Skip to Content

Plan a Holiday Family Getaway to Snowland at Great Wolf Lodge

The holidays are here, and with it we’re all frantic with to-do’s. It’s the perfect time to plan a family getaway. Or perhaps you’re looking to plan a magical surprise gift for you kids! Our family just returned from a weekend getaway to experience Snowland at Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington. We had a wonderful trip, and I think it’s the perfect spot to book for a holiday getaway.

This was our family’s first visit ever to Great Wolf Lodge, and we loved it. I was amazed at how much there is to do there, beyond the waterpark! Thank you to Great Wolf Lodge for hosting us for the weekend. If you like podcasts, be sure to listen to our Vacation Mavens podcast about Great Wolf Lodge. We interviewed our kids about the experience!

Snowland Decorations

The lobby inside the Great Wolf Lodge is beautifully decorated for the Snowland holiday. One of my absolute favorite decorations was the massive Christmas tree. It stands front and center at Grand Mound and makes for a wonderful holiday welcome when you arrive. Upon check-in, you’ll also be given special white and blue Snowland wolf ear headbands for the kids, too.

The lobby at Grand Mound was also decorated with lots of snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. A special Gingerbread house was nestled in the corner, and a feature Snowland seating photo op was available for guests.

Snowland Suite decorations at Great Wolf Lodge - the greenery on the bed headboard lights up too! | © Stuffed Suitcase
Snowland suite decorations at Great Wolf Lodge – the greenery on the bed headboard lights up too! | © Stuffed Suitcase

During the holiday Snowland season, you can book a Snowland suite room package. This is for the family suite room configuration only. It’s the perfect addition for planning a holiday family getaway. Inside the suite will be a brightly lit white Christmas tree, snowflakes dangling from the ceiling, snowflake patterned bed blankets and shower curtain, plus lighted greenery wrapped around the bedframe.

The package also includes a cozy, fleece Snowland blanket and a storytime book called ” Unique as a Snowflake” for you to keep. And, you’ll also receive a special delivery of milk and cookies from one of the Great Wolf characters. Be sure to ask about this delivery at check-in if you have the Snowland suite package.

Snowland Activities

There are special Snowland activities that your family can take part in to celebrate the holidays. You’ll receive an activity guide sheet at check in. Some of the featured activities involve a special Polar Wolf Walk, meeting Santa & Mrs. Claus, gingerbread frosting demonstrations, and a holiday Peeps Scavenger Hunt.

There’s also a chance for kids to write a letter to Santa and drop it off in the North Pole Express mailbox in the lobby. I’m told that every letter that has an address will receive a reply!

Kids can also participate in North Pole University, which is a challenge of sorts that encourages the kids to complete four Snowland activities to receive a snowploma and special edition Rowdy the Reindeer trading card.

Watching the snow fall at Great Wolf Lodge | © Stuffed Suitcase
Watching the snow fall at Great Wolf Lodge | © Stuffed Suitcase

And one of the most popular Snowland activities is SNOW! Each night after the Clock Tower Show and before Story Time, snow will fall in the Great Wolf Lobby. Shhhh…it’s actually bubbles, but don’t tell the kids!

Gingerbread House Dining at Great Wolf Lodge

One of our family’s most memorable Snowland experiences was having breakfast inside the life-size Gingerbread house in the Great Wolf Lodge lobby. We made reservations in advance through Yelp. Here’s the link for you to reserve the Gingerbread house at Grand Mound, WA. To reserve at a different Great Wolf Lodge location visit the Great Wolf Lodge website and choose your location then find the link to Reserve Your Table for the Gingerbread House.

snowland-great-wolf-lodge-gingerbread-house
Make a reservation to dine inside the life-size Gingerbread House at Great Wolf Lodge and a $10 donation charge will go to Ronald McDonald House Charities. | © Stuffed Suitcase
snowland-great-wolf-lodge-eat-in-gingerbread-house
A fun holiday experience for families – dine inside a life-size gingerbread house at Great Wolf Lodge | © Stuffed Suitcase

We had breakfast reservations, so we checked in at the restaurant and once the Gingerbread House was cleared from the previous guests, we were seated in the house. It could hold up to six, and featured walls covered in icing and sprinkles. Evidently the building is framed out and reused each year, but each year the chefs plaster it with icing and gingerbread decorations.

Classic Great Wolf Lodge Favorites

Waterpark

Looking down from the slides upon the waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge | © Stuffed Suitcase
Looking down from the slides upon the waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge | © Stuffed Suitcase

No visit to Great Wolf Lodge would be complete without mentioning some of their favorite classic attractions. The waterpark for one is so much fun. Ours featured a wave pool, young kid splash pad area, a large Ft MacKenzie play structure which included a massive dumping bucket, and four waterslides. You can see in the video below that the Howlin’ Tornado was a favorite for our adventurous family!

We’re having a blast spending some family time together this weekend at Great Wolf Lodge Grand Mound, WA. This slide is one of the most memorable I’ve been on. Both the girls were shrieking and laughing!

#GWLHowlidays #east2westHOWL

Posted by Stuffed Suitcase on Saturday, December 3, 2016

MagiQuest

Another favorite activity was the MagiQuest game. My youngest, Mia, even chose to play MagiQuest over the waterpark one evening! MagiQuest is a scavenger hunt game of sorts where kids follow riddles and clues around the lobby area of the lodge and once they solve the riddle they can activate the MagiQuest spot with their special wand. As kids progress the levels get a bit harder, and the new ShadowQuest game is more challenging as it doesn’t offer clues.

Paw Pass

snowland-great-wolf-lodge-tips-discounts-passes-paw-pass
Discount passes available for Great Wolf Lodge attractions | © Stuffed Suitcase

If you know your kids will want to do a lot of the activities and attractions, you might consider buying a discount pass. They offer three different levels, Pup, Paw, and Wolf, and can be a great way to save money at Great Wolf Lodge.

Paw Pass savings at Great Wolf Lodge
Paw Pass savings at Great Wolf Lodge

Scooops Kids Spa

Part of our holiday celebration at Great Wolf Lodge involved getting a Mommy & Me pedicure at Scooops. This is a kid spa that offers fun packages and body products just for kids, and the adults they might have tagging along. Our mommy & me pedicure was a great bonding experience for us. We sat together soaking our footsies as we ate our giant scooops of ice cream and giggled.

They offer quite a few package options, including a Princess package that gives your little one a pampering experience and some fun goodies to take home. And our esthetician said even boys can get in on the action with some fun experiences, too!

New Attraction: Oliver’s Mining Co.

One of the new attractions for Great Wolf Lodge is the Oliver’s Mining Co. experience. This brought back memories of our mining experiences in Southwest Montana, and was actually a big hit for my girls. The experience is included in the Paw Pass we had, but it’s $9.99 otherwise ($24.99 if you get a miner’s hard hat package).

When you arrive you pick a bag of dirt and head over to the wash “river”. The worker gives you a quick tutorial on what to do, and you’re ready. I was shocked to see that large stones are found in your dirt bag. It’s great for little kids since many of the gems are large in size. Our bags contained some gems like pink quartz, obsidian, amethyst, and even pyrite (fool’s gold).

Our family had an amazing weekend getaway at Great Wolf Lodge. The Snowland theming is perfect for families looking for a holiday getaway, or for gifting if you’re planning a vacation gift instead of toys this year. Be sure to check the Great Wolf Lodge website for all their current deals, there are always specials and savings that can help. We shared a great savings tip on our Vacation Mavens podcast, so go check it out!

Family photo at Great Wolf Lodge in front of Snowland Christmas tree
Family photo at Great Wolf Lodge in front of Snowland Christmas tree | © Stuffed Suitcase

And, for a final touch of holiday fun, I highly recommend packing some Christmas pajamas for your stay. We bought some family pajamas (amazon affiliate) and got a great family photo in front of the Christmas tree for our Christmas cards. Indoor water parks are a great way to celebrate the holidays and enjoy a water play vacation in cold weather.

Great Wolf Lodge tips for Snowland holiday celebration - what it is and what to do! Great for family holiday getaway!

Share and Save This Post:

Best Holiday Destinations for Families in the United States

Tuesday 14th of November 2017

[…] Holiday at Great Wolf Lodge – Stuffed Suitcase […]

Tamara

Thursday 8th of December 2016

Love those matching family PJs!!

Kimberly

Thursday 8th of December 2016

Thanks Tamara! I'm happy to have a great family photo for Christmas cards this year. Now to just get around to ordering them and then mailing them!