The Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg, Massachusetts is the best indoor water park in New England.
The highlight of this popular resort is undoubtedly the 68,000 square foot enclosed water park.
This water park has a bit of a weird set-up though, but that goes back to the history
of this property.
So in this review, I’ll discuss everything you need to know about the Great Wolf Lodge’s
indoor water park.
Most indoor water parks are housed in a single building.
At this Great Wolf Lodge, you have two sizable areas connected by a breezeway in the hotel.
It feels like two separate parks were built up independently of each other because…that’s
exactly what happened.
The older building is the one with the lazy river, activity pools, Alberta Falls tube
slide, and Otter Run body slide.
This opened back when this property was known as the CoCo Key Water Resort at the Courtyard
Mariott Fitchburg.
CoCo Key was a smaller indoor water park chain across the country, but both their New England
locations now operate under different names.
In 2014 at a cost of $66 million, Great Wolf Lodge acquired and renovated the Fitchburg
property.
They expanded the hotel and added a second section to the indoor water park.
This section has the larger slides such as Wolf Tail and Howlin’ Tornado plus a wave
pool and kid’s play area.
While I never visited the old CoCo Key, the consensus from those who did is that the entire
property is much improved in almost every area.
And the whole resort has the same feel as the other Great Wolf Lodges now, which is
a good thing.
The water park is included for hotel guests for the duration of their stay.
The Great Wolf Lodge is a really nice, wilderness themed hotel.
And there are tons of activities for kids, but it is very pricey.
The cheapest I’ve ever seen this hotel is for $200 a night on off-peak weekdays, but
rooms can cost $500-$1000 per night on weekends or during the school vacation weeks.
Alternatively, non-hotel guests can purchase day passes.
However, these are limited in quantity to prevent overcrowding for hotel guests.
So I strongly recommend booking in advance.
You also need to pay attention to the price.
Off-peak weekdays can cost as little as $30.
But weekends and school vacation weeks can cost upwards of $75-$110.
You can save roughly 20% if you purchase the twilight ticket, which is valid after 4 pm.
I did this on an off-peak weekday and paid just $24.
And that was plenty of time to ride everything.
Because Great Wolf Lodge only offers a limited number of day passes and not all hotel guests
will use the water park simultaneously, lines are very manageable here.
Even with a healthy number of guests, the longest line I saw was 10-15 minutes.
The one weird thing with the queue lines is that multiple slides use the same set of stairs.
For example, the Otter Run body slide and Alberta Falls tube slide use the same stairs.
Those wanting to ride the body slide are allowed to awkwardly squeeze past the army of tubes
on the stairs and wait on the top platform by Otter Run.
The River Canyon Run family raft slide and Wolf Tail trapdoor slide have a similar set-up.
Most people are usually waiting for the raft slide, but it’s harder to tell on this one
since guests don’t carry the rafts up themselves.
But this set-up allows the same employees to run multiple slides, which helps prevent
staffing issues during quieter periods.
On that note, let’s talk about the water slides.
This slide lineup is fantastic for an indoor water park.
While there aren’t as many slides as a lot of outdoor parks, it’s all about the quality.
My two favorite slides are in the newer section.
Wolf Tail is the park’s most thrilling ride.
This ProSlide Super Loop features the familiar countdown and then you drop after hearing
a wolf howl.
The initial drop is just 20 feet or 6 meters tall, but it’s near vertical and thrilling
as it gives a freefall sensation.
You then whip around a fast and decently forceful downwards spiral.
And despite the slide’s intensity, it’s very smooth.
Howlin’ Tornado is the park’s most popular attraction.
This ProSlide tornado features a fantastic drop.
The initial turns and drop itself are in total darkness, so you cannot see it coming.
And when you get a little airtime in total darkness with zero restraints, it really shocks
you.
Then the funnel section is a joy.
You get weightlessness sliding up the walls and at night, the enclosed funnel is illuminated
by multi-colored flashing lights.
It’s a spectacle both in terms of forces and visuals.
The other slide in this section is the River Canyon Run family raft slide.
This one doesn’t have any real drops or crazy speed, but the turns and helixes felt
surprisingly tight for a ride like this.
They pulled some force and felt like constrictor turns.
In the older section, you have two really good tube slides in Alberta Falls.
The right side has a dip early in the ride that builds up nice speed for the later turns.
But the left side blew me away.
Halfway through the ride, you start heading down a downward turn.
Then you head down a pretty large drop.
So while you’re sliding up the wall, you start accelerating downhill.
And then you whip around a helix at the bottom.
Just listen to the audio of my fiancee and I riding this for the first time.
Otter Run is decent.
This body slide has a few solid turns towards the end, but it was probably the weakest adult
slide at the park in my opinion.
It was smooth though.
Beyond the slides, you have multiple water play areas targeted towards kids.
You have the Fort Mackenzie complex with small slides and a dump bucket.
You have an even smaller version in the Cub Paw Pool and I like how they place one of
these areas in each half of the park.
You have a few other activity pools as well like Big Foot Pass lily pads and Chinook Cove
with all the basketball hoops.
If you want to take it easy, you have a few options.
Slap Tail Pond is the wave pool.
It constantly emits waves, but they’re on a much smaller scale than most waves pools.
Crooked Cove is the lazy river; however, this course is very short and narrow.
It’s overcrowded and there’s nothing to see.
It’s arguably the weakest lazy river I’ve encountered.
Then the North Hot Springs is a hot tub that’s supposed to be for just adults, but I saw
guests of all ages using it.
In terms of atmosphere and appearance, Great Wolf Lodge does a good job.
The park doesn’t have a sunroof nor many windows, but the park is very well-lit so
it doesn’t feel as dark as most other indoor water parks.
It makes the park feel more energetic and lively.
The park only has a pinch of theming, mostly consisting of artwork on the walls, but the
attractions are in pristine condition and look good.
Great Wolf Lodge is very comfortable even in the dead of winter.
The water park is kept at a toasty 84 degrees.
It felt like a hot and humid summer day.
Just watch out for the arctic shock when you pass through the breezeway connecting the
two sections.
That area was pretty darn cold.
The same could be said about the hallways leading to the restrooms and changing rooms.
The final thing to note is the arrival experience.
All guests- both for the hotel and just the water park- need to check-in at the front
desk.
There was a bit of a queue, but they had 8 windows open so it moved quickly.
You then access the water park by walking past a few shops and through the arcade.
If you need a locker, they’re located in the breezeway.
Small lockers cost $10 and large lockers cost $12.
There were not many large lockers and they were sold out, so just keep that in mind if
you arrive later in the day.
But you don’t have to worry about packing a towel since they’re complimentary.
So do I recommend the indoor water park at the Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg?
Depending on what you pay, yes.
If you can pay the off-peak rates, it’s definitely worth it.
Especially in winter when the outdoor amusement and water parks are closed.
Between the decent atmosphere and strong slide lineup, there’s something for everyone.
However, I think the weekend and prime vacation week rates are too overpriced given what this
park offers.
Those rates are higher than even the water parks are Universal or Disney.
But I understand why Great Wolf Lodge charges that given their desired attendance cap and
supply and demand.
So those are my thoughts on the Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
Have you been here?
Do you agree it’s the best indoor water park in New England?
Let me know your thoughts down in the comments.
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