Great Wolf Lodge

Last Friday we headed up to Charlotte/Concord, NC to surprise our friend Mark Bell. His wife, Melissa, months and months ago sent out a secret e-mail to see if we would join them to surprise Mark on Friday while he did his Rusty Wallace driving experience at Lowes Motor Speedway.  Melissa said she knew she would be unable to surprise him with where they were going and what they were doing but was able to pull of surprising him with who was going to be there.  

Mark's Mom and Stepdad drove down from Indiana to surprise him as well.  I think they trumped our 2 hour drive.  Either way it was super nice to meet them.  

After Mark got a race car ride-along he got to drive a race car around the track for 10 laps!  Our kids were super excited to see their friends and knew that we were doing something else fun but had no idea that we were taking them to the Great Wolf Lodge.  Following the excitement of surprising Mark and getting to see our friends, we all grabbed a bite to eat at Jim N Nicks., one of my new favorite BBQ places.  The kids had no idea where we were headed next and were itching with anticipation.  Here’s the reaction we got when we pulled into Great Wolf Lodge…

We got to our room, put on our bathing suits and made a beeline for the Waterpark.  We only had an hour and a half before the park closed but the kids hit every waterslide they could and had a blast.  

The place itself was really cool.  The water park was fairly big with lots to do for all ages.  They have 5 different slides, a wave pool, a pool to play in, kids area, and an outdoor pool.  

Time Friday evening seemed to fly by, but the kids love staying in hotels so they were excited about getting to go back to our room.  Saturday morning Kevin found a local F3  group and convinced Mark to join him for a little work out torture to start the day.  Even though I wasn't ready to get up quite yet, the kids were ready to rock and roll...

The kids each received wolf ears when we arrived.

Henley is not big on keeping things on her head.  Our room was very big with vaulted ceilings and that "lodge" feel.

The place is so family friendly they also have cribs available if you ask.

There is so much more to do than just the water park but we didn't have the time or budget for all the extras. You can pay for a magic wand and go on a magical scavenger hunt through the halls.

Once Kevin was back from his workout and we were up and moving we loaded up our car, checked out of the hotel, and headed back to the waterpark for a full day of fun.

Henley is a wild child and loved every minute in the water.

Chase and Leah both conquered the lily pads...

We had a great time at Great Wolf Lodge and will look forward to going back sometime again in the near future!