From the moment we mentioned our visit to weeks afterward, the words Great Wolf Lodge elicit excitement in our household.

Finding a great deal through Amazon Local (a daily deal site) for a one-night stay at $199 which included lodging for 6, waterpark wristbands for 6, and a $25 resort credit, I checked our calendar.

Locating a time in our schedule, I ran the option by Paul, and then purchased the deal.

Upon purchasing our voucher, I asked friends who had visited this location about their visit. All the comments I received were general in their evaluation.

Not getting any specifics, I went searching for tips for this location and came up short. So, I am writing this series on our visit to the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC, to assist those looking for information.

In this series I will share our experiences in the following categories which will each be separate posts:

• Part 1: Reservation

• Part 2: Arrival Procedures

• Part 3: Scheduling Activities

• Part 4: Waterpark Amenities

• Part 5: Additional Activities

• Part 6: Overall Review

Scheduling our Stay

We chose to use our voucher at the beginning of our spring break on Sunday, March 9. As most of the South Carolina schools have spring break the week of Easter (April 14-18, 2014) , we thought a Sunday/Monday option would have a low turnout. We were wrong! The resort was packed.

In fact, one of the Pack Members shared that it was the busiest weekend he had seen in the 7 months he has worked there. Yikes! Though it was busy on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, we found the lines easier to navigate on Sunday evening and Monday afternoon.

It seems that North Carolina schools operate on a year-round schedule. The day we chose to visit was the first week of a 3-week break for one of the districts.

With the year-round schooling, there is always one district that is on break while the other districts are in session. I mention this as there might not be an optimum time to visit because the Great Wolf Lodge stays busy at this location year round.

The Amazon deal allowed more families to enjoy the amenities during their break as most local families do not care to pay for lodging since they live close. However, the waterpark is only available to overnight guests, so to play, one must pay to stay.

The Waterpark

Water EVERYWHERE! Come ready to get wet because there are only a limited number of places to stay dry in the water areas. If you want to come and sit, then any of the table and chair areas are out of the water’s reach.

Little Ones (ages 0-5)

Since our 4-year-old does not like water in her face, we found a couple spots in the Club Paw Pool, which we found cooler than the other pools.

So, we would go to the wave pool to warm up when she needed a change or when others began to splash in her calm area.

For my 4-year-old, we found one slide that she could ride without getting sprayed or dumped with water. This dark blue slide was in the Club Paw Pool area where Paul or I hung out with her. She was tall enough to ride three other slides, but all of them were for individual riders.

There were no options for an adult to ride with her, and she was too scared to try on her own. This was a bit disappointing as our local waterpark encourages parents to ride with their children.

At this Great Wolf Lodge location, only the inner tube rides seat two or more, but a 4-year-old is not tall enough to ride those slides. Some Great Wolf Lodge locations have a lazy river/crooked river where one can just float in an inner tube, but this location in North Carolina does not have that option.

Older Ones (ages 6 and up)

My older two could ride everything by themselves. They loved going from ride to ride. Paul and I camped out with Miss 4 while Mr. 8 and Miss 6 stayed together or rode with one of us on one of the larger slides.

Some of the lines were long, but they moved pretty well. My children had a great time getting soaked, choosing their next adventure, and enjoying their spring break.

This Great Wolf Lodge location seemed to attract families with children ages 0-12. I did not see many teenagers, and most of the slides were available for elementary-aged students. Only two slides were “big” ones where a younger elementary-age student might forego riding, especially at night in the dark.

These are my overall impressions of the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC. I will continue this series where I will share what we did, how it worked, and what we will change on our next visit. Happy Howling time!

Question: Have you visited a Great Wolf Lodge location?

Continuing this series on our stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC, I hope those who are looking for information on this location will find this series helpful.

I would have loved to have read someone else’s experience before this trip. If I had, I’m sure we would have planned a bit differently.

After covering my overview of our fantastic stay, I shared our reservation process.

This post continues from the reservation confirmation and arrival procedures to getting to our room.

Part Two: Arrival Procedures

Receiving a Warm Welcome

In talking to a friend who had visited this location, I learned that the Great Wolf Lodge was visible from the interstate. So, we were looking.

Thankfully, our directions led us right to the front door as there were so many large brown buildings. I was not sure we were at the correct one until we saw the sign with the two big wolves. 😉

As we pulled into the complex, we were met by a parking attendant, who welcomed us and gave us instructions as to parking and checking-in. The personal welcome was a nice touch.

Waiting in Line to Check-in

After parking, changing our shoes, and getting our needed bags with our swimwear, we headed inside around 2:00 p.m. There, we found a beautifully decorated lobby.

The check-in desk was located to the right with signs indicating online check-in verses walk-in check-in. Imagine that, the online check-in line was empty, so we had to wait.

Anyway, we waited in the 20-minute line to check-in. When our turn came, we were greeted cheerfully. Upon giving our attendant our names and the voucher, we were asked for a driver’s license and the credit card used to make our reservation.

Well, I made the reservation, but I had left my purse and identification hidden in our van. Thankfully, Paul had his available which was acceptable. Whew!

Our voucher was accepted, and we were charged $41.51 ($14.99 resort fee, $14.28 room sales tax, and $12.24 occupancy tax). In addition to this payment, $300 was authorized on our credit card and was released within a week after we left.

Our credit card number was linked to our account and accessed via our wristbands, so we could purchase what we needed without carrying our credit card with us.

Had Paul or I made any purchases by scanning our wristbands, our credit card would have been charged from that authorization.

The attendant proceeded to give us 3 child wristbands, which were a nice, sturdy vinyl, and then 2 adult paper wristbands. She indicated that when our rooms were ready, we would get new wristbands that would also be the key to our door. Cool!

I asked for program information along with our $25 resort credit. The attendant gave me a sheet of paper with the information for the programs and indicated that more information on the credit would be with our new wristbands.

She also gave us a phone number to call after 4:00 p.m. to see if our room was ready. When our room was ready, we would go to the desk located outside of the waterpark entrance to get our information. We were then given instructions to proceed downstairs to the waterpark where there were changing rooms, lockers for a charge ($10 per day), and towels.

Getting to the Water

We followed her instructions and found the waterpark. We had to wait to have our children measured as they each needed another wristband to indicate which slides they could ride.

Both Mr. 8 and Miss 6 received green bands meaning they could ride all the slides. Miss 4 received a red band indicating she needed to be with an adult at all times and limited to the Cub Paw Pool and Fort Mackenzie.

Once we were banded up, the girls went to our changing area while Paul and Mr. 8 went to their changing room. Once in our swimwear, we got our towels which are provided. We then searched for an empty seat to put our stuff.

It was a madhouse that day with people everywhere. As we did not want to leave our stuff unattended, Paul took our clothes out to the van.

The kids wanted to go play, but we were not sure where everything was. I had the kids wait until Paul returned, so one of us could stay with Miss 4 while the other walked around with the older ones to set boundaries.

It was not optimal as they had waited so long to come and just had to wait. However, once we got in the water, then everyone settled down.

Around 3:45 p.m., I went to the desk outside the waterpark entrance to see when our room would be ready. It was ready early, so the attendant handed me a small folder that included our wristbands and our room number.

Locating our Room

Ready to get into our room, we dried off and put on our covers. The children and I headed to our room while Paul went to bring up our stuff.

The Great Wolf Lodge has carts for your use, but they were all being used when we were moving into our room. 🙁

Paul made 2 or 3 trips to get all our stuff. What a guy! The longest part was waiting for one of two elevators.

While we waited in our Kid Kamp suite, the girls enjoyed exploring their bunk beds while Mr. 8 checked out the balcony. Once the camera arrived, I took lots of pictures.

The room was great with a good amount of space. I was able to get our cold items into the refrigerator and setup areas for each child’s luggage.

Though the start to our stay at the Great Wolf Lodge was a bit chaotic as we were in unfamiliar territory, we got accustomed to our surroundings and found shortcuts to the parking lot. Once we got into our room with all of our stuff, we felt settled.

Surviving the arrival procedures, our stay improved once we had a good meal. More on scheduling activities is headed your way in the next post of this Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC, series. Happy Howling time!

Question: At what point in your vacation do you feel settled?

What an exciting time to experience the adventure at the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC!

Though everything did not go perfectly, we adjusted and learned as we went along.

Patience was difficult at times as the anticipation was high and waiting was long.

Thus far in our series, I have shared a brief overview prior to posting our reservation experience and surviving the arrival procedures.

Once we were in our room with our stuff and the program information, we moved into scheduling activities.

Part Three: Scheduling Activities

Time for Nourishment

Having eaten a quick lunch at Wendy’s after church on our way to the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC, the troops were hungry.

As Paul brought in our luggage and food supplies, we all changed into street clothes to head out to dinner around 5:00 p.m.

There were so many restaurant options within a 1-mile radius that we took some time to ride around and decide. While choosing, we stopped in to see the large aquarium at the Bass Pro Shop.

As our children with stomach’s growling were not interested in fish, we chose to eat at Cracker Barrel.

While we waited for our food, we started scheduling our activities. Per the lodge event schedule, the following options were available:

Evening

• 8:00 p.m. – Clock Tower Show in the Grand Lobby
• 8:15 p.m. – Story Time and Character Meet & Greet in the Grand Lobby
• 9:00 p.m. – Clock Tower Show in the Grand Lobby

Morning

• 9:00 a.m. – Wolf Walk in the Grand Lobby
• 10:00 a.m. – Clock Tower Show in Grand Lobby
• 10:15 a.m. – Bingo in the Grand Lobby
• 11:00 a.m. – Face Painting in the Grand Lobby

After getting everyone’s input, we decided on the following plan:

• Return to the waterpark ASAP until 8:45 p.m. (The waterpark is currently open until 9:00 p.m. Thursday – Sunday. It is open until 8:00 p.m. Monday – Wednesday)
• 9:00 p.m. Clock Tower Show
• Head back to our room for snacks, games, and bed
• Eat breakfast in our room
• 9:00 a.m. – Wolf Walk in the Grand Lobby
• Empty our room, and load up the van
• Back to the waterpark with snacks until we are ready to head home

When the meal came, we devoured our food. We left Cracker Barrel with leftovers, full tummies, and a plan for our stay. By the time we got down to the waterpark (around 7:00 p.m.), the lines were short, and the crowd had dispersed.

Time for Waterpark Play

Paul stayed with Miss 4 while the older two and I tried out all the slides. We had a great time going from one ride to the next.

The hardest part was walking up all the stairs as I kept getting out of breath lugging the tubes and rafts without much of a break.

After riding all the slides and even some a couple of times, I needed to rest. So, Paul and I switched places, and he rode with Mr. 8 and Miss 6.

It was the perfect time for them to get used to the rides without lines and crowds of people.

We played until 8:45 p.m. when we dried off, deposited our used towels in the bin by the exit, and headed back upstairs to change into pajamas for the Clock Tower Show. We just made the show as it was starting as we headed down the last flight of stairs. Whew!

Time for Rest

The show has mechanical characters and animals with an earth theme. I’m not exactly sure of the story line as other guests were quite loud during the program.

But, we enjoyed seeing the owl, raccoon, wolf, and other animals and characters move while they spoke and sang.

After the show, we headed back to our room. On the way, we each chose one animal on the carpet to step on all the way to our room. The girls loved this game.

We also past a number of MagiQuest players, who were busy solving their quest with their wands. This adventure game is great if you plan to stay multiple days or desire an extra activity at night.

The cost is around $50 for a quest, a wand, a belt, and a scoop of ice cream when you book your stay. You keep the wand and can purchase additional quests starting at $25.

If you know you want to play this game without the extras, then you might be able to find a MagiQuest wand on eBay, Craigslist, etc. before you arrive.

I watched a few families playing with one wand/quest. They just took turns finding the clues.

Once in our room, we settled down to our FREE Krispy Kreme Doughnuts picked up that afternoon from the spring forward celebration. Having brought too much food, we had plenty of snacks. I probably didn’t need to pack so much, but I wanted to make sure we had enough if we could not find a restaurant.

The children retired to their beds after warm baths with our son getting the pull-out couch to himself. Paul and I found the Internet connection very slow, so not much was done online. After long, hot showers, Paul and I headed to bed. We all enjoyed a quiet, restful night’s sleep.

Time to Explore

In the morning, we ate breakfast our cereal and pop tarts in our room.

Then, the girls and I headed down to the Wolf Walk which took us around the Grand Lobby showcasing the different animals and talking about their habitats, babies, and food choices. At the conclusion, each child made an origami wolf.

While downstairs for the walk, I picked up a cart to help us carry out our luggage to the van. When the event was over, the girls and I headed back to our room with the cart.

I packed up all our things while Paul made trips back and forth loading up the van. These trips were much easier with the cart. When all was loaded, we headed down to the waterpark to play.

Time to Slide

The morning was busier than the prior night, but more manageable than Sunday afternoon. Now, Mr. 8 and Miss 6 knew which slides were their favorites and how to get to them, so they were on their own.

Paul and I took turns or just stayed with Miss 4. Periodically, Mr. 8 and Miss 6 would check-in and come play with us.

Around lunch time, Paul trekked out to the van for our picnic basket and snack items. We munched as the kids just wanted to play.

(Poor Paul was making so many trips to the parking lot. I would have packed this better, but I know now for next time.)

Paul also brought in a couple cups for Miss 4 as she really wanted the bath toys. Bring in all the bath toys would have been too much, so Paul brought in 4 cups. She then enjoyed filling, pouring, and dumping with a new game to play. We stayed at the waterpark until around 4:30 p.m.

We then changed and wandered around the complex to see what other activities the lodge offered before heading out to Chick-fil-A to use our calendar cards for a great meal prior to returning home.

As you can see, we had a great visit at the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC. More posts coming on the waterpark amenities. Happy Howling time!

Question: How long do you stay at events – as long as possible or until you’ve done all you’ve wanted to do?

Though our stay at the Great Wolf Lodge was only about 30 hours, we had a great time playing and enjoying the waterpark.

With Miss 4 not liking water in her face, she started off very timid but grew braver the longer we stayed.

By the time we were ready to leave, she had all the buckets timed to where she knew how much time she had before the next splash. 😀

Having shared an overview of our time at the Great Wolf Lodge followed by posts on making a reservation, navigating the arrival procedures, and scheduling activities, we land on the fun of the waterpark amenities.

Part Four: Waterpark Amenities

Setup into main sections, the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC, offers these 11 amenities to guests:

1. Cub Paw Pool

Located close to the entrance/exit and the restrooms/changing area, the Cub Paw Pool is designed for children under 54” tall. The pool is only 18 inches deep with lots of activities and 2 slides.

This area is where Miss 4 enjoyed staying as she slid down the blue slide without fear of water dumping on her. The yellow slide is the Whooping Hollow where periodically buckets of water dump very near the slide splashing water.

Though the slides are sturdy, the lifeguards will not allow parents to slide down with their children. The parent needs to stand next to the slide, hold the child’s hands, and walk or scoot sideways as the child slides down. The lifeguards spent so much of their time blowing their whistles at the parents, who were not paying attention.

I found this pool cooler than the other water areas. When we got cold, we warmed up in the wave pool.

2. Slap Tail Pond

This pool is the most centrally located attraction in the waterpark and the largest pool. Ranging from 0 inches to 5 feet, there is a spot for everyone. Approximately every 15 minutes, the waves begin for about 5 minutes.

As the waves get larger, I gave my non-swimmers instructions to stay within the 2-foot markers during wave times and within the 3-foot line during non-wave times.

Usually all of us congregated around the 6-inch area during the waves as Miss 4 could easily get knocked down.

We loved this area as my children were practicing how to float, the water is really warm, and nothing squirts, dumps, or splashes in this area.

3. Large Slides

To the right of the Slap Tail Pond are five large slides where each requires a raft, mat, or tube.

a. Mountain Edge Raceway

Allowing up to 4 individuals to race to the bottom at the same time, this slide requires a mat whereby the rider lays face down holding onto the mat’s handles.

The mats are located at the end of the ride. You get a mat and walk to the stairs. Make a right before the staircase by the tubes for Alberta Fall. Then head up the stairs following the signs for the Raceway.

This ride is fast as it slides up the sides of  the tube before running down the humps to the end. Water sprays in your face making it difficult to see, and be careful to keep your head up as I did bump my chin against the mat on a sharp turn. Of all the rides, this was my least favorite, but I still liked it and found it fun.

Spoiler Alert: The heaviest one will make it down first as the two times I rode this, I was the only adult. Though I was the last one to leave the top, I was the first one to the bottom.

b-c. Alberta Falls

Both of these slides are fun! They both require either a one-person or two-person tube. These tubes are picked up where the riders are exiting which is right next to the stairs.

To get to these tubes, one would walk down the side of the Mountain Edge Raceway and turn right in front of the stairs. The tubes are stacked against the wall. Then you go up the stairs following the signs to Alberta Falls.

This is the fastest line as there is one line but two slides. When you get to the slides, you will either go down the yellow or the blue slide. These slides start inside the lodge, but quickly twist and turn outside the lodge. You can better tell during the day whether you are inside or outside.

Both of these end in a pool of water (about 3-foot deep) where an attendant oversees the exiting process. After exiting, you either keep your tube and go again or return your tube to the pile.

d. River Canyon Run

All the way at the top of the stairs are the two large slides.

You only need to hike up the stairs as the white conveyor belt brings the rafts to the top.

This slide seats up to 4 riders in one big raft. There are no drops, but it does get dark at night.

We loved this ride, and I could ride this one all day. Miss 6 really liked it because only the big kids could ride, and she did so without getting scared.

e. Howlin’ Tornado

Most daring slide at this location, the Howlin’ Tornado starts out in the dark – whether day or night.

By the time you count to 10, you will drop into the 6-story funnel and swish back and forth getting water sprayed in your face until you slide through the rest of the ride into a pool of water.

Both the River Canyon Run and the Howlin’ Tornado end up in the same 3-foot deep pool of water.

Where the raft of the River Canyon Run is one big raft, the Howlin’ Tornado 4-person raft is 4 tubes together. Each person sits in their own tube.

The rafts of both are placed on the conveyor belt by the Pack Member to save guests the hassle of lugging these 4-person rafts up the stairs.

Miss 6 was really nervous to try this ride, but she, Mr. 8, and I went together. I made sure I held her legs with mine and covered her hand making sure I held on to her handle as the drop is a doozy.

After her first run, Miss 6 was good to go. She rode many times and loved it.

4. Fort MacKenzie

This 4-story structure has water spraying all over the place. There are lots of hoses and guns to spray your friends and family members, but beware because even strangers will get you.

There are two slides available for little ones with a red, yellow, or green band as well as adults.

Some water may spray in the rider’s face if lying down, but sitting up is a nice slide down.

The Totem Towers slides are for individuals, so parents cannot ride the same slide with their little one. The parent can ride one slide while the child rides the other and meet at the bottom.

The end of each slide is just a shallow area, no more than a foot deep. However, the large bucket on top dumps 1,000 gallons of water. The brave ones, including Mr. 8, gather at the bottom when they hear the dinging sound warning that it is about to dump.

It is fun to watch the water just drips from those who get soaked. If you are on the fort, you will get wet, but some coverage is available directly under the bucket.

5. Chinook Cove Activity Pool

With a number of basketball hoops and a Big Foot Pass with lily pads to test one’s balance, this 4-foot pool is great for older elementary-aged children.

If one is tall enough, there are ropes above the lily pads to help one get from one side of the pool to the other.

There was much fun and competition going on in that pool each time we passed. Our family never ventured into that pool area.

The green slide in the background is the River Canyon Run, and the cabana is one of a few that can be rented per day.

6. Raccoon Lagoon

Offering a bit of sun, this outdoor section is typically open from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

This area was closed during our March visit, but the information explains that it has basketball goals, a 0-inch to 4-foot deep pool, and a section of geysers for fun.

7. Spirit Island Snack Shop

Refueling is possible without leaving the waterpark. This snack shop offers burgers, hot dogs, pretzels, and soft drinks.

We brought in our picnic basket with turkey, cheese, crackers, and fruit. We also brought drinks as we still got thirsty and needed hydration – though we were surrounded by lots of water.

8. Seating

There are lots of chairs and tables available. Finding one in the afternoon is more difficult than finding one first thing in the morning or in the evening.

We used our shoes, picnic basket, and towels to save our seats. No one bothered our stuff even though Sunday was packed.

9. Towel Station

Located when you enter the waterpark are carts of clean, folded towels. You do not need to bring any linens with you to the Great Wolf Lodge.

Just pickup the number of towels you need, and take them to your seat. After drying off, you can just deposit them in the used bin as you exit the waterpark area.

Other items in this area include life jackets for those who need them, and lockers for a daily fee.

10. Restrooms, Showers, and Changing Areas

These areas are spacious. I was glad to have a changing space with a curtain where the girls and I could change together.

I packed extra plastic bags for our wet items including flip flops, so we only had one or two bags of wet items to take home.

Within these restrooms and changing areas are swimsuit wringers that spin out the water from your swimsuit. I found this device pretty neat as the swimsuits were not soaking wet for the trip home.

11. Safety Central

This post would not be complete regarding the waterpark without mentioning the wonderful job the lifeguards do to keep everyone safe. They have a very specific cadence to their area.

They bob their heads up and down as they scan from the middle to the edge of the pool while walking the length of their area. When they get to the end, they sweep their head around in a circle to check for anyone on the edges, turn, and repeat. They stay alert and watch carefully as families play in the water.

These waterpark amenities kept our family busy during our 1-night and 2-day stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, Concord, NC. The amenities vary from location to location.

Our family found the Cub Paw Pool, the Slap Tail Pond, Fort MacKenzie, and the large slides our favorite amenities at this Great Wolf Lodge location. Happy Howling time!

Question: Do you mind water splashing in your face while at the waterpark?