What To Pack For Great Wolf Lodge

We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge in Bloomington, MN in order to facilitate this post about what to pack for Great Wolf Lodge.

Since we live in Minnesota, it feels SO great to escape our winters, if even for a short time.  We farm, so we can’t travel for a big family vacation with our large family every year, but we try to at least do a little stay-cation. 

When the Great Wolf Lodge in Bloomington, MN, opened, we knew it would be the perfect place to go for the entire family. Young kids, older kids, teens, and even the adults all had a great time on our trip!

Are you planning for a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge? Today I want to share some tips about what to pack for the Great Wolf Lodge so you’ll have everything you need for a fabulous, fun trip!

What is the Great Wolf Lodge?

If you have children, it’s likely you’ve heard about this awesome hotel and amusement park all in one, but just in case you aren’t familiar with this great place, let me briefly tell you what it’s all about.

The Great Wolf Lodge is a one-stop resort that kids love! It has activities like their MagiQuest game, a bowling alley, the Northern Lights Arcade featuring tons of arcade games, ropes course, story time, an evening dance party, and of course, everyone’s favorite Great Wolf Lodge attraction, the large indoor water park with lots of fun water activities including many water slides, and a wave pool.

Unlike some other locations, this location does not feature an outdoor pool, but there is enough indoor water fun to keep you busy!

While I visited the Great Wolf Lodge location in Bloomington, MN to write this post, you can find Great Wolf Lodge locations all over the United States. Hopefully, there is one within driving distance of your home too!

Hotel Room Is Booked, Next Up? Packing!

I pretty much ALWAYS overpack.  It’s been a habit of mine to try to be prepared no matter what.  However, when going places with 7 people, overpacking becomes a huge hassle.  So I tried really hard to pack lighter this time.  And, I actually did pretty well and still had everything we needed!

What To Pack For The Great Wolf Lodge

Here is the only Great Wolf Lodge packing list you’ll need!

1. Swimwear – They have an amazing water park so you definitely want your bathing suits ready for action. Make sure you remember to pack swim diapers as well for any child still wearing diapers.
2. Body Glove Paddle Pals Life Jacket – If you have young children who don’t know how to swim well, this is the life jacket you want!  Trust me, after 5 kids, I know which life jackets work the best and this one is it! The great wolf lodge does provide the typical style life jackets if you don’t have one though.
3. Resort Clothes – No matter what time of year, I suggest some comfortable resort wear.  We packed shorts, capris, and short sleeve tops even though we went in the dead of MN Winter.
4. Typical Clothing – As usual, pack your undergarments, pajamas, sweatshirt, etc.
5. Sneakers and Flip Flops – Some of the attractions require closed-toe shoes and/or rubber-soled footwear, so be sure to pack your sneakers. You’ll also want flip-flops for the water park. If you prefer water shoes, you’ll want to pack those as well.
6. Personal Care Items – Deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, makeup, and whatever other personal items you use daily.
7. Snacks & Drinks – While there are plenty available at the resort (like ice cream and pizza) if you like to save a little money, bring some snacks and beverages.  They have a mini fridge as well as a microwave in your room so bottled water, juice boxes, crackers, cookies, granola bars, or microwave popcorn are great options. Bringing a little bit of your own food will free up some extra money for other things.
8. Spending Money – The Great Wolf Lodge offers lots of great entertainment, attractions, and activities to choose from that you’ll need additional cash for.  A few, such as story times, kids’ crafts, and games, are included with your stay, but there are plenty of other fun options available for additional fees too. There is also a gift shop that your children are likely to want to visit on your way out.

What You Don’t Need To Pack For the Great Wolf Lodge

• Towels – The Great Wolf Lodge provides towels down in the water park that you can take back to your room.  So no need to bring your own!
• Hair Dryer – These are provided in the bathroom.
• Black Tie Affair Clothes – All the bars and restaurants offer casual dining/fun.
• Shampoo, Lotion, Or Soap – You’ll find these amenities in your room, thanks to housekeeping.

What You Need to Take Into The Water Park

What you NEED to take is nothing as long as you walk down dressed in your swimsuit already. As mentioned already above, towels and flotation devices in the water park area are provided and since it’s indoors, you won’t need any sunscreen.

I would highly suggest that you change into your swimwear in your hotel room. Once inside the waterpark there are lockers to store any cover-ups you brought with you, changes of clothes, pool bag, valuables, etc.

It’s important to note that the lockers have an additional cost, should you choose to utilize those, with regular size lockers currently costing $15, but obviously subject to change and location.

In the locker rooms, there are also plenty of bathrooms and changing rooms available to you.

Personally, as someone who likes to save money, I would recommend leaving any valuables in your room and just walking back to your room with a wet bathing suit when you are done, instead of paying for a locker.

However, if you prefer dry clothes, you can still get away with leaving everyone’s clothing together on one of the lounge chairs in the water park, but be aware there is always a chance of someone stealing them if you decide not to pay for a locker rental.

Although I can not promise our outcome to you and your family, we left some clothes on a chair and they were just fine there all day. I definitely wouldn’t let valuables sit out though.

The resort provides extra towels at the entrance/exit of the water area, so you don’t need to take those down with you. You could always cover up with one of those towels on your way back to your hotel room too.

Related Posts

We have a few posts to help you make the most of your Great Wolf Lodge Resorts visit. This video review will give you a tour of a Great Wolf Lodge room. If you’re wondering is the Great Wolf Lodge Paw Pass worth it, then make sure you read that post to get all the details on this Great Wolf Lodge program.

My Secrets of the Great Wolf Lodge post will give you some extra special details about the Great Wolf Lodge Bloomington that you’ll be sure to want to read if you are headed to that location! I also have a post all about things to do at the Great Wolf Lodge that you’ll want to read as well!

If you live in Minnesota like me or are visiting our area, make sure you check out my review of the Edgewater Water Park and Hotel too.