Why You Should Celebrate Birthdays at Great Wolf Lodge

I received a media rate to help facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

Around here, we’re big on birthdays. In the beginning, we had birthday parties- usually just the Grandparents and my brother, but still lots of fun, Pinteresty things like themed foods and lots of decorations. It was fun, but I was spending a lot of money on these small get-togethers- and spending more time entertaining my family than actually spending time with my birthday kiddo. It didn’t take us long to realize that a quick family get away was our favorite way to celebrate birthdays- they were a great way for us to celebrate our kiddos and actually spend time making memories with them.

For the last three birthdays- Shane’s 8th last August, Zac’s 4th in January, and now Shane’s 9th this month- we have spent their birthdays at Great Wolf Lodge in Anaheim. We love Great Wolf Lodge anytime, but it really is the perfect place to celebrate a birthday! They feel special from the minute we check in and they get special birthday wolf ears and it makes them feel like the whole weekend is all about them! There are several other reasons why we love Great Wolf Lodge for birthdays, which I’ve explained in more detail below!

{Of course, this is all on top of the amazing water park- click here to read all about that!}

Price

One of our favorite things about Great Wolf Lodge is how affordable it can be. They almost always have coupon codes and while prices do go up a bit during busy times {like summer and holidays}, it’s typically not much more than your typical Anaheim hotel. And that’s before you factor in the biggest thing- water park access is included in your room stay. Unlike other theme parks you may visit where you have to buy park tickets and then pay for a hotel to stay at, when you go to Great Wolf Lodge your hotel room includes your attraction!

Tip: Sign up for emails on the Great Wolf Lodge website so you can always know when the best deals are happening! You can also check the special offers page on their website to see what deals they are currently offering.

Food

Great Wolf Lodge is awesome when you’re on a budget- even the basic Family Suite {two queen beds} has a mini fridge and a microwave, so you can bring your own food or save leftovers should you check out one of their restaurants. And speaking of restaurants- theirs are amazing. The Lodge Wood Fired Grill is the home to the best steak my father-in-law has ever had- and it gets better every time he has it. They have plenty of options for the kiddos, and they even bring cupcakes for birthday kids!

The other restaurants are all great, too- there’s a coastal grill by the outdoor pool, a burger shack next to the indoor water park, a buffet {which has character breakfasts!}, a pizza place, Dunkin Donuts, and my favorite- Bear Paw Sweets & Eats! They have the best cookies I’ve ever had- and I’ve had a lot of cookies- and they have lots of other sweets like brownies, ice cream, and more. You can even get a birthday cake!

Tip: Encourage your kiddo to wear their birthday wolf ears so the servers know it’s their birthday- or just let the server know so they can celebrate your wolf cub!

Birthday Packages

The birthday add-ons at Great Wolf Lodge are an awesome deal. Every time we go for one of my kid’s birthdays, we add on the $30 package, which includes a poster on your door {$10 value- and a great keepsake!}, a birthday card and balloons delivered to your suite, a free scoop of ice cream from Bear Paw Sweets & Eats, and a $10 Paw Points game card {to use at the arcade}! They have other packages too, like the $100 package that pays for itself with a $40 Paw Points gift card, $40 Lodge dining credit, birthday poster, card, balloons- and even a birthday cake! I’m thinking we’ll be upgrading to that one on our next visit.

Tip: Add your package on when you make your reservation and everything will be in your room at check-in!

Other entertainment- on location

There are so many additional activities that you can enjoy at Great Wolf Lodge! Unlike the water park, they are not included in the cost of your hotel room, but they are reasonably priced and so much fun! My kids have loved all of the activities, from the interactive 4D movie to the indoor mini-golf to the Creation Station {where they make their own stuffed animals} to the arcade! One of their favorites is MagiQuest, which sends them all throughout the hotel on quests. My kids bring their wands every time they go to Great Wolf Lodge and pick up right where they left off on our last trip! And I love that I don’t even have to leave the hotel to entertain them.

Tip: If you’ll be doing more than one activity, check and see if an Attraction Pass is worth it. You can get access to several on-site activities for one {often much lower} cost instead of paying for each one!

There are so many reasons to choose Great Wolf Lodge for a birthday celebration- most importantly, the memories you’ll make! Some of our favorite family stories have been from weekends spent at Great Wolf Lodge, and we all remember each birthday long after our kids have blown out the candles.

Whether you’re going to Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate a birthday or other milestone or you just want to go have some fun, be sure to book your stay at Great Wolf Lodge! With 17 locations in the United States and one in Canada, there’s bound to be one near you!

Have you ever been to Great Wolf Lodge? What’s your favorite activity there?