We checked into the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord on Saturday afternoon. Our room was ready early, so we went upstairs to unpack and change into our bathing suits so we could hit the pool. My daughter was ecstatic to find out that we had a KidKamp Suite, which meant that in addition to a queen-sized bed for my wife and I, there was a "tent" for the kids that contained cool bunk beds and their very own TV! Christmas came early for my daughter! Did you know she's the only kid above the age of three that doesn't have a television in her bedroom? I didn't either. Apparently, she's done extensive polling.
After we finally pried my daughter's fingers loose of the bunk bed, we headed down to the waterpark where we enjoyed my favorite part of the Great Wolf Lodge: the waterslides, the play areas, and, most of all, the wave pool. After that, we headed to the conference center for the dinner they provided for us.
I didn't realize it at the time, but they had also invited six other bloggers down to the Great Wolf Lodge that day. I was the only Dad in a sea (ok, more like a pond) of mommybloggers. Which was kind of cool, because everyone kept coming up to my wife and shaking her hand first. Ha!
The dinner was superb: prime rib, turkey, stuffing, scalloped potatoes, cheese, salad, great desserts, YUM! There was also a little buffet set up for the kids with chicken tenders and waffle fries. The Director of Sales, John Poole, and the General Manager, Phil Cunningham, both sat and ate with our family and talked with us and made us feel at home. They asked about blogging and how long I'd been doing it. Both took a liking to my daughter who can charm anyone. Mr. Poole, an ex-Maple Leaf, even bought her a MagiQuest wand and game. I won't lie to you: we were treated us like kings for the duration of our stay.
After dinner, we scurried back to the lobby for Snowland!
Snowland is the Great Wolf Lodge's annual winter celebration. They redo the lobby in a snowy winter theme. They have crafts for the kids. There's even an area for Santa, who stops by and meets with kids every night for a couple of hours. All this is great, but we were waiting for the snow to fall!
Three times a day, snow falls in the lobby of the Great Wolf Lodge. After the lobby's animatronic characters got done singing, the snow fell from the lodge's rafters. It was pretty cool seeing it snow inside. Just ask my son.
Since the folks at the Great Wolf Lodge were also kind enough to give us tickets to the Christmas light show at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, we headed off to see that next. Want to know the best part? The lights? The petting zoo? No and no. It was driving my car on the actual racetrack, at the 45 degree angle (at least it seemed that steep).
It was late by the time we got back to our room, so we went to bed. The next day, we played some MagiQuest in the morning, had lunch, and swam before bidding a sad farewell to the Great Wolf Lodge around 3:00 that afternoon.
In closing, I'd like to say the following: I'm usually cynical when I read reviews like these. I mean, it's really easy to give a glowing review when something like this is handed to you for free. But I'd like to point out that between our first visit and this past visit, we have visited the Great Lodge for a weekend on our own dime and are planning on going back soon for our son's birthday. We really do love the place.
I'd like to thank Phil Cunningham, John Poole, Tammy Hamrick, Beth St. Lawrence, and everyone at the Great Wolf Lodge who made this trip so memorable and special for my family.
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