LAGRANGE, Ga. -- It's been a long time coming, but the Great Wolf Lodge in Georgia is now open.
The 500,000 square foot water park in LaGrange was first announced in the summer of 2016. The $150 million facility includes a 100,000 square foot water park, a 40,000 square-foot adventure as well as 457 hotel rooms.
The company has said the resort would bring more than 400,000 visitors into the area and create 600 jobs.
“We are excited to officially open Great Wolf Lodge Georgia and provide an unmatched resort experience for families in the South,” Murray Hennessy, Chief Executive Officer of Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. said in a news release. “Great Wolf Lodge Georgia brings together family favorites from our other resorts with several new attractions and amenities to create a resort experience that will serve as a foundation for our future Lodges. Our new resort offers value, convenience and endless opportunities for families to join together and create memories they will cherish.”
Hennessy made remarks at the opening ceremony on Thursday, which also included an appearance by actress Meg Donnelly.
Photos: Great Wolf Lodge Georgia
Two new concept rides make their North American debut at the park, according to a news release. They are said to be "one-of-a-kind slides developed for Great Wolf Lodge Georgia by noted slide manufacturer ProSlide."
The two new slides are:
Triple Thunder: This group raft ride combines two of most thrilling water park attractions available into one pulse-pounding slide. The ride starts by plummeting guests down a steep drop and into a funnel, where they will experience sensations of weightlessness as the raft sloshes up-and-down the funnel walls. Upon exiting the funnel, the raft swooshes towards two saucers. The saucers provide additional excitement as guests hurl at maximum speeds along the bank of the saucer, swirl 180-degrees and exit through a narrow passageway – all in the dark. A few extra twist and turns await after the saucers before riders finally plunge into a catch pool at the bottom of the slide.
Rapid Racer: This two-person tube racing slide features plenty of thrills with drops, chutes and serpentine curves. As riders emerge from the exhilarating 180-degree and 360-degree banked curves, they enter a section with open racing lanes where they can see and hear their competition on the other side of a low separator wall. The slide features three rally points where guests can see their competition as both careen down this incredibly fun water attraction.
The water park also features a number of favorite water park attractions from other Great Wolf Lodges, including:
- Fort Mackenzie: Multi-level tree house water fort that combines suspension bridges, treetop slides, swinging cargo nets and spray stations. The park’s signature tipping bucket dumps one thousand gallons of water every four minutes.
- Totem Towers: Two three-story body slides attached to Fort Mackenzie.
- Wolf Tail: Step into the launch pod and prepare as the floor drops out from underneath guest’s feet, hurling them into a nearly vertical, 20-foot free fall, followed immediately by a 360-degree, high-speed loop
- Otter Run: A family friendly body slide and a sure-fire favorite, Otter Run is perfectly sized for small and tall alike!
- Slap Tail Pond: Gigantic wave pool complete with waves reaching up to three feet in height as they roll through every five minutes.
- Chinook Cove: Water playground for children of all ages featuring basketball and floating obstacles.
- Big Foot Pass: Unique water obstacle challenges kids and adults alike to balance on floating logs and lily pads and hold on to hanging nets as they try to get across the pool.
- Crooked Creek: Winding lazy river.
- Cub Paw Pool: Zero-depth entry children’s pool with water fountain features, kiddie slides and spray-and-play adventures.
- Whooping Hollow: This play pool is filled with perfectly sized water slides for young pups. Gentle slopes and tiny dips and turns make these the go-to attractions for the “under 52 inches” set.
The resort will also feature a "massive outdoor resort pool with additional water attractions for families to enjoy together."
The water park is exclusive to hotel guests in order to keep lines down and improve safety, company officials said.
The city of LaGrange actively sought to bring the resort in the area. Great Wolf will receive about 31 percent of hotel-motel tax revenue, which will be used to market the resort. That marketing must include LaGrange, and the city will have input on how it's presented.
For 15 years, Great Wolf will also be given a tax break on property tax. Its annual property tax bill will start at 10 percent of the assessed property tax. The bill will then increase each year by 5 percent.
Great Lodge currently has properties in 16 cities in North America, with three, including Georgia's, scheduled to open in the next two years.
Click here for more information about the resort.
