Great Wolf Lodge is one of my family’s favorite “kinda” local places to visit. Great Wolf Lodge in a family friendly indoor water park but then again it’s so much more.

Visiting the Poconos location of Great Wolf Lodge I expect the first things to see is the GRAND entrance built to look like a lodge and the gorgeous scenery. Set on top of a mountain with trees as far as the eye can see makes for relaxing on the balcony a hidden treat they don’t talk about in the brochures.

For family entertainment you get your choice of the 79,000 square foot waterpark, the Northern Lights arcade, Scoops Kids Spa or Ten Paw Alley.

Our most recent visit introduced up to Shadow Quest, the newest installment of games from Creative Kingdoms, LLC. For the last couple of years my kids have enjoyed playing MagiQuest, a live-action game of enchantment and adventure played with wand that uses almost the entire resort.

Shadow Quest while similar in play style has a totally new storyline and journey for the kids.

ShadowQuest features ten quests, a “Vanishing Light” adventure and for those who successfully accomplish each step, a final battle against the evil yeti Malaki. The game, with its fantastical theme and rich, digital environments will blend into the Great Wolf Lodge resorts alongside the MagiQuest stations. Players can start and stop the game at any time; each wand stores every feat and battle played for easy pick up on a future visit. The same wand also stores players’ MagiQuest games and accomplishments.

We headed to Great Wolf Lodge to try out the new game. Shae along with my best friend’s kids Dulce and Marco were creators of their own fun as they tried to follow along the Guide to find clues and crystals to complete each quest. I’ll admit I don’t fully understand the game, neither did the kids but that didn’t stop them. They enjoyed the interactive fun more than the water park but vowed next time we would get in more water play and slides.Another new feature is Howl at the Moon Glow Golf. This new mini course set in a glow in the dark forest is fun for any age. It’s called Howl at the Moon Glow Gold because at the end of the course players get the chance to hit their ball into a hole that will howl if they make it. Shae made it. The rooms are built for families. We arrived as a group of five, there were no special requests we needed to make for sleeping arrangements. Each family suite is built to sleep 6 comfortably. Vacationing as a family of five can get sticky sometimes. Resorts, hotels and cabins aren’t built for more than four. Great Wolf Resorts puts family first.
While the kids tore apart the beds to create a fort my friend Stacy and I were still cozy & comfortable in the living room area away from their chaos. I recommend Great Wolf to everyone I know. In fact my parents are thinking of taking a trip this winter. I wonder if I can convince them of a BIG Family trip during Snowland.