Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio

If you're looking for a short distance trip you should definitely check in to the Great Wolf Lodge in Macon, Ohio. Jim, the boys and I went for the weekend and had a blast. Macon, Ohio is about fifteen minutes outside of Cincinnati. The trip from Hendersonville to the Lodge was about four and a half hours.
We were a little hesitant about a hotel with an indoor waterpark after my friend Sarah stayed at one in the Smoky Mountains and had this experience. But, Saundra told us about the hotel and she had friends who had stayed there and was able to give us their reviews. We decided on somewhere close to Cincinnati so that we could visit with Catrina (she used to babysit the boys) and her new baby boy Aleck.
We pulled up to the Lodge and were amazed at the size. Its huge and its directly beside Kings Island Amusement park. When we got out of the car, we could see the roller coasters from the parking lot. It didn't take us long to decide that we would most definitely come back here again. We checked in and asked to purchase a waterpark bracelet for Catrina who would visit us at the hotel tomorrow. The great thing about the waterpark is that its only for hotel guests and their guests. Typically a guest of someone at the hotel would have to pay $20 for a waterpark pass; however, the nice young man who checked us in gave us the pass for free.

We were pleasantly surprised again once we got to our room. We had just reserved the basic room and when we got to our room, they had sent us to one that had the kids camp section. It had a separate room for the boys with bunk beds and it looked like a tent. They had their own tv and playstation game. I called the front desk being the frugal gal I am because as nice as it was to have the kids camp room, I wasn't going to pay anymore than what we were paying. I called to tell them we had the wrong room and the sweet man at the desk replied, "You've been upgraded because we aren't full this weekend. Enjoy this room at the price you were paying for the basic one." Now that's customer service!


There is so much to do at this hotel and we never left it the entire weekend. Catrina brought baby Aleck and we played at the waterpark for most of the day Saturday. We then went for dinner and bless his heart Aidan fell asleep. We enjoyed meeting little Aleck and getting to catch up with Catrina! After that we bought some magic wands and embarked on MagiQuest- an interactive game that has you going on quests to find items throughout the hotel. After you have finished a quest and acquired the skills you need, you have to fight the dragon. Jim is very serious about getting that dragon. :)





The boys also enjoyed the Cub Club which is a craft and game room in the hotel. They have free crafts children can do as well as numerous other crafts to pick from which range anywhere from $3-$15. The room is loaded with toys, crafts, video games, and pretend play.
Every evening at 8pm and 9pm, in the middle of the lobby at the big tree, they have story hour for the kids.


I would highly recommend the Great Wolf Lodge. There are several locations across the nation. The customer service throughout was amazing. The waterpark was fun and very clean. I don't know what their peak season is but the waterpark was never crowded and the most we waited in line was about 15 minutes and only for the two biggest tube rides. All other slides and rides had no waiting.
In my opinion the rooms are expensive. I think if you are going for a long weekend and all you intend to do is the waterpark and other things in the hotel its a good deal. If you factor in what you would pay to go to Kings Island waterpark or any other attraction and look at the fact you get the waterpark at Wolf Lodge with your stay, the price is not as huge. The food is expensive; however, there are many places right around the hotel to drive to and eat. All rooms come with a mini fridge and microwave. We took some things like juice, water and poptarts.
We had a blast and the boys cried when we left. Aidan kept saying he wanted to make the Great Wolf Lodge his home. Ha!