Have you ever schlepped two toddlers, their gear, strollers, snacks, car seats, change of cloths and a spouse (who is typically as helpless as the phantom triplet) to the airport? Just getting out of the parking structure can drive you to the brink, and we haven’t even made it to baggage check yet. Never be the pariah on the plane again by traveling locally. No airfare, no delays, no bladder control issues on hour 2 of a 5 hour flight. Dallas-Fort Worth has so many drivable destinations in and around the area that are perfect for an overnight mini-vacation or a complete weekend getaway.
A thirty to forty five minute drive from most Collin County addresses, Great Wolf Lodge’s Grapevine location makes for a great local family retreat. The 52-acre site’s main event can be found inside its 80,000 square foot, 80-foot tall indoor waterpark. Twelve indoor slides, seven pools, a treehouse waterfort and family cabanas are all designed with children of all ages in mind, with special separated areas for the “48 inches and under” crowd.
The property has 605 guest suites, ranging from cave-themes where children can “rough it” with movies and Nintendo; to log cabin suites, with personal 20-inch TVs for the kids’ bunk beds. Passes to the waterpark are included with the room rates. Adults can be pampered at Elements Spa while tweens enjoy Scooops Kid Spa as well. Great Wolf also has a space that features computers with teen and tween-conscious Internet access, docking stations for iPods and mp3 players, as well as multiple gaming stations for competition in daily gaming contests. If all else fails, MagiQuest, a live action, fantasy adventure game, will coax even the most disdainful tween into having fun on family vacation. Family-friendly dining offers typical waterpark fare. Don’t expect over-the-top cuisine, but if you don’t mind pizza and burgers, you won’t leave dissatisfied.
If your children don’t have fun here (especially in the 3 to 14 year old range), don’t bother boarding a plane, because they won’t have fun anywhere.
