This Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, OH review includes a fun-filled action-packed one night / two-day itinerary!
A one-night stay at Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio was the perfect stay for my son’s 10th birthday trip. We packed up and took one of his friends for a fantastic water park adventure!
Day One Itinerary for Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, OH
Great Wolf Lodge Check-In Time
Check-in at Great Wolf is at 4 pm, however, they provide access to the waterpark at 1 pm.
So, pack a separate bag to take in with you when you arrive that has all your pool items or needs. (Don’t worry about taking towels, they provide those as soon as you enter the water park!) Until your check-in, leave the rest of your items in your locked car.
Stop by the front desk to let them know you are there – and get your wrist bands for the water park! When your room is ready, they will text you and let you know.
Great Wolf Lodge Wrist Bands
You will get an RFID-enabled wrist band that will serve many purposes! It lets them know you have access to the water park, but it will also serve as your room key.
When you get towels at the water park, you will scan your wrist band and then scan it again when you turn them back in.
You can also charge purchases, including your food at the waterpark, to your final room bill.
The Water Park at Great Wolf Lodge
1:45 PM – arrival time – As soon as we arrived, we went straight to the water park after getting our wrist bands from the front desk.
They have bathrooms with showers – so we changed into our swimsuits there. They also have family bathrooms there as well if you have smaller children.
Lockers at Great Wolf Lodge
They also have lockers available to rent at Great Wolf Lodge right inside the water park area.
We did rent a medium size locker on Day 1 for $17.00. It was nice to hold our wallets, phones, and key fob where we weren’t quite checked in to the room just yet. It was easy to rent – we were able to use our credit card at the kiosk and set our own passcode.
What to do if you forget a pool item?
Don’t worry if you forget anything! They have you covered and have a swimwear and accessory shop called Bear Essentials. From swimsuits to water diapers, this shop has everything you might have forgotten right inside the pool area.
The Water Park Slides, Pools, and Rides at Great Wolf Lodge
Of course, the indoor water park is the highlight! The boys enjoyed all of it!
Slap Tail Pond
The boys really love the wave pool. It has a zero-depth entry where you will often see little ones sitting and playing. It goes up to five feet.
A glimpse of the wave pool before it got busy!
They enjoy standing there waiting for the waves to push them around. This was the very first thing they did.
Crooked Creek
Next, we did the lazy river, which I don’t feel is all that lazy. You go through buckets of dumping water, fountains, and a white water-like area with bubbling water. You can ride a tube, walk, or swim through the river. It was very fun, though.
Big Foot Pass and Chinook Cove
They loved the obstacle course and the basketball hoops in different sections of the pool.
You can see the slides coming down from Fort Mackenzie – and the tops of some basketball goals in the foreground.
The water slides, of course, were the ultimate attraction for two ten-year-old boys!
The Triple Twist
We started it out right with the Triple Twist. You can do this as a single rider or two-rider tube. It’s an awesome ride and was the favorite of the boys.
There was also Alberta Falls, Coyote Canyon, and the water coaster, Hydro Plunge. Again, all super fun!
Hydro Plunge, the water coaster, with Alberta Falls in the background.
River Canyon Run
My personal favorite was the family ride, River Canyon Run. You ride as a family (2-5 riders!!!) on a raft and go down a twisting tube together! So fun to laugh and be together!
4 PM – We felt like we needed a snack time, so we took a break and got food from Buckets, which is in the back of the water park near the doors to the outside pool. We had giant pretzels and chips/salsa. It was a great break and a snack. The boys also loved the slushies.
We were texted about our room sometime around 4, which is check in-time. My husband went and took our luggage up while the boys and I stayed in the water park area.
7 PM – We swam until 7 pm, and they close the water park portion of the resort at 8 pm.
We did go off the property for food per request of the boys. However, there are plenty of restaurant options available right in the resort and I have eaten at those during previous stays.
Great Wolf Story Time and Dance Party
The storytime at Great Wolf Lodge is at 9 pm, and pajamas are welcome. In The Great Clock Tower Show, the forest literally comes to life!
9:30 PM – After storytime, there is a fun dance party, and we definitely hit that up! Tons of fun and dancing with the staff members! They even have some disco lights!
9:50 PM – We also shopped for souvenirs that evening at the Buckhorn Exchange Gift Shop – both got a Great Wolf Lodge branded stuffed animal.
Northern Lights Arcade
10 PM – The last part of the night was to hit the arcade, which is open all hours.
Here’s a thing about me – I love claw machines. LOVE THEM. And I’m notoriously good at them.
I managed to win the boys 3 different stuffed animals – and once I actually got two stuffed animals with ONE claw! (Yep, I’ve got the touch!)
They were able to exchange all their won tickets for some prizes. They have ticket machines that you feed your tickets into and then you swipe your game card to transfer the amount on them. It makes it super easy to count and redeem for those prizes!
Once we were done with that, it was time to hit the hay!
Great Wolf Lodge KidKamp Suite
We stayed in the Kid Kamp suite, which was perfect for us.
They basically had their own room with bunk beds and even their own television! It was nice particularly since we had my son’s friend with us, so it wasn’t as awkward with them right in the room with us.
The Kid Kamp Room is its own separate room with bunk beds and a TV!
There was a couch, a table with chairs, and a queen-size bed in the room. We also had a mini-fridge and coffee maker.
This is the adult portion of the Kid Kamp room. Queen bed, fold-out sofa.
(Here’s another mom thing/tip: They do have a hairdryer, but it is one of those hand-held ones attached to the wall. So, I would probably bring my own next time.)
Day 2 Itinerary at Great Wolf Lodge
Great Wolf Lodge Late Check Out
Here’s my big tip for Day Two: Late Check-Out. They offer a late check out for an extra fee. You have to ask the front desk about it and add it on.
This allows you to use the room until 2 pm! Seriously, don’t miss out on taking advantage of this – it really made Day 2 much better for us!
9:30 AM – We tried to sleep in, but alas, this was as late as we could do. We headed downstairs for more water fun.
Breakfast at Great Wolf Lodge
There are several options for food at Great Wolf and I have eaten the breakfast buffet in the past. However, the boys were ready to go and didn’t want to sit still for too long!
We stopped at the Dunkin Donuts first for donuts and coffee for me! You can pay like a regular restaurant, but you can still even charge to your room with your wristband at Dunkin Donuts which is nice.
They have an area outside the Dunkin Donuts you can sit and eat, but I saw lots of people carrying their boxes of donuts in and storing them at their seats for snacks!
10:15 AM – Once we finished eating, we went on in and grabbed a seat and hit the water slides again!
The ADULT Hot Tub / Jacuzzi at Great Wolf Lodge – North Hot Springs
Ok, this is my biggest tip for all the parents reading this… when you are tired of kids everywhere – there is a sanctuary.
The adult-only area hot tub/jacuzzi at Great Wolf Lodge.
There is an ADULT only (21+) hot tub with a small seating area. Let the other adult/parent/guardian play with the kids, and head that direction for a reprieve for 15 minutes. Trust me. (You are welcome.)
12:30 PM – I was able to use the late check out to run up and get a shower while the boys continued to play in the water with my husband. It was nice to have a little peace and quiet and alone time while getting straightened up for the ride home.
2 PM – Checkout! We finally checked out at 2 pm and started on our way home. We could have technically stayed later in the water park as long as we were out of the room, but unfortunately, we had to get home for school open house.
Final Thoughts
I hope the two-day itinerary helps you plan your perfect trip! We had been once before when my son was around 3, and while we had a ton of fun (the toddler section is even awesome), this time was a lot more exciting and action-packed!
Even though we’ve been twice, there are STILL things I’d like to do! They have the Paw Pass, which would be awesome and it is a package that includes a ton of activities. We have never done the MagiQuest and my son would love that. We also haven’t done the glow golf or Build-a-Bear.
The fact that I’ve been somewhere twice and would go back a THIRD time is a good sign!
Other family travel articles you may enjoy:
Packing the Car for a Family Road Trip
What You Should Pack on an Amusement Park Trip
Pack a Disney Park Bag that has Everything You Need to Enjoy the Parks!
I hope this gave you some great family travel tips for your one night stay at Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio!
I have always wanted to visit a Great Wolf Lodge. It looks like a kids paradise. And by kid, I mean a adult who acts like a kid.
Chris – This adult definitely loved Great Wolf Lodge! I rode all the water slides!!!
I have been to Great Wolf Lodge many times in Niagara Falls Canada. I loved story time but I don’t think the Canadian one had a dance but they did have a scavenger hunt. They also had the best spa I’ve been too.
Kelly, I haven’t tried the spa! Must do next time!
Thank you for so many helpful tips – especially getting to the water park early AND late checkout! Woohoo! So nice to see how another family does GWL! We can’t wait to go!
Glad you could use my tips to make Great Wolf a fun time! I love waterparks!
So fun! My first experience with Great Wolf Lodge was taking a group of about 40 8th grade students to Virginia and staying there. We had the best time! I think they enjoyed that as much or more than seeing Williamsburg and Washington D.C.
That sounds awesome! It’s truly a great place for kids!
This sounds like such a great place to take kids! They’ve thought of everything, right down to the wristbands. I’ve always wondered if there is enough to do for a few days here, but you’ve answered my question!
I’m so glad I could answer your questions about GWL!