By Christina Howell

It’s a great time to come in from the rain and enjoy some howlin’ good rainy-day fun at the Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca! The newest location of the chain of national indoor entertainment resorts – and the only one in Northern California – is the ultimate for water park fun, featuring an enormous indoor water park and everything else for parents and kids under one roof! Rain or shine Great Wolf Lodge won’t disappoint!

A Swimming Good Time

If you’re missing the pool or the outdoors in during these rainy months (like we were), there’s no better place to bring out the swimsuits and enjoy the crown jewel of the resort: 95,000 square feet of water slides, splash pads, a lazy river, a wave pool and much more in the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park. At a toasty 84 degrees year-round, no jackets or warm clothes are necessary – come prepared to comfortably roam the water park, enjoy lunch, and splash the day away. Parents can even enjoy alcoholic refreshments from the park’s bar (which opens at 11:00am – not that we were counting the minutes).

All ages can enjoy the water park, from the littlest of adventurers at Whopping Hollow and the Cub Paw Pool to thrill seekers willing to brave the 20-foot free fall drop on the Wolf Tail. Unique to the Northern California Lodge is Sequoia Splash for two to five riders to twist, glide and raft through the river’s bending curves! Maximum weight of any individual rider is 250 lbs.

Pro tip: The water park opens at 9:30am and the line to get in starts around 9:00. If you’re inside within an hour of opening, you’ll have your pick of location and chairs to set up shop and enjoy the slides and attractions with minimal waiting and crowds. By noon it’ll be pretty busy.

Indoor Adventure Park

 The fun continues indoors with a huge selection of activities for all ages:

• Howler’s Peak Rope Course is very popular for the 6 and older crowd. Suit up with a harness and test your courage as you climb your way up and across bridges, paw prints, ladders, and rope walls. Minimum 48” and athletic shoes are preferred.
• Howl-in-One Miniature Golf is a fun 9-hole course for all ages. Putt your way through the sleeping bear’s tent, into the campfire, and through the logs, enjoying fun trick shots to complete the course.
• Ten Paw Alley is a bowling blast! With bumpers, shorter lanes, and smaller balls perfect for little hands, the whole family can enjoy a full round of bowling with updated and interactive screens to score each frame.
• MagiQuest: The MagiQuest game is sure to keep your kids busy and active around the resort. Once you’ve picked out your special wand with a unique topper (if you choose), you’ll find magical green leaves at almost every step. Wave your wand at the leaf and collect gold coins, light up a colorful crystal, open a treasure box, collect runes, even slay a dragon! Kids will love completing their quests while discovering new treasures and surprises at each wave of the wand. You can bring your wand back to continue your game, picking up where you left off each time you return to the Lodge.
• Northern Lights Arcade: This colorful and busy game center is filled with the latest and most fun arcade attractions including ride-on games, virtual reality games, pony and fire truck rides, prize grabber games and much more! Collect tickets at almost every game and pick out prizes at the newly renovated prize shop. Bring your Paw Points card back again and again to keep playing at each visit! Northern Lights Arcade is open 24 hours, but Happy Hour is from 11:00am – 5:59pm. Enjoy 25% off games during these hours.
• Moonstone Mine Mirror Maze is an interactive mining experience featuring a challenging maze. Follow the story through this tricky experience – walk slow! At the end you can mine for treasure at Oliver’s Mining Co.
• At Oliver’s Mining Co., pan and sift to uncover beautiful gemstones – maybe even discover the special moonstone! Kids will have a blast finding their special gems and can take them all home in their keepsake bag.
• Build-A-Bear Workshop: Create special Great Wolf Lodge animals with unique outfits and accessories. A classic favorite brought to life for your favorite little wolves at the Lodge!

Tasty Eats for All Ages!

The Great Wolf Lodge makes it very easy to get everything you need under one roof – from a full-service restaurant and bar to quick order bites like bacon cheeseburgers with the works, crispy chicken sandwiches, loaded nachos and Greek salads – there is something for everyone. The Great Wolf Lodge does an excellent job of providing kid-friendly meals at each restaurant. The servings are generous and healthy options are included.

Make reservations at Barnwood and enjoy delightful locally-sourced menu options for dinner, from a selection of high-quality offerings. The grandparents and kids alike enjoyed a full spread for Saturday’s dinner including:

• Grilled Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Sesame soy glazed, ginger carrot slaw, cucumber, mint, and cilantro
• Garlic and Parmesan Calamari
• Grilled Sustainable Salmon: Potato, corn & edamame hash with salsa verde
• Braised Short Rib Bolognese: Rich tomato red wine sauce, boneless beef short rib, bacon, mushrooms, and Parmesan
• Kids Mac & Cheese and Kids Chicken Tenders served with fresh fruit, veggie sticks, French fries, and choice of milk or juice

The Watering Hole’s drink selections are endless from craft cocktails and mocktails to an extensive line of beer (draft and canned) and wine (by the glass or bottle). We tried the Tropical Tango, which is a delightful concoction of tequila, watermelon, and other tropical flavors, rimmed with Tajin.

We enjoyed a plentiful breakfast buffet at the Campfire Kitchen, with everything from bagels and lox, biscuits and gravy and fresh, warm cinnamon rolls to Spanish frittata, campfire potatoes, chef’s special breakfast scramble and both turkey and pork sausage. Breakfast is busy and the line can get long. Early is best here. Aside from the hot selections, enjoy fresh fruit, juice/milk, yogurt, granola, and assorted pastries.

Dunkin’ Donuts on-site is another very popular breakfast option with a line to show for it on busy weekend mornings. Enjoy coffee and donuts early and quickly or earn it by standing in line.

Sweet Treats

A stop at the Wood’s End Creamery for ice cream, frozen yogurt and sweets makes for a great mid-afternoon break or nightcap. Choose a cup or cone of your favorite ice cream (look for classic flavors like mint chocolate chip, cookies n’ cream, strawberry, vanilla, and salted caramel for example), and load it up with toppings to make your favorite sundae or keep it simple with a delectable cupcake. Sprinkles, gummy bears, marshmallows, and a cherry on top make a very special treat!

You’ll have a hard time keeping kids away from the Great Wolf Candy Company. The bright and colorful candy shop invites wolves of all ages to fill up a cup from their bulk candy selection (jellybeans and lots of gummy candies!) or choose from an assortment of other sweet treats including cotton candy, your classic wrapped favorites and Dippin’ Dots.

A Place to Gather and Celebrate

At the end of an eventful, fun-filled day, it’s time to head back to you comfortable room at Great Wolf Lodge. The clever and cozy décor of the resort’s 500 cabin-style rooms vary greatly in size in configuration – all built for family fun. The family suite with two queen beds and a pull-out sofa sleeper suited our group of five, but the collection of Premium Suites (think themed rooms, bunk beds and separate private bedrooms) may be a better option for bigger kids and groups. The Deluxe KidsCabin Suite is the biggest of the five premium suite options, sleeping up to 13(!), making Great Wolf Lodge the ideal place to gather with friends and family for a big celebration (the resort excels at celebrations – you’ll notice all of the birthday parties there by the festive door décor!). The walls are thin so asking the front desk for any options at the time of your stay might help avoid restless nights. Also take advantage of less busy and less expensive weekdays.

Year-Round Family Fun

Our family of three generations were all able to enjoy the Great Wolf Lodge experience. The grandparents enjoyed seeing all of the fun to be had by the grandkids, with plenty of places to sit down and rest, plus great grown-up food and beverages. The kids, needless to say, had never-ending fun at every turn. The beauty of the lodge is everything being contained in one space. A quick run up to the room for a nap, change of clothes, quiet breather, or a forgotten MagiQuest wand make the sheer convenience worth every penny – especially with small kids (or grandparents…. or both). Whether you’re looking for a place to keep warm and active in the winter or beating the heat in the summer, the lodge never fails to bring the fun no matter what time of year. Make sure to keep an eye out for special seasonal celebrations like Snowland in the wintertime and Howl-o-Ween in October to bring your wolf pack back for action again and again!