A Howling Good Time

By Phil Casey, Attractions Ontario

“Nothing makes a kid happier than the first week of school”- said no one ever

Both of my son’s had just started school (Grade 3 for my oldest and JK for my baby) and as much as my oldest was enjoying it my youngest was not.  Tears and the daily “I don’t want to go to school!” became a common occurrence in our household that first week.

So I decided that a surprise was in order to reward my kids for surviving the first week of school.

I told them we were going to a family event in Niagara and packed them in the car. Little did they know that we were taking them to Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls.

To say they were excited at the surprise is an understatement; they thought we were playing a trick on them and just stopping there for a moment. Once it sunk in that we were staying at Great Wolf Lodge they were jumping and cheering.
Once you enter the lobby you are treated like royalty by the amazing staff. Every staff member we came across was not only friendly but also very helpful! When we got to our room my band wouldn’t work to open the door, a passing by employee noticed my distress and immediately asked what was wrong and called the desk in the lobby so I wouldn’t have to wait in line again to have my band replaced. It took a total of 5 minutes to have the problem fixed without me having to ask anything. That’s super Service!

We had splurged on getting the Wolf Den room and it was well worth it. The rooms are clean and very spacious. We quickly got changed and went down to the waterpark which was a blast. The have a wide variety of slides and water rides to accommodate the smallest child to the oldest adult. The new Wolf Tail slide was amazing and my oldest son’s favourite slide.  After a few hours of enjoying the Water Park we decided to check out the Wacky Wilderness 18 hole mini golf course they have on the property.  My youngest actually ended up winning and we all had a blast.

When it comes to food the Great Wolf Lodge has you covered for all tastes and meals. We ate at the Antler Shanty Buffet which was amazing and affordable. I highly recommend the ribs when you go!

They also have so much more to keep not only your kids but yourself entertained as well. From Ten Paw Alley which is a fantastic 5 pin bowling alley for all ages (which I won) to MagiQuest: Guardians of the Realm Portals which is a magical trip around the resort where a point of your wand makes things come to life, you and your kids will never be bored.

They also have one of the best arcades I’ve ever been to. The Northern Lights Arcade which has great games, and prizes to win (both of my boys chose a mix of candy and plane kits).

I would like to thank the courteous staff at Great Wolf Lodge for making my kids’ surprise a success and I look forward to another trip in the future.