Photograph Credit: Great Wolf Lodge

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?