LAGRANGE, Ga. -- My family and I packed up the car and drove an hour south to LaGrange, my hometown. But for the first time, instead of staying with family, we checked into a resort. A resort in LaGrange!
Even before we got off the mostly empty exit 13 on I-85, we could see the colorful slides winding out of the building. Driving up to Great Wolf Lodge, our first thoughts were along the lines of "Whoa, this place is massive."
The statue of a howling wolf is the first to greet you to the campus. Then there are the friendly valets and front lobby staff. That lobby, also massive, is filled with big comfy lounge chairs. All the decorations and details put you in the mindset of some lodge on the side of a mountain where people go to ski. But, LaGrange couldn’t be further from that. Great Wolf Georgia is actually the southern-most location the company has. An indoor water park in the deep south.
My family and I were guests of Great Wolf. They invited a group of journalists and bloggers to bring their families for the weekend. I brought my husband, 8-year-old son, my sister, her two little boys and my mom. We took notes about what other first-timers should know before they go. First, the basics.
TECHNOLOGY
No wallet needed. That’s the most convenient part. You room key is a wristband (like Disney’s magic bands if you’ve been there). You can link your credit and debit cards to the wristbands so you don’t need to carry a wallet to pay for things. The wristband is also what gets you into the water park.
THE ROOMS
They all have an outdoorsy feel and they’re all colorful. These rooms are designed to give you a place to rest, clean up and store your things. There aren’t many thrills, even in their biggest, fanciest rooms. There is not much to attract you to hang out in the room. The rooms also sleep quite a few people and they have suites with bunk beds, themes, etc.
THE FOOD
Restaurants and shops are everywhere. They range from tacos and pizza to an upscale farm-to-table restaurant. Food is sold at typical resort prices, so just be aware of that when you’re making your budget (which I completely suggest making before you go). However, we saw many families bringing their own food and snacks from home. Our rooms had refrigerators but didn’t have microwaves.
THE WATER PARK
Fun. So. Much. Fun. And the water is warm. There are spaces for everyone from the little babies to the thrill seekers. My 8-year-old is pretty short for his age but he was just tall enough to ride all of the slides. There is a mix of group slides and individual ones. It’s important to pay attention to the colored wristband assigned to your little one before you climb the stairs and stand in line for the slides. We ran into that problem with my nephew who wasn’t quite tall enough to ride with us for one ride.
We also had a baby with us. He’s about 18 months so he walks independently. Because of the nature of the park, I would suggest going in with a plan about who is going to focus on the baby while everyone else is doing the big stuff. There is an entire section dedicated to babies and toddlers but even that section sits in about a foot of water. So, keeping the baby safe will be a full=attention task. There are also many lifeguards around the help.
It’s indoor and outdoor so don’t forget sunscreen for when you go to the outside pool. There is an adults-only hot tub up on a platform away from all the kiddie craziness. That’s where I found my refuge…and my tan.
Photos: Great Wolf Lodge Georgia
THINGS YOU PROBABLY SHOULD BRING
Sunscreen
Yes, it’s an indoor park but they also have a good-sized outdoor pool and a hot tub that are in full view of the sun. Don’t let sunburn ruin the fun.
Snacks
While Great Wolf Lodge has a ton of places to purchase meals, snacks were harder to come by. There are a couple of gift shops plus the Dunkin Donuts and Ben and Jerry's, but having snacks when you want them is something to think about.
Bottled water
Even though you’re surrounded by water, hydration is still key. It’s easy to lose track of how much you’re sweating when you’re running around all day. When we checked in, there were two bottles of water in the fridge but there is room for much more.
Water-proof electronic gear
Okay, this may be obvious for some, but if you want to capture dynamic, memorable moments, you’re going to want to find something to protect your electronics. Whether that’s a waterproof phone case or a remembering the water case for your GoPro (I forgot to pack ours), it’s important to keep in mind. You don’t want to ruin your mood my dropping your phone in the wave pool.
Closed toe shoes
Aside from the water park, there is also their adventure park. These activities are purchased in addition to what you pay to stay at the resort. They’re also open to people not staying there. To do the rock wall (which has three levels of difficulty) or the ropes course (also with varying levels of difficulty) you need closed toe shoes.
While we’re on the topic of shoes, remember to pack comfortable shoes because there is a lot of walking. The only elevators are on one side of very, very long hallways where the rooms are and depending on where you’re placed, the walk between the rooms and the rest of the resort can be lengthy. After a day of running around the park, we had achy feet and wished we’d brought comfortable shoes. Also, my kid forgot his flip flops so he spent a good bit of time barefoot…not ideal, but he survived.
$$$
When making that budget I talked about earlier, don’t forget to factor in the other activities your family members may want to do. There is the mini golf, a mining experience, an arcade, bowling and other Adventure Park activities that come at additional costs. These are bought à la carte or as packages. The prices range.
Comfy and cute pajamas
The night ends with an interactive story time and the day begins with yoga for the kids. It’s optional, of course, but an experience you may want to have. This all goes down in the lobby so having something comfortable to venture down in, that you don’t mind being seen in public wearing, was something I wish I brought.
THINGS YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T BRING
Life vests
They have plenty. There are several stations set up throughout the park with different sizes of life vests. They’re free to use. One mom said she wish she would have known that before coming because while preparing to come, she struggled to find a vest in her daughter’s size. Well, now you know.
That fancy camera and other valuables
Be cautious about bringing that DSLR you spent big bucks on. Everyone wants beautiful pictures but things move really fast, and keeping up with your valuables can occupy too much of your brain space. Many times, families would find a place to camp out at the water park and leave all their things behind while they enjoyed themselves. That’s smart IF you’re not worried about the valuable thing you tucked away in the baby stroller hoping no one noticed. Save yourself the headache and keep your nice things at home.
This isn’t an exhaustive list and I’m sure I missed something. If you have tips and tricks to share about getting the most out of a vacation at Georgia’s newest attraction, let me know. Or, if you’ve been wanting to go somewhere but wanted the lowdown, hit me up on social: @KristenBdigital on Instagram and Facebook or @KristenBReed on Twitter.
Kristen is the managing editor of 11Alive's digital platforms.
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