Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg hosts Howl-O-Ween every day in October

Disclosure: I was invited to attend a press event hosted by Great Wolf Lodge in return for a review, no further compensation will be given.

Great Wolf Lodge is known for it’s almost 80,000 gallon water park, but there is so much more to do. This past weekend we went to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, VA and were pleasantly surprised at all of the great offerings for family fun. Once we arrived we didn’t think two nights would be enough time to do everything. It also happened to be the kick off to Howl-O-Ween at Great Wolf Lodge, which meant we had even more to fit in. Who needs sleep when you can play all day and night.

My husband wasn’t able to attend this weekend with Miss M and I; so I asked a good friend and her daughters to come. They eagerly accepted the invitation having never been to Great Wolf Lodge. So it was 2 moms and 3 girls (7,7 & 10 years old) taking on Great Wolf for a weekend. I hadn’t been to this particular lodge since it first opened and boy has it changed.

Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg Accommodations

Our group arrived about two hours before check-in. The check-in process was seamless, although our room wasn’t ready we were given our wristbands so we could enjoy the water park or kids activities. The pack member asked for my email address so that my room number could be emailed to me when it was ready. Within 30 minutes we were in the room; didn’t even make it to the pool it was so fast. Our suite for the weekend was a Family Suite, and it was quite roomy for the five of us. The Family Suites will sleep up to six with two queen beds and one pull out sleeper sofa. The feature I liked most was the sleeper sofa was on the other side of a privacy wall. Another plus when traveling with family or friends is the sink is not in the bathroom it is in the main part of the suite. Nothing like having to go to the bathroom when someone is brushing their teeth.

Another room amenity that gets a big thumbs up was the large fridge, microwave and coffee maker. While you can’t take snacks into the water park you can certainly stock the room with juice boxes, water, and other little treats your kids (and you) may like to munch on. If you are spending an entire weekend at the Lodge you may tire of the selections and want fresh fruit or a light snack.

We had plenty of room to spread out and relax when we were trying to catch a little downtime between activities. Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg does offer larger suites with bunk beds and lofts, but I found this to be perfectly roomy for the weekend.

Included in your resort stay is the water park, story time, kids cub club activities and the Great Clock Tower show.

Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg Water Park

The indoor water park is of course the main event at Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg. With a giant tipping bucket that flows from Fort McKenzie, a wave pool, kids splash area and five family friendly slides you can easily only visit this and be happy with your time. We spent a good deal of time both days exploring the water park. My friend and I decided that we are too dang old to be climbing all those stairs to the top of the water slides, but we did it for the kids. Fortunately Grizzly Rob’s frozen libations took the sting off a bit. The water park is very crowded mid-day; take a break and go do another lodge activity, at night it is virtually empty.

Dining at Great Wolf Lodge

The dining is somewhat limited but it is definitely suitable for a weekend. The general manager Brian told me that they would be adding a new “a-la-carte” option. I think that would really help. Great Wolf is also very allergy friendly. Check your activities guide for hours at each of these dining venues as they do change seasonally.

Loose Moose Cottage: Open for a morning and evening buffet they served a wide variety of items and they even changed a bit while we were there. The cottage also serves lunch but that is a menu consisting of salads, sandwiches and quick bites.

Dunkin Donuts for coffee and well donuts of course. They have a great refill cup if you purchase for $9.99 you get coffee your entire visit. That is only 3 coffee’s and it is paid for.
Buckets Incredible Craveables inside the water park offers quick bites such as chicken tenders, hot dogs and salads. You can also purchase a refillable sipper mug here and refill with any non-alcoholic beverage your entire stay including ICEE treats.
Hungry as a Wolf on Main Street offers pizza, pasta, subs and fresh made salads.

Bear Paws Sweets & Eats is where you can delight in the homemade fudge, or grab an Edy’s ice cream.

A Note from Executive Chef Frank Lang:

I became a chef because I wanted to share the joy of a good meal with others. And as the father of two young children, I know how hard it can be to find good, healthy food for my children when we are away from home. My team and I take that worry out of the equation for you. If you’re dealing with food allergies or restrictions, please let us know. We love the thanks and smiles we receive from our guest families, and they appreciate the time we take with them and the fact that we are genuinely concerned. Please let us know what we can do to make your meal a high point; we can’t wait to serve you.

At Great Wolf Lodge, all our culinary teams are well versed in common food allergies and dietary restrictions. We are more than happy to accommodate your needs, and we encourage you to speak to your chef, so your meal can be prepared safely from the very beginning. Great Wolf Lodge does not use or serve peanut or tree nut products, but some of our products may be manufactured in facilities that also process nuts. If you’d like to discuss your dietary needs before your stay, please email them.

Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg Activities

Where do I even begin? I had no idea this lodge housed so many activities, in part because I had not been in such a long time. With everything from story time to bowling there is no shortage of fun to be had at this Lodge.

With so many activities to choose from I would suggest purchasing either a Paw Pass or a Wolf Pass, these are combo passes and good for many attractions and activities while at the Lodge. The Paw Pass is $79.99 and the retail value of everything included is over $130! That is a great savings. The girls loved making their own friends to take home at the creation station.

Magi Quest- this is a hit with every kid in the lodge. We saw kids including our own trying to beat dragons and find pixies from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. It is a really fun interactive game that is perfect for school age kids and up. The cost of the game is $14.99 during your stay and a wand is $17.99-$21.99. If you have the paw pass or wolf pass this is included, and certainly a great value.
Ten Paw Alley Bowling
Hollywood XD Theater
Mini Golf
Northern Lights Arcade
Howlers Peak Ropes Course
Scoops Salon: get an ice cream facial or manicure in this exclusive salon.

Howl-O-Ween at Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg is a hit for sure. When you enter the lodge you are greeted by some not so spooky decor and you are in a Halloween wonderland. Grab your treat bag and collect ghostly goodies along the spooky Trick or Treat Trail each evening at 6 p.m. during the Costume Parade. Then join the staff for Spooktacular Story Time and the Monster Bash Dance Party.

We had an absolute blast kicking off October at Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg. There is still plenty of time to plan a getaway with the exclusive Howl-O-Ween package.

Here are more great photos from our Howling good weekend at Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg!