Visiting Great Wolf Lodge with Toddlers and Preschoolers
The daughter in front of the entrance to Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, NC
Going to Great Wolf Lodge with toddlers and preschoolers is a blast for the entire family!
This all-inclusive family water park provides an easy, carefree choice for a family vacation.
There's SO much to do here with little kids, and the property is set up for families to have fun safely.
Even though it's a family destination, there's not a lot online about what to do at Great Wolf Lodge with a toddler or preschooler.
Given that a trip to a water park with a little kid can be MUCH different than going to one with a middle or high schooler, I decided that we need to share our experiences.
Here are my 4-year-old's top picks from our visit to the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, North Carolina!
This post contains affiliates. If you purchase through the links, I will receive a commission at no charge to you.
I worked with Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte in order to produce this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
Updated 7/2022 | Written 6/2017
Water Based Toddler and Preschooler Activities at Great Wolf Lodge
Little ones won't be able to take full advantage of the water park offerings including those giant slides, but there's still plenty to occupy those in the 2-5 year old crowd.
Grab one of the free lifejackets from the stands set up around the perimeter of the park, and head in!
Fort McKinley and Totem Towers
In front of Fort McKinley and Totem Towers
This standalone play tower is where we spent a good chunk of our time at Great Wolf Lodge.
There are stairs to climb, water guns to shoot at unsuspecting passersby, and the perfect lookout point for the rest of the park.
It’s big enough for your toddler or preschooler to feel like a “big kid,” while still being small enough for them to manage on their own.
If you need to accompany them on the play structure, it’s big enough for adults to navigate, too.
As a former lifeguard, I appreciated the number of safety features here, including the multiple lifeguards on and next to the structure.
The tiniest Cosmos Mariners catches a quick nap!
Totem Towers on Fort McKinley are the only 2 water slides that younger kids can go on, so see if your toddler or preschooler wants to try them.
The slides are tall, but they look more intimidating that they really are.
The water moves quite slowly, and there's a lifeguard at top and bottom to help your tot if there's trouble.
Little ones might also like the bucket dump here!
The bucket dump launches over 1000 gallons of water over Fort McKinley every 5 minutes. It's intense, but it's a lot of fun.
Raccoon Lagoon
PIN ME!
The first day we were at Great Wolf Lodge gave us perfect indoor water park weather as it was unseasonably cool for May in North Carolina, and it rained on and off all day.
However, on the second day of our stay, the weather turned warm and sunny, so we tried out Raccoon Lagoon, the outdoor pool at Great Wolf Lodge.
You can reach this area by walking through the indoor water park section.
Like the rest of the property, this area is only available to lodge guests, and there is a tall safety fence around the pool.
It was tough to pull my preschooler away from this area!
She liked throwing the basketballs at the goals and getting drenched from the massive water tower when it erupted every few minutes.
I liked that the pool was only 3 feet at the deepest, so I could sit on the side with my infant while my daughter had fun with the other kids.
There are comfortable reclining chairs for parents and plenty of umbrellas for shade.
>> Great Wolf Lodge is only one family friendly destination in the area. Discover more family fun in Charlotte! <<
Whooping Hollow and Cub Paw Pool
The section of Great Wolf Lodge that is the most toddler friendly
This area of the indoor water park is completely enclosed, so you can keep your runner contained!
The 3 slides are much less intense than the ones over at Fort McKinley, and you could help build your little one's confidence by starting here.
The water level never gets above 1.5 feet, so I felt comfortable letting my daughter run around while I sat in the shallow end with her baby brother.
There are also jet skis and a seesaw to climb on, water guns to shoot, and small buckets of water to splash bathers.
If you’re visiting Great Wolf Lodge with a 2 year old or younger, this is where you’ll want to focus your time.
Even older infants will like to sit in the shallow end and splash around!
Slap Tail Pond
Splashing around in the wave pool
I did not expect my daughter to love this area as much as she did!
Slap Tail Pond is a zero entry wave pool, but, other than the waves, there aren't any toys or slides here. Yet, she spent more time in the pond than she did anywhere else.
The waves are pretty gentle if you stay in the first 25 feet or so, and Britton only got pushed over when she felt like flopping around with the waves.
The bottom is only lightly textured, so if your child does fall, he or she isn't going to scrape up their knees and elbows getting back up.
In short, it's the most kid-friendly wave pool I've visited!
Compared when we took our toddler to Blizzard Beach at Walt Disney World, the wave pool at Great Wolf Lodge was much more manageable and fun for her.
Toddler and Preschooler Activities Elsewhere in Great Wolf Lodge
Sooner or later, your little one will be in danger of turning into a raisin at the pool, and you'll have to get him or her out (probably kicking and screaming).
After drying off and requiring some rest time--or an outright nap--it's off to explore the rest of the Lodge!
Put on those free wolf ears that you got at check-in, grab the camera, and get ready for some family fun.
Face Painting in the Great Hall
It's free, but there's a very long line. Get there at least 10 minutes before the painting is set to start.
NOTE: the employees will cut off the line after a certain point, so if the line is really long when you arrive, you might want to come back at a different time.
Meet and Greet with Wiley and Friends
Meeting Wiley the Wolf in the Great Wolf Lodge lobby
If your little one wants a picture with Great Wolf Lodge mascot Wiley the Wolf and his friends, you'll want to make plans to attend one of the many meet and greets throughout the day.
We went to two of them, one at night and one in mid-morning to see if there were any differences in wait time and focus.
I’m happy to report that we only had to wait about 5 minutes at each and the mascots were friendly and enthusiastic at both.
There's usually a line, but employees keep things moving at a brisk pace.
Early Morning Yoga
Daily kids yoga in the Great Wolf Lodge lobby
Great Wolf Lodge provide the kid-sized yoga mats, and you provide the aspiring yogi.
The session lasts about 20 minutes and is focused around easy yoga moves that coordinate with a woodlands-related story.
If your kid likes narrative-driven activities like Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube, they’ll love this session.
Yoga is free, and everyone is invited to participate.
The moves are easy and gentle, so that even the youngest attendees can keep up.
My daughter hadn’t done anything more strenuous than Cosmic Kids Yoga at our house, and she loved trying each of the moves demonstrated here.
Nightly Story Time
The nightly story time at Great Wolf Lodge
This is the perfect way to end your busy day at Great Wolf Lodge!
Families gather in their pajamas to hear the nightly story in the lobby. The story is read by one of the employees and accompanied by gestures and pantomime from the mascots.
The story is centered around Wiley and his friends, so this is a good way to get to know more about the mascots behind the Lodge.
Plan on staying for 20 minutes for the full story. During our story session, all of the kids (even the little ones!) stayed focused throughout thanks to the combination of reading and acting.
The reader uses a large print, giant storybook so that kids even in the back can see the pictures.
The Great Clock Tower Show
This is a quick show that includes a few songs told by the creatures who live in the large tree in the middle of the lobby.
The animatronics aren't as slick as those you'll see at the big family theme parks, but the animals are cute and the songs are catchy.
Mine loved it so much that she wanted to walk out of her breakfast the next day so she could watch it again.
Thankfully, the Great Clock Tower Show is played multiple times throughout the day, so if you miss one of the 5 minute performances, you can easily catch another.
Souvenir Coin Press
Collecting coins is my daughter’s new favorite thing to do on our travels.
I'm all for it since it's a cheap and easy way to remember the fun things we've done.
We also love that it doesn't take up a ton of room like other souvenirs.
If your kid loves souvenir pennies as much as mine does, head for the machine in the lobby near the gift shop entrance.
The pressed pennies are $0.51, so have exact change on hand.
Northern Lights Arcade
While most of the arcade activities are too savvy or complicated for preschoolers, there are several cute options for younger visitors.
Britton had a blast on the carousel and fire truck.
Little kids will also like some of the easier, non-riding classic arcade games, as well.
Parents can purchase a game card inside the arcade as well as credits to use on each of the machines.
Toddler and Preschooler Approved Dining Options
Overall, the menus at Great Wolf Lodge are catered towards typical kid food: chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, and hamburgers.
Among those offerings, we found a few spots that my preschooler loved and still talks about long after our visit was over.
Dessert at Bear Paw Sweets and Eats
Fudge and ice cream and cookie sandwiches: the possibilities are endless!
If you've got a sweet tooth, this is the place to go.
Britton's favorite pick was a worms in dirt pudding cup, while I loved the M&M fudge and sugar cookies.
Breakfast Buffet at Loose Moose Cottage
My kid is obsessed with breakfast.
She can take down waffles and eggs and ham and fruit cups like it is her job.
That's why I decided to splurge on a breakfast buffet on our second morning: I knew that Britton would eat well, and there would be a great variety of foods there.
We weren’t disappointed!
The food was fresh and the trays were frequently refilled. Everything was tasty and plentiful.
We both enjoyed Great Wolf Lodge-themed waffles, french toast, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, made-to-order omelets, and yogurt.
Guests can also choose among the cereal options, grits, hard boiled eggs, bacon, and sausage, if that's your thing.
Best of all, kids under 4 eat free with a paying adult!
Loose Moose Cottage is a big restaurant, so you won’t have to wait long for a table.
Hungry as a Wolf Pizza Place
Eating pasta on our balcony
I may have the only preschooler on the planet who doesn't eat pizza.
Since that's Hungry as a Wolf's main focus, I decided to delve into their lesser known menu items for something my daughter would eat.
We hit the jackpot with their Fettuccine Alfredo: my preschooler devoured her portion.
While it might not have been the best version of the dish that I'd ever tried, it was filling, creamy, and quite good for mass produced pasta.
We ordered the half portion (for 2-4 people), and had generous portions with extras leftover for lunch the next day.
Final Thoughts on Great Wolf Lodge with Young Children
Don't wait until your kid is older to go to Great Wolf Lodge because there's plenty to do at the resort with your toddler or preschooler!
When you're completing your Great Wolf Lodge booking, ask for a room close to the lobby so those little feet won't have to walk so far every time you need a snack or a trip to the pool.
Aside from the things listen above, there are a few other attractions that mature preschoolers might like including the make-your-own-stuffed-animal experience, but most of the other activities you'll hear about are for kids a bit older.
Skip MagiQuest until they're older, along with the morning Wolf Walk: we tried both of these and neither kept my preschooler's interest.
You'll just have to plan another trip in a few more years to try out everything else when they’re bigger!
Have you gone to a Great Wolf Lodge with a toddler or preschooler?
