On our first night at Great Wolf Lodge South Florida, my three children (ages 5 through 8) donned wolf ears and gathered in the resort’s grand lobby for the immersive Legend of Luna Lobby Show.
“Ah-roooooooooo!” they howled in unison with the kids around them, encouraged to howl like wolves to summon the story. And then — like magic — cinematic music swelled, sparkles of light danced around the mantle, and a giant painting of wolves above the fireplace transformed into a film screen.
The 15-minute show is spectacular, incorporating shimmering chandeliers, “snow” that flutters from above and previously hidden screens that surround the audience with sound, movement and light. The animated film tells the sweet story of Luna, a young wolf who finds her voice, with a show that happens nightly at every Great Wolf Lodge in North America.
Great Wolf Lodge South Florida in Naples is one of the brand’s newest resorts, and the first in Florida. We visited to see how well the indoor waterpark resort concept works in a state known for its sunshine, beaches and theme parks.
The Great Wolf Lodge Experience
Branded as North America’s largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, Great Wolf Lodge has long been a household name in northern states, primarily in the eastern half of the U.S. Its parent company, Great Wolf Resorts, currently operates 23 resorts, attracting more than 13 million guests per year.
From its humble beginnings as a small indoor waterpark resort that opened in Wisconsin in 1997, the brand has since added resorts in Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, Virginia, Pennsylvania and California, among others. A Canadian outpost is in Niagara Falls, and the brand is exploring further international expansion, including in the United Kingdom. Other new resorts have opened within the past year in Texas and Connecticut.
Kept at 84 degrees, the 92,000-square-foot waterpark features 12 slides, three pools and two interactive water play areas.
Credit: 2025 Linnea BaileyRooms and Suites for Families
Great Wolf Lodge resorts are all built around the same concept: Creating a space for families to have fun and spend time together. As such, the design of Great Wolf Lodge South Florida is surprisingly compact. Despite its capacity (500 guestrooms and suites), the resort is easy to navigate. There are six elevators (and stairs) adjacent to the lobby to access all rooms, and a wristband serves as room key and payment method, enabling clients to be truly hands-free.
The lodge’s rooms and suites are designed for families, with configurations for every group size and need. As a family of five, we appreciated the variety of choices, with everything from family suites for six to deluxe suites that sleep 14.
We settled on a themed KidCabin Suite that featured an adorable summer camp-themed sleeping nook with bunk beds for the kids. The kids loved their cozy hideout, and the suite’s split bathroom design (with the vanity separate from the bathroom) was an added plus.
Nonstop Indoor Adventure
Daily admission to the resort’s headline attraction — the indoor waterpark — is included with a resort stay. Kept at 84 degrees, the 92,000-square-foot waterpark features 12 slides, three pools and two interactive water play areas. My kids shrieked in delight as they tried all the waterslides, and we spent the day floating through the park’s lazy river and jumping into the wave pool. The lodge also has an outdoor pool and hot tub, though a summer thunderstorm curtailed our plans to venture outside.
And the waterpark is far from the lodge’s only attraction. An adventure park features a dizzying array of indoor activities for young ones, including the Howlers Peak Ropes Course (for high-adventure rope climbing and ziplining), Howlers Peak Adventure Trail (a similar climbing playground that my younger two loved), a miniature golf course, a bowling alley and an arcade. My children especially loved the resort’s MagiQuest game, an elaborate live-action adventure that takes kids on magical quests throughout the lodge.
The resort’s MagiQuest game is an elaborate live-action adventure that takes kids on magical quests throughout the lodge.
Credit: 2025 Great Wolf LodgeWhile there’s an extra charge for the non-water activities, we were able to experience everything with all-inclusive Wolf Passes (packages) for each of the kids, which included admission for all activities, MagiQuest wands, swim goggles, candy and ice cream. Other bundle options include the Paw Pass and Pup Pass, which also provide excellent value for clients.
Dining and Entertainment
There are eight dining options at the lodge, including a fast-casual food hall concept, an ice cream parlor and a poolside bar and grill. For brunch, we feasted on made-to-order omelets, pancakes and fresh fruit at buffet restaurant Timbers Table & Kitchen. For dinner, we dined at Fireside, an outdoor-themed restaurant featuring fire-braised fare and delicious specialty cocktails. (Just make sure to reserve a table early; Fireside is a popular choice among families seeking a quieter dining space.) We saved money with the advanced-purchase Platinum Dining Credit, which provided a $200 dining credit to use throughout our stay.
In addition to the nightly lobby show, the resort boasts a full schedule of complimentary activities for kids. These daily events include dance parties, arts and crafts, character meet-and-greets, yoga and story time. My kids had fun bopping with new friends to Pharrell Williams’ song “Happy” during a high-energy dance party and grinning for photos with Oliver the Raccoon.
Getting There and Final Thoughts
Located about 90 minutes from Fort Lauderdale, two hours from Miami and 2.5 hours from Tampa, Great Wolf Lodge South Florida is most easily reached by car. Our two-hour drive from West Palm Beach was straightforward, and once we arrived, there was no need to drive again until checkout.
As we were leaving the resort, my kids unanimously agreed they didn’t want to leave. While we stayed indoors the whole weekend (unusual for my outdoorsy kids), the lodge’s nonstop activities and easy-to-navigate design made for a fun and relaxing family escape.
Great Wolf Lodge has successfully brought its indoor resort formula to the Sunshine State, proving that even in a place famous for its outdoor spaces, there’s always room for a little indoor adventure.
