I have heard a lot about Great Wolf Lodge since it was built in Williamsburg, VA and it has been one of my places to visit for a while. As an adult in my mid-30s with no children, I kept looking over many reviews, comments, concerns, and complaints dealing with topics related exclusively to people with children. I was hesitant to book a stay at Great Wolf Lodge because of the lack of reviews about adult-only visits. I wasn’t sure if there would be enough for adults to do or if it would be too noisy for us.
Make no mistake Great Wolf Lodge’s main focus is on children, but we found there was plenty to do to keep us (adults) entertained as well. I felt that a review of the lodge from an adult without children was due. I should mention we are kids at heart and love theme parks. From the time we arrived at Great Wolf Lodge, we honestly had a blast! For our first visit, we chose to go during Halloween. We figured a lot of people might take their children out and maybe not as many people would be vacationing. During our visit, we found the lodge to be busy, but not packed. (Note: The resort did have Halloween activities for children including trick or treating for Halloween.)
Upon arrival, I was shocked at the homey feel of the lodge and the lack of a smell of chlorine from the water park. In the lobby when we arrived was a group of children on the floor in front of the fireplace doing a staff-led craft. We used the mobile self-check-in on the app and when we arrived our room was ready for us. Upon check-in in we received an envelope with our wristbands for our stay. We opted to link our credit card to our wristbands putting a $100 hold on the account for charges. This is something to consider if you don’t want to lug around a credit card while you’re at the water park.
Lodging at Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, Virginia
The wristband is also, your room key and will unlock the door outside the lodge going to the parking lot as well (this feature is not on the children’s bands). The lodge was busy, but it wasn’t overwhelming. We easily located our room. The family fireplace suite was spacious with 2 queen beds, a full-size bathroom with a shower/tub combo, a kitchen area with a microwave and mini fridge, a sofa, 2 TVs, and a fireplace which we especially. The lodge has many types of rooms including themed rooms too with cabin bunk areas for children.
Dining at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
There are several dining options at Great Wolf Lodge without having to leave the lodge. I liked being able to stay on the property and relax with some bar drinks, not having to worry about taking an Uber or taxi. The Loose Moose is off of the main lobby and is a buffet-style restaurant with a bar. They are open for breakfast and then close and reopen at 5 for dinner. We ate here twice during our stay for dinner and enjoyed our food and our bar drinks. Great Wolf Lodge has a frozen Jack and Coke that is good by the way!
I was most impressed at their concern for dietary restrictions. A staff member came out and went over items that didn’t contain any meat for me and addressed any concerns I had on vegetarian or vegan choices. The salad bar area was full of delicious fresh veggies, pasta salads, potato salad, and a variety of greens. They had a great selection of side dishes too including veggies and an area for main dishes/meats (fish was an option too). Everything we had here was flavorful and tasted fresh.
Other choices for food include pizza and take-and-go salads/sandwiches downstairs from the lobby called the Hungry as a Wolf. There is also, a walk-up restaurant in the water park area called Buckets, a waterpark bar, and an ice cream parlor beside Hungry as a Wolf. In addition, the resort has its own Dunkin’ Donuts in the lobby and we had donuts from there one morning. I enjoyed the ability to place an order on my phone from the resort dining and then pick up my food. It made it hassle-free even to order from our room by using the app.
During our time inside the water park, we enjoyed food from Buckets as well as drinks from the bar inside. The bar also had the football games showing on two TVs on Sunday. Just outside the parking lot of Great Wolf Lodge is another food option in the form of a non-lodge restaurant called Sportsman’s Grill. The restaurant is within walking distance of Great Wolf Lodge and stays with the wilderness theme.
Sportsman’s Grill is similar to a game lodge and the walls are covered in taxidermy animal trophies. The menu is unique too with items such as frog legs, venison stew, and alligator gumbo. They also had a nice beer/wine list. We enjoyed having lunch there during our stay.
Things to do at Great Wolf Lodge (Paid Activities)
In addition to the water park, there are many fun activities to do at Great Wolf Lodge. Most are geared directly towards children like the MagiQuest game which has a spot to buy a wand and play an interactive game through the resort. However, as adults, we enjoyed several of the other activities. The lanes at Ten Paw Alley were shorter and it was similar to duckpin bowling with smaller balls and short pins. This bowling was a bit more challenging than normal bowling and we had fun playing.
We also visited the Build a Bear during our stay where I stuffed my wolf plush to take home. I’m already a Build-a-Bear fan and was excited about the exclusive options only offered at Great Wolf Lodge. We enjoyed playing a game of laser tag and even had the whole game to ourselves one night. For late-night fun, the Northern Lights arcade is open late, is adult friendly and has many fun traditional-style games that bring back nostalgic feelings.
The price of the tokens was typical of arcades and with $50 worth we enjoyed chasing each other on motorcycles, racing each other in cars, and playing skeetball and basketball against each other. Many of the arcade games give out tickets to redeem for prizes and several of the claw machines allow for play until a prize is won. I felt like a kid again playing some of the games all while enjoying drinks we had gotten from the Loose Moose bar.
Great Wolf Lodge Water Park in Williamsburg, Virginia
On our first day, we didn’t go into the water park until around 4. They were open from 9-7 the days we visited. On our first time inside we walked around and visually checked out the area. Though the water park was busy we didn’t feel overwhelmed by the foot traffic or by children enjoying the fun.
We opted to go to bar and get some tropical drinks and then go into the 21+ hot tub. The adults-only hot tub is huge and near a family hot tub for people who want to sit with their children. It’s a cozy area and we enjoyed relaxing and having a few drinks before going back to our room when the water park closed.
For those not staying at the lodge there were ample lockers to rent to store belongings, a small necessities shop for things one might have forgotten to bring, and showers/changing rooms. The layout of the park has multiple restrooms too and I never saw people having to wait.
On our full day at the water park, we rode all of the rides and enjoyed the Howlin’ Tornado the most. Though the rides are inside the water park doesn’t skimp on the size of the tubes and slides with many going outside of the building and looping back in. We liked that there were areas just for smaller children to play, areas geared towards teens/adults, and things families could ride or enjoy together like the wave pool all under the same roof. The Crooked Creek lazy river was one of our favorites and between it and visits to the hot tub, we felt relaxed. We enjoyed being able to ride things together in a double tube.
Review of Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia
We don’t live far from Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia so we didn’t venture out during our stay and are familiar with the area. However, for adults that haven’t been to Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, or nearby Yorktown this could be the perfect hotel to use as a base. The lodge rooms can be accessed without going into the children’s areas or the water park for a quieter stay. The rooms are very spacious and clean. The location of the Great Wolf Lodge would make the lodge great for conferences.
Overall we enjoyed our stay at Great Wolf Lodge and would go again. If you’re looking for a quiet couples weekend this might not be the place for you, but if you love adventure and feeling like a kid again I would highly recommend a trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Va. I didn’t see anyone else visiting without children or grandchildren, but I don’t feel like people without children are excluded from the lodge. This was a perfect staycation for us as adults and we were glad we tried Great Wolf Lodge out. This trip was a good break from adulting and who couldn’t use more days like that?
Return Visits to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia
Since first writing this blog we have returned to Great Wolf Lodge five times and even went to check out the holiday decorations for Snowland. I honestly like going in the off-season when the lodge is less crowded. During our most recent trips, I have noticed staffing issues have affected Great Wolf Lodge like many establishments. I have seen some ride and amenity closures like the bar running on limited hours or closing down some rides to alternate staff. Guests still get a quality experience but have to be patient with the staff of Great Wolf Lodge.
On our latest visit I liked how the entry to the lobby at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg had been updated. The lobby was always very crowded during the children’s event times with people checking in/being at the front desk and parents watching their children. Now a designated area with a stage has been made for the children’s programs in the lobby and it is not blocking the entryway to the resort. This lobby update was very much needed. I hope to see Great Wolf Lodge continue to improve and renovate the lodge.
If you have any questions about my visits to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia drop me a comment.
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