When Great Wolf Lodge was added to our itinerary for our trip with Visit Williamsburg, I was a little worried that we would have nothing we could do at the water park – which would kind of defeat the purpose on both ends. Imagine my relief when they blew it out of the water (pun intended) with accessibility! Here’s all you need to know for your wheelchair accessible trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg.
(I would assume there’s a lot of overlap with other Great Wolf Lodge locations, but this is the only one I can vouch for from experience.)
Indoor Water Park
Great Wolf Lodge’s indoor waterpark is the biggest draw to the resort. The sprawling park offers everything from relaxing hot tubs to spiraling water slides. Most of these options are easy to access for wheelchair users.
Waterproof Wheelchair
As soon as you enter the waterpark, just let an attendant (the person in charge of towels is most conveniently located, just inside the door) that you’d like to use the waterproof wheelchair. They’ll deliver it to you while you choose your spot in the waterpark and get set up at your chairs. This chair is the ticket to most of the waterpark’s features. With it, you can roll right into the:
- Wave pool
- Splash area
- Kiddie area
The manual chair is adult sized, but my seven year old had no trouble propelling it on his own. In fact, this is the most independent he’s ever been at a water park. He went where he wanted, when he wanted, and played hard like any other kid.
**A note on the wave pool: I had no idea if this was a good idea with a large piece of equipment, but the chair stayed upright, even with my son’s low weight, and bounced with the waves. I suggest adult supervision, but we didn’t have any issues.**
Poolside Chair Lifts
Not everything was 0 entry. There were a few places where the chair lift was our best option.
- Main pool with basketball and obstacle course
- Hot tubs – they have two, one that’s kept a little cooler so that it’s kid-friendly
- Lazy river – We’ve tried a lazy river without a chair lift before, and it was a fiasco. The lift here is on the opposite side of the main entrance with stairs. That way you’re not worried about blocking the entrance and there’s space to leave the chair.
You do need an attendant to operate any of the lifts.
Surfing
This one has a ramp to wheel up to the top, but you’ll need a decent amount of upper body strength to finagle the rest. After rolling to the entrance, Jaden could crawl to the top of the waves, where we helped him get onto the surf board. It ended up being pretty labor intensive for me, which is why we don’t have any pictures of Jaden at the top, but he enjoyed it.
Waterslides
Nope. This was the one thing we weren’t able to participate in. The only way up is a long flight of stairs. I’m hoping someone figures out a way to get the belts that carry the tubes to the top to accommodate people!
The Lodge
Now that the main attraction is covered, let me rewind to show you that Great Wolf Lodge is so much more than just an epic wheelchair accessible indoor waterpark!
The Room
We had an accessible suite. That means we had two separate bedrooms, two bathrooms – one with a tub and one with a roll-in shower, and a shared space with a living room, dining room, and mini-kitchen. They have a couple of different accessible room styles, so be specific in your request. Our shower had one side completely open, making it easy to roll in, but we saw other accessible rooms with just a roll-in doorway entrance.
The room itself was spacious and easy to navigate with lowered controls and switches throughout the room. We did not have space for a hoyer lift under any of the beds, but that may be something you can request.
The Activities
There is so much fun included with your stay! When you arrive, you can take a picture of the schedule at the front desk. There are story times, crafts, dance parties, yoga, and a variety of games. It will vary depending on when you visit, but any day is guaranteed to have a wide range of free activities! Most of the activities take place at the stage in the lobby, so accessibility isn’t an issue.
They also allow you to stay and continue enjoying for the full day after you check out in the morning.
The Food
From snacks to a pizzeria to a full buffet – you’ll find everything you need inside the lodge! Stores carry basics for both swim day and eating in your room. There are even two Dunkin’ Donuts options in the lobby!
The Attractions
The water park is the main attraction, but there’s enough here to build a full family vacation. You can add any of these on to your experience, or bundle and save with a paw pass. All of these are wheelchair accessible.
- Mini bowling
- Mining for gems
- Build-A-Bear
- Arcade
- Laser Trail
- MagiQuest (purchase a magic wand and complete tasks throughout the magically themed lodge)
The Area
If you’re not satisfied staying in for your whole stay (you know we prefer to get out!), you’ve come to the right area to explore! Williamsburg makes an excellent accessible getaway! In spite of being a historic center, it’s easy to navigate and there’s a lot more to explore than just Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. Think shows, fine dining, and outdoor adventures! Check our our favorites, here.
Discounts
The number one comment that kept coming up on Instagram was the cost. Three things to note:
- You’re not paying for just a hotel – you’re paying for a vacation. When you stay at Great Wolf Lodge you can have several days full of activity, without ever leaving the lodge.
- Check out the website for specials. They’re almost always running some kind of sale or combination package.
- Groupon is almost always running a deal for Great Wolf Lodge. These discounts are huge and typically include the water park for less than you would pay at a cheap hotel. I always recommend you know exactly what you’re getting into with Groupon, because the customer service is lacking. If you understand the fine print, the deal is worth it!