Hotel spotlight: Great Wolf Lodge, Niagara Falls

Great Wolf Lodge (GWL) is one of these places I used to drive by in my oblivious 20s and, having never stayed as a child, wrote off as tacky and superfluous.

Since having kids, we have visited a number of times. Over the last 10 years, we’ve gone with other families, with grandparents, with just ourselves. We’ve taken the kids as infants, toddlers, and now Big S is almost a pre-teen. GWL is the ideal spot for an easy vacation. It is a great way to spend money… I mean, spend time (but also money) with the family, especially in the middle of our Canadian winters. A lot of families celebrate birthdays and special occasions there. If you are visiting the area, it’s a good break between road-tripping and sight-seeing and a blast for the kids, which is not always a guarantee when travelling. (And if you *are* specifically looking for a budget-friendly trip to GWL, be sure to check out our post here.)

Kids of all ages love GWL, and it’s easy to see why. It is a place that is part hotel, part resort, part waterpark, part arcade, part theme park. And with so much to do for the littles, parents might find they can get catch a bit of a break, too! Although we were once skeptics, we have now become – I can hardly believe it – regulars.

As for what GWL is *not*… it is not an intimate, retreat experience. And despite its name, it is not in fact rustic, or natural. This is not the place for fine dining and there are no adult-centric things to do. I would definitely think twice if you are planning to visit without kids.

There is a lot of useful information on the Great Wolf Lodge website. And there isn’t all that much planning that needs to go into a GWL stay. You can simply show up with the kids in tow and soak up all the fun. But if you are looking for some real life feedback before you commit and some tips to enhance your stay, be sure to read on!

Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls hotel overview

Location

There are 20 GWL locations in North America (as of 2024), but Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls is the only GWL in Canada. It’s located along the Niagara River, right off the Niagara Parkway, between the city of Niagara Falls and the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. These are both popular tourist spots, and GWL makes a convenient add-on for road-trippers and travellers to this region.

GWL is 2 hours away from Toronto, a quick getaway for those of us living in the Greater Toronto Area.

GWL is just across the river from Buffalo, US, and likely your closest GWL location for those in Upstate New York. For those living further south, check out Great Wolf Lodge Pocono, PA, just 2 hours away from NYC and Philadelphia.

Types of rooms

Rooms and suites at GWL Niagara come in all sorts of configurations, which makes staying with friends and extended family easy and (relatively) pain-free.

Standard rooms (“family suites”) include 2 queen beds and a double sofa sleeper. (You can also get standard rooms that come with just 1 queen bed and a sofa sleeper, but as far as we know, they are priced exactly the same.) These are just fine for a single family visiting GWL. All the rooms come with a kitchenette counter with microwave and generously sized mini-fridge. We liked the partial divider separating the sleeping and living area, especially when the kids are sleeping and parents can still move about without disturbing them.

Themed rooms (some sort of “kid cabin”, “kidkamp”, or “wolf den”) swaps out one of the normal beds – because boring – for a kids camp-like area with bunk beds/twin beds. For all the times we’ve visited GWL, my kids don’t even know what these are and we’ve never felt we were missing out.

Premium suites have either a loft space or private bedroom, in addition to the standard room amenities. These are good for extended family who want a little more privacy. It’s possible for 2 families to stay in one of these suites (up to 8 guests), but you will be sharing a lot of your space. Some have tables/counters, which makes having meals in the room very convenient.

Cottages – 2-3 bedrooms with a variety of bunk beds and queen or king bed configurations. These have a dedicated living space and a dining space. Cottages are the preferred option for multiple families traveling together, and can sleep up to 10 guests.

Rates

GWL rates range widely depending on when you visit and fluctuate both seasonally and for days of the week. A standard room (2 doubles beds and a pull-out sofa) can be anywhere from $350 CAN – $550 CAN per night, with one of the many deals directly from the GWL website. There is a discount for almost every occasion, from early bird booking to multi-night stays to spring/summer/fall/winter deals. There is really NO reason to book GWL without a discount, unless you are set on visiting during special holidays. Expect prices to go waaaay up.

For cottage rates, you are looking at around $850 CAD – $1000 CAD. Premium suite rates run anywhere between $600 CAD – $800 CAD, which is actually quite reasonable especially if you are splitting the cost between 2 families.

GWL rates include waterpark passes for guests – you can enjoy the waterpark for 2 days for a 1 night stay (from 1pm the day of check in, and all day the next day even after check out). For standard rooms, this can mean passes for up to 6 guests, and for cottages you can book up to 10 guests!

Great Wolf Lodge dining options

There are *a lot* of thoughts online about the food options at Great Wolf Lodge.

Antler Shanty

GWL has 1 main restaurant, Antler Shanty, which is a buffet style option that serves breakfast and dinner. The food, contrary to a lot of above-mentioned opinions, is actually not too bad.

The breakfasts are definitely good. Lots of choices. However, breakfast doesn’t open until *8:30am*, which is kind of crazy for a family hotel, in my opinion. If you have young kids, 8:30 is already half a day done. We usually end up eating breakfast we bring from home, and hitting the waterpark at opening, which is 9:00am. (But the waterpark is only marginally less busy, so I would not make this your priority.)

Dinner is an international buffet. The options are a tad underwhelming and the food isn’t terrific, but the dessert bar is excellent.

Antler Shanty is expensive, running about $120 CAD for a family of 4, without drinks. It can also get crowded with long lines for the buffet, especially for breakfast, when it is the only restaurant open. We generally only eat here once, maybe twice, during a 3 day stay. We appreciate the buffet style, where even at the end of a long day the kids never put up a fight because they can eat whatever they want. It’s a convenient option, but it comes at a hefty price tag.

A section of Antler Shanty converts into Camp Critter for lunch, which serves food from the grill at fairly standard restaurant prices.

Northwood Pizzeria

Northwood Pizzeria is our GWL go-to. It serves pizza and salads, and the prices are reasonable. A large pizza costs around $25 CAD and feeds our hungry family of 4 for dinner with enough to spare (does not apply to parents with teens. :P)

Waterpark food options

If you’re *in* the waterpark itself and don’t want to leave for mealtimes, there is a burger joint (Buckets), and – our preference – the Watering Hole. In addition to drinks, smoothies, and slushies, this spot offers nachos, tacos, and taco bowls.

With the exception of Antler Shanty, which I think is where most of GWL’s bad food rep comes from, the food at the other restaurant are fairly standard, albeit “fast food”, and the prices are comparable and even better than what you’ll find at most amusement parks.

Barnwood

At our most recent visit, we noticed a new restaurant called Barnwood. This is GWL’s answer to fine dining, serving gourmet local fare in an elegant setting, with upscale restaurant prices. Maybe there are families that would take up this option, but it’s not for us. (We go to GWL so the kids *don’t* have to dress up, sit properly, and behave like adults. :P)

GWL meal plan option

If you are *on vacation* on vacation, and don’t want to think about food at all, there is an option to buy an all-inclusive daily meal plan. This is $64.99 CAD for adults and $32.99 CAD for children ages 4-12. This includes a breakfast and dinner buffet at Antler Shanty, and a lunch at any of GWL’s lunch spots. We have never gotten the meal plan, because 2 buffet meals in 1 day is too much for us, and we didn’t want to be eating at Antler Shanty all the time.

Bring your own food/eat out

Great Wolf Lodge *does* allow you to bring in outside food and drinks, and will even accept food deliveries. We always take advantage of this, as a way of keeping costs reasonable, and sneaking in some healthier options.

GWL also doesn’t have a whole lot of snack options, apart for Bear Claw Cafe, which sells ice cream and confectionery. It’s always a good idea to stock up on munchies before you go.

You can also choose to leave the hotel and eat somewhere else. From GWL Niagara Falls, you are looking into driving to the Falls itself, or the Niagara on the Lake. But keep in mind both of these are high tourist places and the food isn’t going to be any cheaper, if that is the driving factor.

The waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls

The GWL waterpark is the main draw of families who stay here.

This waterpark is right in the hotel. It has a wave pool, a lazy river, and 7 large waterslides. For younger kids, there is a separate wading pool and slide area, as well as a huge splash pad/playground. There are separate pools for obstacle courses and playing hoops. There is also an outdoor pool that opens in the warmer months, and an > 18/adult only outdoor hot tub you can access from inside the park.

Our impression

This place definitely has the “wow” factor when you walk in – it’s colourful and Canadiana themed and a lot of fun packed into a relatively small space. Fort Mackenzie, the interactive splash “tree-fort” is the most elaborate one we’ve ever come across. It’s also really nice just to be able to indulge in a day of water play without worrying about the temperature or lathering on sunblock all day. And while sand has its place, there is something to be said about not having to worry about washing it out of every orifice.

The other thing we like about the waterpark is that it’s never too crowded, because only guests of the hotel are allowed to use it. It’s always busy, and it seems to be that way no matter what time you go, but not overwhelming. Weekends feel marginally busier, but not by much. There is usually a line for the slides, but even the longest line we’ve encountered was maybe a max 20 minute wait.

What I do not like is the lack of comfortable seating. There are lots of chairs, but unless you rent a cabana, there are no loungers to sit and relax, read, or lie down as you would at a beach (now that the kids are getting old enough for us to indulge in such luxuries…) Cabanas cost around $400 CAD – which to us seems a little steep and largely unnecessary when you can just go back to your rooms at any time.

For younger kids

Having gone at multiple ages, I would say the waterpark is most exciting for toddlers and younger kids. When Big S and Lil S were tiny, they could stay in the park all day. The toddler wading pool Chipmunk Cove has splash features and hoops, as well as waterslides perfect for little adventurers and never seem to have much of a line up. They loved Fort Mackenzie. There are 2 twisting waterslides there, the Beaver and Squirrel, which anyone over 42 inches can ride. Even older kids and adults enjoy this one!

There is also 1 large waterslide, the Wooly Mammoth, that can seat 4 people per tube which allows kids of any age accompanied by adults.

Rainbow Lake, the wave pool, is a huge hit for younger kids.

For older kids

Now that the kids are older, they max out at about 3-4 hours of waterpark play per day. They spend most of their times at the slides, and I think the lines more than anything tire them out. All of the slides except for the Wooly Mammoth requires riders to be at least 48 inches (approx 6 years old). The Niagara Rapids Run and the Canada Vortex are the most fun, in our opinion, and the busiest. The “falls” slides – Grizzly Falls, Eagle Falls, and Bobcat Falls are more traditional slides. There is never much of a line with these ones. The most intense slide is the Wolf Tail, which is a vertical drop. There were very few guests brave enough to try this one, and there was never a line.

The deepest any of the pool areas get is 5 feet, so the kids really do more splashing around than swimming. They enjoyed the obstacle courses and balancing on the floating “lily pads” at Otter Lake. The wave pool was still fun, in spurts, especially when the waves are on.

Other activities at Great Wolf Lodge

MagiQuest

This is hands down our kids’ favourite activity at Great Wolf Lodge, and that includes the waterpark. MagiQuest is a live-action, role-play adventure game. Kids (or kids at heart) can buy wands from the gift-shop and go on scavenger hunts and quests throughout the public spaces of the hotel. The hallways involved in the game are themed to look like magical forests, and you can point your wand to activate any number of things, such as paintings, treasure chests, or animal figures.

Wands costs approx $20 CAD, and can be used on repeated visits to GWL. Wand toppers are $20 CAD as well, and each topper gives you special powers on certain quests. You can purchase games for another $20 CAD, which grants you unlimited access during your entire stay.

Younger children can buy a “junior adventure”. These are not quests, but allow their wands to activate Magiquest things. Treasure chests open, crystals light up, and artwork talks to you.

Older children, teens, and adults can do any number of quests and adventures. Each “quest” involves finding things scattered around the hotel, and earning “runes” after you have completed them. Completing quests allows you to go on “adventures”, which include tasks like reviving pixie magic or fighting dragons. I would say if your child is under 10, they will probably need some assistance at some point to complete some of the tasks.

We absolutely love Magiquest – it really does feel like a magical experience, even for parents. (It’s a great way to get in your steps, too!) It’s an extremely clever way to fill any downtime, and all the different quests keep the kids perpetually excited.

Northern Lights Arcade

The arcade at GWL isn’t big, and has a mix of unique and popular arcade games. The kids always ask to spend some time here when we visit. For $10 CAD, you can buy 26 tokens, and every game is between 2-6 tokens.

Sports Games

GWL has mini 10-pin bowling, and mini-golf outdoors in the warmer months. You can also play laser tag, and now there is a virtual reality adventure game.

We have only done these activities if we have purchased a pass for the kids that include them. Bowling is $7CAD pp, mini golf is $9 CAD pp, and laser tag is $10 CAD pp. We honestly just find here is always enough to do the kids don’t really care about these extra activities.

There is also a fitness room geared toward adults, but we preferred to work off our calories at the waterpark or by playing Magiquest with the kids.

Pup Pass, Paw Pass, and Wolf Pass

If you are planning to do most of the activities and buy lots of goodies for your littles, purchasing a pass may be a good idea.

Pup Pass costs $54.99 CAD and allows 1 entry into all of the above activities and around $20 CAD worth of arcade tokens, and 1 photo from the waterslides. Wolf Pass is $179.99 CAD is is basically the above package for 4 people.

Paw Pass costs $74.99 CAD and is likely going to be your best bet. It includes a Magiquest package, ~ $10 CAD of arcade tokens, either bowling or mini-golf, a waterslide photo, and a number of goodies from the gift shop including the popular wolf ear headbands, a stuff-your-own (from Build-A-Bear) GWL animal, and a GWL t-shirt. And fudge.

The good thing about these passes are if you are purchasing these activities individually, you can convert it into a Pass later if you find it becomes worth it. Keep your receipts! We have only purchased the Paw Pass on 1 visit, as we found it just a little more than we really needed for a GWL stay. The kids promptly forgot about their merch after getting home.

Great Wolf Lodge scheduled activities

You can scan a QR code during your stay to access the hotel map and a daily schedule of all the activities hosted at GWL.

I feel every time we visit, there are more and more activities for the kids. Highly popular activities include the nightly dance party from 8:00pm – 8:50pm in the lobby, where kids show up in pyjamas and you can purchase bubble wands for additional fun.

Our kids used to enjoy story time, which takes place in the lobby throughout the day and at 7:15pm, where again kids show up before bed in pjs. a GWL staff tells a story for the kids, with the help of the animatronic Bear and Moose (and Tree) displayed in the lobby. Even outside of story time, this interactive display is a hit with the kids – particularly Moose, who tells jokes.

GWL Character meet and greets are also a hit. Our kids never really figured out who was who, even after all these years, but the characters include wolves, foxes, and a chipmunk and racoon.

Other activities for kids include yoga, ballon animals, magic shows, arts and crafts. Most recently, we visited around Mother’s Day, and they had extra special activities include roasting marshmallows and a Cirque-de-Soleil-esque acrobatics performance.

Tips for enjoying a stay at Great Wolf Lodge

1. The ideal length of stay: 2 nights (3 days)

We know several families who book 1 night stays as a weekend getaway, either from Fri-Sat or Sat-Sun. This is fine if you’re close enough that you visit frequently.

However, we feel 2 nights (3 days) is the perfect length to enjoy a GWL mini-vacation. You are able to start enjoying the waterpark from 1pm the day of your check in, and all day after you check out. This gives you 3 days of waterpark time, and plenty of time in between to enjoy some of the other activities without feeling rushed or like you are missing out.

We recommend packing an extra beach bag with your swimwear, so you can easily enjoy the waterpark before/after checking in or out. There were several occasions we showed up before our room was ready. The staff go out of their way to check and move you to another room if there is one ready, and there usually is!

You can pay an additional fee for late check-out (2:00pm instead of 11:00am), but we have never felt this was necessary. We usually pack in the morning and let the kids finish any non-water activity they still want to do (these days it’s definitely Magiquest). After check out, we store our luggage in the car and hit up the waterpark until the kids want to call it quits.

2. Stay with friends and extended family

GWL is the *perfect* place for a small family reunion or for your kids to spend time with their friends. The suites are perfect for sharing. There is so much to do kids can spend time with cousins or friends without you having to plan anything. You don’t have to coordinate driving anywhere. And adults can tag-team if they want some alone-time. There was a year where our kids were still too young to go on the waterslides, and we took turns staying with them in the toddler areas while the other parents went on the slides.

3. Remind yourself food is not GWL’s main draw

If you are looking for a foodie experience, you will be disappointed at GWL. Instead, maybe think about food here the way your kids think about food – something conveient, fun and informal, decidedly less on the clean-eating side, and just something they have to do so they can get back to playing. GWL ticks all these boxes, and never once have either Big S or Lil S complained about eating here.

And don’t forget to eat aaaall the pizza and bring your own food!

4. Packing tips

GWL is very casual. In fact, the bulk of our packing tends to be food!

As a general rule, the dress code at GWL is comfortable, casual clothing, including sweats and “athleisure”. Bring extra pyjamas for the kids, as so many kids run around in their pyjamas!

Be sure to bring comfortable footwear as well. Slippers are okay, but we prefer sneakers as you may be doing a lot of walking if you’re playing the Magiquest game. For kids, Crocs (our kids wear Native Shoes) are a good choice as they double as both waterpark shoes and casual shoes. Some people wear water shoes to the park, but this is optional.

Although GWL supplies beach towels, you are technically not supposed to bring them out of the waterpark. Bringing your own towels and cover-ups is helpful for getting between your rooms to the waterpark.

4. Taking photos

We usually just bring our phones, and surprisingly we take very few photos while at GWL. When we do, it’s usually to snap the kids participating in an activity or playing Magiquest. We brought our Go-Pro on this most recent trip, and there are people who bring waterproof pouches for their phones, but keep in mind you are not allowed to use your camera while on the waterslides.

5. Do not try to do all the things

The daily GWL schedule actually looks pretty overwhelming. There is a lot going on. Similarly, there are a lot of attractions you can purchase. Sometimes we actively *avoid* these so as not to overwhelm the kids.

Generally, while at GWL, we let the kids lead. They let us know what they want to do and where they want to go (and we got at their pace even if it takes forever). They let us know when they’ve had enough, and we head back for a break in our rooms. For the first few visits, we were not able to attend the evening story-time or dance parties as it was past the kids’ bedtime.

The key to GWL is remembering you are on vacation, and the last thing you want on vacation is a tired, cranky, over-stimulated kid.

6. Manage your expectations

So much of the criticism I hear about GWL – which I probably would have shared before having kids – is that GWL does not meet certain adult-centric expectations. Yes, the food isn’t fantastic. The decor is a little over the top and gauche from an adult’s POV. Yes, there are kids everywhere. Yes, here is a good chance you will catch germs from other kids (one year, Lil S caught pneumonia!) or very possibly a pool area will be closed off for a few hours because someone had an accident.

But what GWL is, is a kids haven, and something I did not know I needed before I had kids. They have really done a great job making the place kids-centric, and there is something for children of every age. The kids love it, we make fun memories, and it is by far the easiest vacation we have ever taken with them.

Have questions about Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls? Drop us a line!