Celebrating Howl-O-Ween At Great Wolf Lodge

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This post is sponsored by our partner, Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim. As always, all opinions are our own!

Howl-O-Ween

If you read our previous post about this fabulous indoor water park and hotel resort, Great Wolf Lodge, you know that it’s an absolute blast! (And if you haven’t read the post, click here to get caught up!)

Recently, we had the chance to experience their Howl-O-Ween celebration and wanted to share the details of these spooktacular seasonal features! 

Halloween Decorations

From the moment you step into the lobby, it’s officially Howl-O-Ween! Check out this giant spider hanging from the rafters. It’s made entirely from balloons! Have you ever seen a balloon animal this big before??

Howl-O-Ween

Touches of autumn are everywhere. From fall leaves on the Glitz glitter tattoo stand…

…to cobwebs and hanging bats by the Loose Moose Family Kitchen.

The entire elevator bank area has become a celebration of Dia de los Muertos!

Howl-O-Ween 

Howl-O-Ween Activities

In addition to their usual line-up of fun and free kids activities in the lobby throughout the day, Great Wolf Lodge has added some special Halloween-themed activities for the kiddos. 

Howl-O-Ween
Here’s a sample schedule from the day we were there.

There’s the Spooky Walk which ends with a keepsake origami bat, the Un-BOO-Lievable Meet Greet & Treat, Spooktacular Story Time, and a Costume Parade!

Howl-O-Ween

But our kids’ favorite Howl-O-Ween activity for sure was the Trick-or-Treat Trail! 

 

Trick-Or-Treat Trail

Each night in the lobby, guests are invited to go on a complimentary trick or treating scavenger hunt throughout the resort!

You begin at the Mangy Mammal Diner in the lobby, which has been transformed into a Halloween home. An employee, or “Pack Member” as they’re called here, gives you a trick or treat bag and a map to begin your quest for candy. 

Howl-O-Ween

 

Because I’m an eco-friendly mama, we brought our own halloween bags. Ours are cloth shopping bags with Halloween designs and have sturdy straps so the kids can carry them on their shoulder when they need to use both hands. By the way, if you’d like to read more about the ways in which this resort is eco-friendly, I’ve written a post all about Great Wolf Lodge’s sustainable family fun on my personal blog, Eco Friendly Mama

Howl-O-Ween

The Trick-Or-Treat trail took us all throughout the lobby, beginning with this little area. I took this photo the next day. But there was a Pack Member dressed as a witch sitting here handing out treats.

Howl-O-Ween
This photo may seem a little scary, but all the locations were well-lit and not overly creepy. My typically cautious 2 year old had a blast.

Then the trail took us down a staircase to the water park level to a couple more stations and then back up to the lobby. I really enjoyed this scavenger hunt because it took us to areas of the hotel you rarely use (like the side staircases). And each station had its own theming and decor. Very clever use of space!

Howl-O-Ween
Here’s the full trail map. We only did five of the stations, but that was plenty of treats for the kiddos!

The trail ended in the outdoor pumpkin patch courtyard where the kiddos were able to dance all their candy-fueled energy off to Halloween-themed tunes. There was also complimentary warm apple cider and seating for weary adults.  

 

Staying There

You have to be a hotel guest to partake in these seasonal Howl-O-Ween activities. But October is a great month to plan a staycation to the Great Wolf Lodge! They’re having a deal until the 31st where you can stay for as low as $179.99 per night using the code HOWL. That’s about 50% off the regular rate. 

If you’re thinking about combining a stay at Great Wolf Lodge with a visit to Disneyland, they have a great deal for that too! From now until December 30th, if you book 2 nights using the code BUNDLE4, you get 2 one day (one park) adult tickets to the Disneyland Resort. I think this is a smart promo partnership, because Great Wolf Lodge is like the Disneyland of indoor water parks. It’s an amusement park that you get to sleep at!

And starting right after Thanksgiving, Great Wolf Lodge will be celebrating the December Howl-idays with Snowland! There will be daily snow showers in the lobby, the Polar Wolf Walk where kids can learn about arctic animals, visits from Santa Claus, a life-sized gingerbread house, and many more holiday-themed activities. If you’re thinking about giving your kids an experience instead of a physical gift for Christmas/Hanukah/whatever wonderful December holiday you observe, a stay at Great Wolf Lodge is a fantastic way to celebrate. 

 

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Hilary Feldstein Ratner
Follow me on Instagram @EcoFriendlyMama, Twitter @EcoFriendlyMa, and Pinterest @EcoFriendlyMama! Though I was born and raised in New York City, I've lived in SoCal for over ten years now and am proud to call this beautiful and diverse place my home. My husband and I have a son and baby daughter (whom I was 9 months pregnant with when this photo was taken!). Prior to becoming a mommy I spent several years in feature film publicity and acquisitions for Miramax and later as the Creative Executive for Hilary Swank Productions before seguing to the music industry where I did Online Communications for the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares. In my ample pre-parenthood free time, I also freelanced as a script analyst and screenwriter. I am fortunate now to be able to devote all my time to my family, but I still love to write so am thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of this blog! I am a foodie, avid traveler, environmentalist, preschool board member, and unabashed Disney nut. I can also be found writing about green parenting and eco-conscious living on my personal website, https://ecofriendlymama.com.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Great Wolf lodge is definitely on our staycation list, I think it will be where we arw headed to early next year to celebrate my daughter Birthday in March.

    • We saw SO many birthday party groups during our stay! I think they’re popular for that because the kids have a blast obviously and all the entertainment – water park, story time, character meet & greet etc., is included with the cost of the room : )

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