NAPLES, Fla. – The Great Wolf Lodge had its grand opening on Thursday and a special guest was on hand — someone who has a lot of experience with celebrations.
Future Hall of Fame tight end and four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski and the Make-A-Wish Southern Florida kids tested all 12 slides in the water park, raising a grand total of $60,000 from Great Wolf Lodge to Make-A-Wish Southern Florida.
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Opened in September, Great Wolf Lodge South Florida marks the company’s first indoor water park in the Sunshine State. T
The Naples resort is located near the Interstate 75 and Collier Boulevard interchange, right next to the Paradise Coast Sports Complex.
According to a release, the resort represents “Great Wolf Lodge’s ‘next generation’ resort experience, filled with immersive thematic elements, technological surprises, and an incredible array of family adventures.”
Funded by $250 million resort by Blackstone and Centerbridge Partners, the resort created 675 full and par time jobs and is expected to attract an estimated 500,000 annual visitors, which is expected to generate $5 billion in new local economic activity over the next 30 years.
Great Wolf Lodge South Florida is the 22nd property in North America and features 500 rooms and unlimited access to a 92,000-square-foot indoor water park for guests.
“This new resort will provide families across the Sunshine State with a convenient and carefree family getaway, while also stimulating the local economy by creating hundreds of new jobs and encouraging more families to visit the region,” said Great Wolf Resorts Chief Executive Officer John Murphy.
The new resort features several exciting additions, including two new thrilling family slides in the Great Geyser indoor water par, the 60,000 square-foot dry land adventure park with a rope course and indoor zipline, and virtual reality attractions.
Guests can also enjoy a variety of dining options, immersive storytelling experiences, and a host of family activities, making it the ideal destination for family fun in South Florida.
Highlights of the park include:
- BREAKAWAY BAY: “Making its Great Wolf Lodge debut, Breakaway Bay is an exhilarating family raft adventure that can accommodate up to 5 riders. Riders quickly accelerate before dropping into a cone-shaped ‘tornado’ where they slosh up one side and down another before exiting into a 360-degree loop. They head down a long straightway before entering a giant bowl that will spin them around before freefalling down into the splash channel.”
- HIGH PAW ROLLER: “A body slide filled with constant excitement and anticipation as riders surge through enclosed flumes, race along the outer wall of open-air saucers, and experience a few more twists and turns before splashing down into a water-filled runout.”
- FOREST FLUME: “This open flume body slide accelerates riders through 360 loops, high-banking turns, and quick acceleration drops to provide an exhilarating ride from top to bottom.”
- RAPID RACER: “Riders can race side-by-side down a course featuring drops, chutes, and serpentine curves. Adding to the excitement of this winding tube ride, there are two sections of the course with only a low wall separating riders to help spur that competitive racing spirit.”
- RIVER CANYON RUN: “A rollicking family raft ride that sends up to five riders on a white-water adventure down one of the park’s longest slides. As you slide down, you’ll pass enchanted hieroglyphics, and with no steep drops, this a great slide for families to enjoy together.”
- SLAP TAIL POND: “A family favorite. The audio cue of a howling wolf brings this gigantic wave pool to life with waves reaching up to three feet in height. The active surf rolls through every five minutes, to the giggling delight of every child in the pool.”
- CROOKED CREEK: “A reprieve from the more active attractions in the waterpark, guests can relax and float on tubes down this winding lazy river that encircles the Otter Cave Waterworks play structure.”
- OTTER SPRINGS: “A special section of the waterpark designed exclusively for toddlers and younger guests. This play pool is filled with perfectly sized water slides featuring gentle slopes and tiny turns, making them the go-to attractions for the ‘under 42 inches’ set.”
- CHINOOK COVE: “Activity pool featuring basketball hoops, floating obstacles, and other action-oriented elements for children.”
- BIG FOOT PASS: “Unique water obstacle challenge where kids and adults alike balance on floating logs and lily pads while traversing the pool. Cargo netting hangs down to help guests cross from one side to the other.”
Gronk’s Make-A-Wish slide challenge showcased the attractions and highlighted its commitment to community engagement and support for local youth programs.
Standard rates start at $199.99 per night. For booking information, click here.
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