Already planning your summer travels? Or just looking for a fun family getaway this spring? Then pack a swimsuit and prepare to earn some major parenting points with a stay at the new Great Wolf Lodge in Southern California!
In February, Great Wolf Lodge resort opened their 13th location in Garden Grove, the brand’s first in California. Here are three reasons you’ll want to check it out with your family.
Reason No. 1: The water slides
Let’s start with the obvious — there are water slides in the hotel! Exclusive for resort guests, the indoor water park boasts 105,000-square feet of watery fun. There are five pools, 12 different water slides, a lazy river, a kiddie play area, a wave pool, an obstacle course, basketball hoops, a watery jungle gym, and a surf-able continuous wave. My kids were fans of the Mountain Edge Raceway where four people can race head-to-head on the water track for victory, and River Canyon Run, a nearly 500-foot long family raft ride.
The Wolf Rider Wipeout was also a hit! You can boogie board, knee board or even attempt to surf the continuous wave.
Whether you want to get doused by hundreds of gallons of water by the Fort Mackenzie bucket, conquer your fears on the 360° Wolf Tail (complete with a vertical plunge through a trapdoor!), or relax in a tube on the Crooked Creek lazy river, there is something for everyone to enjoy. 
Reason No. 2: The rooms
As a family of five, one of the things I appreciate most about the Great Wolf Lodge is the number of sleeping arrangements they have for large families or groups. While the Queen and King Suites only sleep up to four, all the other rooms sleep six or more people, with some rooms sleeping up to eight! You can also get adjoining suites to sleep more than that. Whether you’re bringing all the cousins, your brother’s family with you, or you’ve splurged on an overnight birthday party for your tween, the Great Wolf Lodge has rooms that can accommodate you.
We stayed in one of the themed KidCabin Suites that has a queen bed, a sofa sleeper and a special nook with a bunk bed and a twin bed for my little cubs to hibernate for the night. The themed suites offer fun, kid-friendly decor featuring the GWL Animal Friends and interactive elements that can be activated with a MagiQuest wand or Clubhouse Crew Animal (more on those below!).
Reason No. 3: MagiQuest and Clubhouse Crew
One of the other fun features of the Great Wolf Lodge are two interactive scavenger hunt games. MagiQuest is designed for older kids who can read (or who can get help from a parent) while the Clubhouse Crew is perfect for younger kids. To play, you’ll need to buy either a wand or a Clubhouse Crew friend. You register the wand or plush animal with your name and then you’re off! Throughout the resort, you’ll be on the hunt for these stations to interact with.
For MagiQuest, there are three different challenges you can choose from, each with their own missions. Depending on which one you choose, the game can take from 30 minutes up to 3 hours , making it a great option if you are staying for multiple days. Parents be warned: The wands activate things everywhere throughout the resort — in the lobby, in the halls, in the Loose Moose restaurant — there are kids everywhere waving their wands and making things talk, jingle, chime, and move. In other words, this is not the place to go if you want a quiet getaway.
For the Clubhouse Crew, you start by building your own animal friend (think Build-A-Bear). You can choose from a handful of different forest creatures and an outfit of your choice. One your plush animal is stuffed, dressed, and activated, you’re off to follow the clues to solve your mystery. The kids really do get involved with the scavenger hunt activity and get to take home their wand or animal. Plus, both will remember what you’ve already accomplished so the next time you return to the GWL, you can pick up where you left off.
There are also tons of non-water related activities at Great Wolf Lodge from bowling and mini golf, to an arcade and a mini spa — so many more reasons to love the Great Wolf Lodge… you’ll just have to visit and explore on your own!
Visit the Great Wolf Lodge website to book your stay at the new California location or any of their other locations around the U.S.
