities the minute you check in! Even if your room isn’t available until the guaranteed time of 4 PM, you can still splash around in the water park (which typically opens at 9 AM) or participate in the free activities and extra amenities. If you need a place to store your luggage, utilize the bell service or leave your stuff in the car until a room is ready. If a room is available early, they will do their best to get you settled in sooner. Also, remember that you can still enjoy activities and the water park after check-out as well. You have the entire day to stay and play at your leisure. You can utilize the locker rooms if you need to change clothing.
Make the most of your time – One of the biggest perks of staying at a Pack for the water park- I always pack an extra bag to carry down to the water park. I usually keep a waterproof phone case, swim shoes, goggles, water bottles, and a few snacks in the bag. I also pack my son’s floaties. GWL has life vests and puddle jumpers in-house; I just like to bring my own. Fresh, warm beach towels are provided by the lodge. So you don’t need to pack towels.
Take advantage of the FREE activities –Did you know that Great Wolf Lodge offers FREE activities every single day throughout the day that are included with your stay. These activities include storytime, crafts, yoga, bingo, photo opportunities with characters, and a dance party. Be sure to download the app so you can see the daily schedule of events. The dance party was so much fun! We learned so many fun line dances. Extra hint: pre-pack a cheap battery-operated bubble wand from the store. The ones on-site light up and are super cool, but a little pricey.
Extra amenities- My kids love, love, love the extra activities that have an additional fee. Their top favorites are MagiQuest, Ten Pin bowling, Glow-in-the-dark mini golf (NEW!), and laser tag. The most cost-effective way to go is to purchase a pass. There are a few options available: paw pass, pup pass, and wolf pass.
Did you know- One thing I’m not sure people know about or take advantage of is the swimsuit water evaporator located in the poolside locker rooms. The spinner removes most of the moisture from your bathing suit, so when you hang it to dry, it dries quickly. I usually pack extra hooks to hang our suits on the shower curtain pole.
Comfort from home- I usually bring robes for the kids to wear to the pool to stay warm. We also usually pack the kids’ favorite stuffed animal and blanket for comfort. I also pack a battery-operated night light since we have a kiddo afraid of the dark. In addition, if you get a cabin with a bunk bed, there’s no door. For privacy, you can bring a tension rod to hang an extra sheet over. One other thing I bring is a foldable hamper; this way, the kids throw their dirty clothing in one spot.
Don’t be afraid to step off site- While GWL provides everything you need from stay to play and food to fun, we tend to step out to partake in our favorite spots that we like to visit while in town. Williamsburg is rich with history. We enjoy visiting Colonial Williamsburg, the American Revolution Museum, and Jamestown. As theme park fanatics, we always make time to visit Busch Gardens Williamsburg while in town too. We have food favorites too. Emily’s Donuts and Colonial Pancakes are our go-to breakfast spots. Traditionally, we make room for Food for Thought and Sals by Victor for dinner.
Save money- the three best tips I can share about booking a room is to go during off-peak season, reserve a room on a weekday day and book in advance with deals posted on the GWL social media page. Also, if you are military, you can use the code HEROES.
*** The Playful Parent is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that advocates learning through play and promotes family bonding. All information and photographs are the intellectual property of TPP. No monetary payment was made for featuring this attraction. All opinions are my own; I like to share experiences and information so that parents have resources on fun family outings. I hope that these tips help with your planning so that you have a great time during your next Williamsburg Visit! Thank you for reading…Play, Learn, Grow!***
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