Great Wolf Lodge Makes A Splash in Illinois

Great Wolf Resorts Inc. officially opened its 17th indoor waterpark lodge north of Chicago with a ceremony that featured Chance the Rapper and kids from the youth-empowerment summer camp he supports.

The grand-opening festivities marked the completion of a $65 million transformation of the former Key Lime Cove into the Northwoods feel of Great Wolf Lodge. The new property is located just off Interstate 94 in Gurnee, Ill., midway between Chicago and Milwaukee. Gurnee also is home to Six Flags Great America and Gurnee Mills shopping center.

The family-friendly resort reflects the next generation of Great Wolf Lodge with a more contemporary design and a wide variety of activities, both inside and outside of the water park, that appeal to both children and parents. It also has some new eateries and attractions that may be added to older properties if successful, such as a make-your-own flip-flops stand and a farm-to-fork restaurant called Barnwood that sources ingredients from local farms.

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The resort has 414 rooms in 13 categories, including some that accommodate up to 12 people and theme rooms with a faux cabin or wolf’s den for the kids. It has 13 food-and-beverage outlets, which are all peanut- and tree-nut free. Some offer alcoholic beverages.

The highlight is the indoor water park, which was expanded from 60,000 to 80,000 square feet and has a constant 84-degree temperature, 15 slides, a lazy river, activity pool, zero-depth toddler pool, multi-level water fort with the resort’s 500-gallon iconic tipping bucket. New are the Double Whirlwind raft slide that takes guests through two back-to-back vortexes before splashing into the landing pool, while River Canyon Run is an immersive 476-foot-long family raft ride. Admission to the indoor water park is included as part of each overnight stay and is exclusive to resort guests, which limits lines. An outdoor area with a pool and cabanas also was added.

Great Wolf promised Chance the Rapper a $5,000 donation to his charity, SocialWorks and its affiliated Kids of the Kingdom summer camp, for each of the slides he rode. He rode them all and received a check for $75,000 from Great Wolf CEO Murray Hennessy. The two were joined by mascot Wiley the Wolf in pushing a big red button that sent streamers flying and the big water bucket tipping.

Also new is the Great Wolf Adventure Park, a 40,000-square-foot family entertainment center with a ropes course, climbing wall, arcade and more.

Another popular activity is MagiQuest, a live-action adventure game where players follow clues and use interactive magic wands to discover relics and runes needed to defeat a dragon.

Daily children’s activities in the Grand Lobby include Yoga Tails, a fun yoga class, and evening Story Time by the fireplace. Children can also meet with their favorite characters, including Wiley the Wolf, several times daily.

Great Wolf Lodge Illinois includes nearly 8,000 square feet of meeting and events space with built-in audio and video technology, customizable catering options and a world-class team of industry professionals to assist with any meeting needs. For more information on Great Wolf Lodge Illinois, visit www.greatwolf.com/Illinois.

Headquartered in Chicago, Great Wolf Resorts Inc. owns and operates family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand through its subsidiaries and affiliates.

Great Wolf Lodge has locations in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; Sandusky, Ohio; Traverse City, Michigan; Kansas City, Kansas; Williamsburg, Virginia; Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania; Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada; Mason, Ohio; Grapevine, Texas; Grand Mound, Washington; Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Charlotte, North Carolina; Garden Grove, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Bloomington, Minnesota; LaGrange, Georgia; and now Gurnee, Illinois.

A resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, that is scheduled to open in late 2019.