Is Great Wolf Lodge Worth It for Families? A Busy Mom's Honest Review

Ready for a getaway your kids won’t stop talking about? Here’s why Great Wolf Lodge is worth it for families — fun, food, and value all in one spot.

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After sharing our recent weekend getaway, my mom friends keep asking me - is Great Wolf Lodge worth it? After our trip, my answer is a big yes.

Great Wolf Lodge is one of those rare family resorts that delivers two full days of water-park fun, non-stop activities, and built-in convenience for parents.

We visited the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord North Carolina with our kids ages 5 and 7 - and even brought my mother in law along for the fun!

It’s the ultimate easy family getaway — everything from the massive indoor water park to games, dining, and entertainment all under one roof — so you can just show up and have fun together.

Here’s why it’s packed with value, fun, and kid-approved memories!

The Value at Great Wolf Lodge

Families often wonder if Great Wolf Lodge is worth the price — especially with so many indoor water parks to choose from. The short answer: you get a lot more than just a hotel room and a pool!

How much does it cost to take a family to Great Wolf Lodge?

When considering the cost, it helps to look at average nightly rates, how prices change by season, and how the overall value compares to day passes or similar family resorts.

You are going to get a lower nightly rate during the week and at off-peak times. This applies to the room and to certain optional upgrades like cabanas at the waterpark - they were half the price on weekdays versus weekends!

On top of your room, you will want to budget for two main things - food and activities.

I will talk more about the food later, but you should plan whether you want to eat restaurant food for every meal of the day. That can add up!

You are able to bring your own food and drinks everywhere except into the pool area. Plenty of people were getting food delivered from nearby restaurants, and you could definitely pack in snacks and ingredients if you prefer to make sandwiches!

Activity-wise, there is a LOT to do at Great Wolf Lodge. You could easily come in and just go to the water park, or you could spend an entire day doing other activities like laser tag, putt putt, MagiQuest, the ropes course, and build a bear.

If your family is the type to like to do a lot of activities, I recommend pre-purchasing an activity pass. There are different levels with different inclusions, but all of them provide a better value than purchasing lots of activities separately!

Is Great Wolf Lodge worth the price?

Prior to our trip, I had heard a lot of discussion about the price of Great Wolf Lodge. However, when we were there and looking at the prices, I found them very fair for what you got. Any one item was priced at or even less than you might expect. Where it gets expensive is when you add up lots of costs.

You typically wouldn't take your family to a water park AND to play putt putt AND to an arcade AND for ice cream AND do a Build a Bear AND to a candy store AND eat out 3 meals a day in one day. That's what Great Wolf Lodge can be - and that's where the passes really come in handy to keep costs reasonable and predictable.

For roughly the same price as a single day at an outdoor water park, families can stay overnight at Great Wolf Lodge and enjoy two full days of water-park fun, cute and comfy rooms, free activities, and all the perks of a weather-proof getaway.

Guests get full, unlimited access to the indoor water park from noon on check-in day until closing on check-out day — meaning a one-night stay actually includes two full days of splash time. We stayed for 2 nights so we got 3 full days of water park access and lots of time to do all of the activities included in our Wolf Passes!

How can you save money on a Great Wolf Lodge Visit?

Great Wolf Lodge has a few passes and package options that actually help families save — and make the trip feel a little more all-inclusive. I LOVED having the pass because it made it so easy to feel like a "yes mom" - saying YES when the kids ask to do extras, because they were included in our pass.

Money-saving passes and packages like the Wolf Pass bundle access to attractions such as mini golf, laser tag, bowling, MagiQuest, and more — plus a few extra treats along the way.

Families can save up to 30% with a Wolf Pass, or make their trip even more all-inclusive with the Ultimate Food and Fun Pass, which adds dining credits, refillable drinks, and unlimited access to top attractions.

I definitely recommend that you review the passes in advance, and talk to your family about what they most want to do. Some kids will want to gem mine and go to build a bear - others might prefer unlimited virtual reality games. Different passes are targeted to different audiences!

Additionally, if you get passes for your kids, you get discounts on the activities for the adults. So maybe as an adult you don't want to do Build a Bear or gem mining, but you do want to play putt putt. For that, they only charged us $5 per person to add on the adults because we had the passes.

What’s included beyond the water park at Great Wolf Lodge?

The thing that I was most impressed with about the Great Wolf Lodge was how much more there was than just the water park!

Great Wolf Lodge keeps the fun going beyond the water park with free, family-friendly activities all day long — from morning Yoga Tails and daytime crafts or games to the evening “Legend of Luna” show and dance parties that wrap up the night.

My kids played bingo, got balloon animals, did character meet and greets, took part in a late night dance party, and watched the animatronic show in the lobby - all free and included with the stay.

Paid activities that we loved included: putt putt, laser tag, virtual reality, gem mining, build a bear, the candy shop, and MagiQuest - an interactive scavenger hunt around the lodge!

For the record, everyone was running around doing MagiQuest. This is an additional cost, but you can guarantee your kids will see other kids running around doing it and will ask you about it. This is one I feel like would be hard to get out of as a parent.

What is the best age for kids to go to Great Wolf Lodge?

One of the great parts of a visit to Great Wolf Lodge is that they offer something for every age!

Toddlers can splash through pint-sized slides, fountains, and meet-and-greets, while bigger kids tackle the wave pool, water slides, and adventures like ropes courses or MagiQuest.

Parents can join in on family raft rides, enjoy the entertainment, and unwind with great food and cocktails once the kids crash.

My kids are close in age (5 and 7) but have very different interests. Our older son loved the big water slides, laser tag, and MagiQuest the most. My younger daughter loved the little kid splash area, the arcade, and build a bear. They both loved the wave pool, water obstacle course, and ice cream of course!

What’s the best way to get the most out of a Great Wolf Lodge vacation?

The best way to make the most of a Great Wolf Lodge trip is to plan ahead so you can take advantage of everything included — arrive early for those extra hours in the water park, schedule downtime between activities, and look into passes that bundle attractions for less.

You can also reserve times for activities such as the laser tag, virtual reality and bowling. This saves you from having to wait for slots to open or taking the kids down to do the activity and being disappointed when it's full. Just go down to the location and book a spot, then bring the whole family back at that time.

A little prep goes a long way toward keeping the trip fun and stress-free for everyone.

Safety and Cleanliness at Great Wolf Lodge

Safety and cleanliness are a huge part of why families return to Great Wolf Lodge again and again — and why we felt completely comfortable letting our kids explore.

How does Great Wolf Lodge ensure the safety of guests in their water parks?

Great Wolf Lodge takes water safety seriously with trained lifeguards stationed at every pool and technology that helps monitor the water for added protection.

We actually witnessed a lifeguard "test" in the wave pool and were very impressed with their quick and effective reaction time, even in a busy wave pool. The lifeguard blew the whistle, hit the emergency wave stop button, jumped in and responded very efficiently.

All of the pools felt well-supervised. Of course, we monitored our kids closely, but I felt good about the safety in the pool areas.

Are the rooms at Great Wolf Lodge updated and sanitary?

The rooms at Great Wolf Lodge feel modern and well-maintained, with fresh linens, clean surfaces, and no trace of that damp “water park” smell.

We stayed in a Kid Camp room with a bunk bed for the kids and it was super cute. The room included a mini fridge, coffee maker, and microwave - great if you want to bring your own food - and even a small balcony!

The bathroom and the room overall were super clean and a great place to crash after a long, busy day! If you want a little separation from your kids, one of these themed rooms gave you that little extra space.

Allergy-Friendly Dining and Nut-Free Kitchens

Great Wolf Lodge makes dining easier for families with food allergies by keeping every kitchen 100% nut-free and offering the option to contact the culinary team ahead of time for help choosing or customizing safe meals.

The waitstaff at every restaurant we visited asked us about allergies, and the menus were well labeled!

Food & Beverage at Great Wolf Lodge

You don’t come to a water park for gourmet dining — but Great Wolf Lodge surprised us with how good the food actually was.

What food options are available at Great Wolf Lodge?

Great Wolf Lodge goes above and beyond with its food and beverage options, offering everything from full-service restaurants and buffets to grab-and-go spots and sweet treats at the on-site creamery.

Meals are well-portioned, kid-friendly, and surprisingly high quality — plus, parents can enjoy craft cocktails or mocktails without ever leaving the resort.

The Charlotte Great Wolf Lodge had a sit down restaurant as well as a buffet, a Dunkin Donuts, a pizza restaurant, and the poolside grill.

I thought that the prices were very fair and comparable to a family restaurant you would eat at in town or any other theme park you would go to.

We preferred Dunkin for easy breakfast - my kids just don't eat enough to make a buffet worth it. I recommend you order ahead in the Great Wolf Lodge app, because Dunkin was popping in the mornings!

We had burgers and fries poolside - which were shockingly good - for lunch. They also didn't take that long to prepare the food, considering the amount of people in the pool area.

One night we ate in the full service restaurant. The menu was similar to a Chilis or Ruby Tuesday, in selection, pricing, and huge portion sizes.

We ate our second dinner of takeaway pizza and salad in our room. The kids were beat from the water park and it was so easy and kid-friendly!

I also want to note that they offer a popcorn bucket with unlimited refills and sipper cups with unlimited refills for your stay. I loved that these were true free refills - so many places do this and still charge a few dollars for refills. They were free at Great Wolf Lodge, and my kids got a ton of value out of them!

Are there restaurants open late at Great Wolf Lodge?

Many dining options stay open into the evening, making it easy to grab dinner or a late-night snack (ice cream, anyone!) after a long day at the water park.

Variety for Picky Eaters

Between the buffet, quick-service pizza restaurant, and the Woods End Creamery, there’s something for every appetite — even the pickiest eaters.

The pool food and pizza restaurant were our kids favorites and have standard options for kids. But, the sit down restaurant had a standard kids menu that was great, too.

Does Great Wolf Lodge offer healthy food options for kids?

The resort offers balanced meal options for kids, including fruits, veggies, grilled proteins, and allergy-friendly meals to fit different needs.

Drinks for Parents (and Mocktails for Kids)

Great Wolf Lodge serves craft cocktails, mocktails, and seasonal drink specials so parents can relax while kids enjoy their own fun beverages. We stayed right around Halloween and there were lots of fun spooky drink specials!

There was a bar at the pool with really fun drinks, and the sit down restaurant had a bar as well. There were plenty of options for everyone!

Is Great Wolf Lodge food expensive/worth it?

Meals are well-portioned and reasonably priced for a resort, making it easy to enjoy dining together without leaving the property or overspending.

If you plan to eat at the Great Wolf Lodge restaurants, I highly recommend adding a food credit to your room in advance. For example, you can purchase a $150 dining credit for $120. That is some serious savings!

Is the Great Wolf Lodge dining plan worth it?

The dining plans and package options can simplify mealtimes and offer savings if you plan to eat most meals on-site. You save money by paying in advance, so I suggest you take the time to make a plan and purchase a dining package that aligns with your plan, to save!

How would you rate the quality of food at Great Wolf Lodge?

The food at Great Wolf Lodge was better than I expected. It was not fine dining, but it was very family-friendly, good, and large portions.

I actually thought the pizza was really good and would have eaten that multiple times!

But, the best part of the food for me was that it was so kid-friendly. They felt comfortable with all of the offerings, so there were no fights at the dinner table. Which is a huge win on any vacation for me!