3 days ago
Here's a reason to bring the kids to Foxwoods even if they're too young to gamble
Based in Chicago, Great Wolf Lodge has 23 locations in North America. This one is state-of-the-art, they say. (They're also renovating the Fitchburg location, opened in 2014.) The centerpiece of the Connecticut park, Otter Cave Waterworks, is brand-new, with twisting body slides, spray jets, and 'leaking' water pipes. Plus, there's Great Wolf Lodge's signature 1,000-gallon tipping bucket, drenching anyone below. (We personally hate this, but kids seem to love it.)
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Mashantucket is about two-plus hours from Boston, so it's doable as a day trip if your pack can handle a road trip. Families who stay at the 549-room lodge get unlimited access to the water park included in the room rate. Plus, Foxwoods Resort Casino has its own array of hotels and inns, so there are several choices if you want to make it an overnight.
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About that casino: Our theory was, if things got too hectic in the waterpark, one of us grown-ups could escape to the casino for some peaceful adult fun amid the gaming tables and slot machines. Great Wolf Lodge is located right across from Foxwoods' Rainmaker Casino, so you can walk over. Of course, said adult would then be on the hook to do the driving, buy dinner, and spring for doughnuts at Sprinkletown. The stakes are high if you want to buy some quiet time on a family outing.
Turns out, we didn't take advantage of a casino escape. Deciding to splurge on a room, we had a built-in escape hatch if someone needed a break from squealing kids and splashing water.
A ride on the lazy river is a good way to get your feet wet, so to speak, at Great Wolf Lodge.
Diane Bair
84 degrees always, hooray
Walking into the colorful, forest-on-steroids property, you quickly realize that the Great Geyser Water Park is just one element here: First, you'll walk through an 'adventure park' area with a ropes course and zip line overhead, plus a mini-golf station, gem mining area, arcade, bowling, and eateries all around. We saw a bazillion kids waving wands on a MagiQuest course; some wore wolf ears (headgear of choice here; everyone gets a pair) and flowing robes while brandishing wands, like a Harry Potter-meets-Wolfman mashup. More about that later — we were eager to get wet.
The Crooked Creek River (also known as the lazy river) was our first point of entry. Do try to snag a tube, because it's not easy navigating the current while you walk. A few rounds of that, and we were ready for the water slides. At just barely 48 inches tall, Ava was tall enough to do mostly everything, but not that keen to hurl her skinny little form through an enclosed tube waterslide. We didn't push it. She was happy to do an open slide in the Otter Cave area, and we all had a blast on the raft rides. Five people at once can ride the River Canyon Run, a twisty raft ride with dips and a splashdown exit, and — upping the thrill ante a bit — Pequot Plunge, a raft ride through a cone-shaped slide with a tornado vibe. Riding with their grown-ups, little ones (42 inches tall and up) can feel brave on this one. They offer lifejackets and have lifeguards posted around the rides as well.
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Taking the little one's lead, we didn't spend much time in the wave pool, but were happy to cheer her on as she navigated the lily pads at Big Foot Pass (you hang from overhead ropes and climb across slippery platforms). This Great Wolf Lodge also has an outdoor swimming pool and an oversize outdoor hot tub. The latter was quite occupied during our visit.
You thought you were going to a waterpark? Just wait, there's more to this place, and more ways to part with your money. But it's all really fun, and cheaper than a flight to Disney World.
Diane Bair
Now and then, a pool party would break out. Staff members would crank up the music and hand out hula-hoops to get some action going. Food and drinks were available poolside, along with lockers and changing stations. (Later in the day, story time and dance parties take place in the lobby for families who still have some juice after a day in the park.)
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We visited on a holiday weekend, when the lodge was sold out, so it was as busy as it gets at Great Wolf Lodge. We made our dinner reservations early, so we weren't shut out, and quickly realized there's a better strategy here if you want to avoid crowds: Do the adventure park first, and then hit the water park in the afternoon, since most families do exactly the opposite. But we were able to do everything Ava wanted to do, and were not super-focused on experiencing every single thing.
Wand 'em up, wind 'em up
That said, you
will
spring for a Wolf Pass or two if the kiddos in your pack are looking at their toddler years in the rearview mirror. Priced from $60 to $90, these add extras like a round of mini-golf, ropes course, adventure trail, a kiddie ice cream, bowling, and — the biggie: a MagiQuest game with a wand or magi-belt. We've never done this before; we grew up baiting fishhooks, not waving wands to collect runes from shimmer trees. Think of it as an electronic scavenger hunt. Kids (and not a few adults) wave wands to collect required magical items during their quest. After procuring a wand, we had no idea how to do this, so a kind guest gave us a quick primer.
Ava adored this, running around the park and flinging her wand at everything. We quickly realized there was no end to this activity, and were ready to offer her an actual cache of crystals so we could sit down for a while. Nope: There was still the Howler's Peak Ropes Course to do. It looked like Army boot camp up there. Ava pronounced it 'terrifying.' To be fair, the bigger kids seemed to be having a grand time.
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If you'd rather have something other than pizza or a burger, Fireside, a sit-down restaurant, is a good option. The salmon (shown with mashed potatoes, not rice pilaf) was a fine choice.
Diane Bair
We practically fell into our booth at Fireside, an outdoor-themed restaurant featuring fire-cooked food. Nobody has high expectations for a theme park eatery, so we were surprised by the level of cookery here. Honey-bourbon salmon with rice pilaf and green beans was well-prepared, and the Angus sirloin steak frites pleased our carnivore. The kids' menu includes the usual suspects, but you can get extra fruit instead of fries — and a special drink cup that lights up.
We had big plans to watch Bluey in our room before bed (not to mention, showering), but one dance party later and we were ready to crash. Our standard room had two queen beds and a mini-fridge; some rooms have bunk beds — they even offer suites that sleep up to 14.
The folks at Great Wolf Lodge anticipate 500,000 annual visitors here, drawing mostly from Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Somewhere, Mom is sitting in a cabana with a paperback, smiling as we roll past in the lazy river.
If you go: Full-day pass: $100 per person; half-day pass (from 4 p.m.-close) $80 per person. Starting room rate: $199 per night.
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at
