Imagine yourself in the atrium lobby of a hotel with soaring wood-beamed ceilings, a massive stone fireplace and a bar tucked off just to the side.
Then imagine rooms that, at 500 square feet, are bigger than some New York City apartments, with fireplaces, seating areas, fridges and microwaves.
Move on to the hotel spa, complete with hot stone massages, green facials and soothing music. Next, hit the hot tub that, at 381 square feet, is virtually guaranteed to be the largest you’ve ever soaked your troubles away in.
Where is this perfect haven for a grown-up getaway?
Great Wolf Lodge.
No, you didn’t misread, and I didn’t mistype.
That indoor water park behemoth outside Williamsburg, whose name is so often uttered with the world-weary sigh of parents who are “doing it for the kids,” has a lot to offer adults – with and without offspring.
Let’s face it, the 12-resort chain bills itself as “family friendly.” That means kids roaming the hallways, waving wands at dragons as they complete tasks on “MagiQuest,” a Harry Potter-esque interactive adventure.
And while many of the littler darlings have Mom or Dad in tow, what’s remarkable is the number of tweens and teens, traveling in groups sans adults, who are on the prowl – in the hallways, at the water park, in the arcade or the video-game room. Great Wolf spokeswoman Angie Amberg says the majority of the kids who come to the park are between ages 4 and 12, but with an arcade full of games including Fast and Furious, Terminator Salvation, Superbikes and Dance Dance Revolution, it would be easy to characterize the place as 12-year-old nirvana.
All of which means that the parents of these kids can take a seat around the ample bar – and on a recent Saturday night, that’s where more than a dozen were. Or they can share a glass of wine at a table overlooking the water park. Or just stay in their room, in front of the fire – with a good book, of course.
Great Wolf offers kids the opportunity for a little independence and parents the assurance that they’re risking little by giving the kids that independence. “It just feels very safe and contained,” said Jennifer Foster, who had brought her 14-year-old son and a friend. “I feel comfortable letting them go off by themselves.”
Adding to that sense of security is the fact that, unlike some other resorts, Great Wolf allows only hotel guests to use the water park. It offers the sense – not unlike a cruise ship – of being part of a self-contained society.
But Great Wolf also proves itself as a destination for those who want to embrace their inner child, even without children of their own.
A group of five 40-something women chatting away in the cavernous adults-only hot tub during a recent weekend giddily share their secret. “We’re here on a girls’ weekend to celebrate our friend who is becoming a first-time bride in February,” says Janet Yandle, a teacher from Chester, Va. She points over at the not-quite-blushing bride, Pam Klein, who describes the place as “awesome” as she dangles her feet in 100-plus degree water.
So what’s the appeal for this group of four teachers and a nurse? “It’s nice to have kids nearby without having to yell at them,” Yandle says quickly, before adding: “It feels like you’ve really gotten away from everything.”
Fellow teacher Sue Brown is a repeat Great Wolf Lodger. “I’ve been to a lot of spas, and the one here is as nice as any,” she says. “It’s as peaceful in there as it is wild out here.” And she points to the massive, always 84-degree complex that is home to a wave pool, a dumping bucket, a lazy river and slides of varying thrill levels.
“We ought to be ashamed of ourselves,” she laughs, before mentioning that she can’t wait to ride the Howling Tornado, the six-story-high funnel ride that is the resort’s signature destination for the over 48-inch set.
The lines for the Tornado, River Canyon Run and some of the other more extreme slides are dominated by the tween and teen crowd. Sure, there’s the occasional dad or mom pretending to chaperone offspring but really there only to relive the glee that inevitably accompanies a rubber tube, an unexpected stomach-lurching drop and the spray of cold water in the face.
But just as easily, Mom can opt to grab an inner tube and be gently tossed in the wave pool while teenage sons make their way up the four-story Fort McKenzie to find the perfect perch from which to dump buckets of water on unsuspecting – but delighted – guests below.
All this comes at a price: Rooms and suites range from about $200 to more than $400 a night (though that includes water park admission). So the question becomes: What price to put on a getaway weekend that elicits squeals of joy from the kids and ahhs of relaxation from the adults?
In a word: priceless.
STAYING THERE
Great Wolf Lodge, 549 E. Rochambeau Dr., Williamsburg, Va., 866-969-9653. www.greatwolflodge.com/williamsburg
Suites can accommodate four to eight people. Rates start at about $200 a night.
Eating there
Loose Moose Bar & Grill, Great Wolf Lodge
Buffet and table service for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast from $7.99. Lunch offerings include pizza, sandwiches and salads from $7.99 to $10.99; dinner entrees range from $12.99 for lasagna to $29.99 for a 16-oz. rib-eye. There is also a Pizza Hut Express and Bear Paws Sweets & Eats offering pastries, fudge and Starbucks coffee. A pool-side snack bar can meet lunchtime needs with no need to towel off.
Playing there
Amenities for kids and grown-ups include:
Iron Horse Fitness Room
An assortment of treadmills, bikes and ellipticals if climbing the stairs to the Tornado isn’t enough exercise. No fee.
Elements Spa
Manicures to makeup application ranging from $20 to $400.
Northern Lights Arcade
This 7,000 square-foot space lets kids redeem tickets for molded plastic, er, treasures.
Gr8 Space
For teens who can’t be without Wii and Xbox 360, they can hang with like-minded kids here – for an extra charge.
MagiQuest
The ultra popular dragon-battling interactive game costs $12.99 per session, plus $14.99 for the must-have wand.
Getting There
Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg is 150 miles south of Washington. Take 95 south to I-295 south. Take I-64 east to Route 199E. Great Wolf Lodge is less than 2 miles from the exit.
