lovely aquapark. comfy lounges, large sunshades, snack bar, slides, splash pad and zero depth space…read morefor the littles under 10. but arrive early if you want a lounge chair and be prepared for the weekday overrun of summer camps. several are local park district camps and this is one of their destinations for swimming. several more are from non-resident park districts and camps. if you want to go in any deeper than your knees, good luck. the waters are crowded with people, toys, and behavior. there's one swim lane in-between a deep-water swim area and the diving/small slide landing. the least crowded space is the big slides landing (slide and get out!) there's plenty of picnic space on the lawn and ample locker room facilities. on a no-camp day, it really is perfect.

I hade a horrible experience they said were open until 8pm but when I got there they sure looked…read moreclosed to me don't ever come to this place unless you like wasting your time just go to a water park that doesn't give false info about there hours

My family and I have been coming to Great Wolf Lodge for a few years.. this would be our fifth or…read moreso in the past two years. The location is very easy to find. One thing new is the parking gate that blocks cars from entering. This was our first time seeing it and it got us confused for a little bit. My wife drove this time, and she thought we had entered the wrong entrance or an employee entrance. We were, however, in the correct location. We arrived around 2pm, which was a few hours prior to check in time. The loading aisles were full of cars and there was a lot of people checking in. There were a few mobile check in kiosks... but there were also some actual staff members whom you also had to check in for other things like getting a parking pass. This was very confusing and annoying. However, it was a little more efficient verses having to wait in line. The kiosks printed our wrist bands. We were able to verify which would have access to the rooms and which would have access to pay from the wrist band. That was a very convent to have... however, we made the mistake of putting in on our right hand. This made leaving the parking lot harder. However, it made opening some of the room doors harder... I don't know which is the correct method because some were easy on the right hand.. .but others were difficult. My room was not ready when I finally checked in. So we went to the arcade. There were plenty of machines which a huge variety of games to pick from. Also, there was a burger joint nearby so we ate there while we waiting for our rooms to be ready. During that meal, I got a text that my room was having issues so to visit them at the front desk. Keep in mind they do a great job of communicating through text messages. All my messages were responded in an adequate amount of time. Once my room was ready... it was big. We got an extended room which a separate living space with a barn style door. It allowed our daughter to sleep while we were able to not disturb her. And when we went to bed too...we could open that barn door. Keep in mind, we brought out own inflatable bed for her. Only downside is that this configuration only has 2 queen beds instead of a king. However, I did enjoy having my own bed again. The room was clean, but was very old. There were a lot of slightly damaged equipment and it felt a little musty and old feeling. There were a good amount of outlets around the bed but some of them were so old that either plugs weren't able to hold in place or your devices were not charging fast enough. The water park itself was very nice. It was heated with a heated water. This was appreciated since the outdoor temps were 0 degrees or colder. However, we could not tell while in the water park. There was a nice section for little babies and toddlers. And they had a separate giant splash pad area for older kids to run around and up/down. We loved the lazy river. Overall, despite some comments of how bad this place is. In reality... look at the price, and I am not sure why people are expecting 5 star resort feeling. It fit the bill and we had a great time. Our room was old but it was clean. We would be back in the future.

There is NOTHING Great about this lodge! The place is an…read moreabsolute disgrace. Don't waste your time or hard earned money here. It's a big marketing scam; front desk staff pushes unnecessary add ons like: Paw Passes which come with undisclosed limitations, dinning and breakfast options with "sub par" food to say the least. When you are attempting to use the benefits you paid for, there are stipulations the front desk conveniently doesn't mention. An example is the $100 hold they place on your form of payment in addition to your deposit if you purchase said meal plans. "Common knowledge" they said is that in order for ALL charges to clear, it can take up to a week or more in contrast, they, GWL take their money immediately, but arent as quick to refund yours in the event of any error committed on their part. Lets talk about their filthy rooms... The 1st room we checked into reaked of smoke, there were cigarette debris, and an obvious lingering smell that penetrated your nostrils at first breath. There were lipstick marks on used cups that werent discarded amongst other things. Due to the obvious lack of cleanliness in this room, we were moved to room #2 in the same tower. The 2nd room was disgusting amd even worse. A night supervisor came in to inspect and was left with his mouth open from the decrepit condition it was in. There were pubic hairs found in the wolf den, urine stains, tears on the sheets, and something that resembled bugs underneath the bunks and other debris. I asked to speak with a floor manager immediately as I needed a witness to inspect the atrocities. Susan arrived and made an attempt to downplay the situation however; even she couldn't hide her disgust for said conditions and moved us yet again. Now, all this moving from room to room didn't come free; they didnt disclose that they were charging my card every time they moved us to a different room, they failed to inform us that this move made it look like I had reserved several rooms under one card. This meant that every time a clerk opened my reservation, it appeared to look like I made several reservations under one name! WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK! Due to this frustrating situation that took practically MOST of our time, energy, and patience, the kids didn't get a chance to enjoy what we paid for. They went to bed late, irritable and disappointed. This incredible story doesn't end here; there is more but honestly, I'm too tired and frustrated to keep adding on and the stress of reliving it makes my blood boil. Due to the misery and stress this caused, we checked out early. I am writing this for the moms and the families that seek a nice, worry free vacation at a place that boasts about its amenities and its family friendly environment. Dont go here. Save your time, sanity, and effort for a business that appreciates & takes care of its customers. No place is perfect, I know, but businesses can start by correcting their mistakes and taking corrective measures to ensure their patrons are prioritized. This trip took place 8-6-26 and ended prematurely 8-7-26. I have to wait for the charges to clear and will keep you all posted; yet another headache. I will add pictures at a different time.

Had my daughter's 7th birthday here. They set up a party room for us for an hour, before we headed…read moredown to the water park area. They provided two party hosts/helpers, they were AMAZING! They decorated, provided music(frozen theme), served pizza and cake, then cleaned up. They even provided and played a pin the tail on the donkey style game(Frozen themed) for the children. Such a wonderful experience. After the hour in the room we were lead down to the pool facilities. It is so cool in there! All of the kids aged 3-8 were blown away when we walked through the doors. They were all very excited. Everything was so clean, the pool and changing rooms. It was a fantastic facility with amazing people that made my daughter's birthday such a joy.

Took two toddlers for afternoon swim about 3pm. It was pretty busy and loud but manageable. They…read moreclosed the kids pool for cleaning for about 30 minutes but we liked that there were other pools we could go to while we waited.

Great place to take the kids to spend a hot, summer afternoon. My six and nine-year-old girls had a…read moregreat time (well, except for adult swim - but I loved that!). The slides were fun and well-monitored. Lines weren't excessively long. They enjoyed the diving board and chute slide, too, and did plenty of laps in the lazy river. Water temperature was very nice. Seems like the guards, for the most part, were on top of any rowdiness or misbehavior. Snack bar was nice - one of the friendly teens even tracked down my young daughter when she forgot to claim her fifty cents in change. We had a fun time!

First time here, my daughter & I enjoyed ourselves. We got there 25 mins before they opened, glad…read morewe did because 10 mins after we got there, a long line was forming. You're allowed to bring your own food & drinks (no alcohol) I recommend getting there 20 mins before or get there at 2:00 when all the summer camps start leaving. I'll definitely go back!

What an absolute BLAST of a waterpark!! Highlights: really…read moregreat staff/lifeguards & very clean. Summer 2026 the rate for four adults, two children under 5 and cooler for $126. Came here on at 11am on a Friday into the afternoon and we all had so much fun. There were some school trips there and all the chairs were taken but it still didn't feel crowded. Short lines, if any, for the lazy river and short lines for the slides. - The lazy river was a hit! 2'5" makes it easy for everyone to enjoy. You have to stay in your tube and the kids complied, mostly, LOL. My 5yo nephew quickly found his element and must've went around 50 times. When it gets busy and the line reaches a sign, you can only go around once. We did have to do that twice but the line getting back on was quick and eventually died down when the school kids left. By 1pm it was smooth floating. - They have four waterslides. Two of them are drop slides (just learned the term). The longer ones were so fun! You can even catch some air on the right slide haha. I think they're built more for the adults than the kids! The two drop sides are also so fun and give you that adrenaline rush. Or at least for me! I did unfortunately fall pretty hard into the water on the left drop slide and have regular issues with my ears as it is. I should have prepared myself better and am still suffering the consequences of not acting my age I guess HAHA. I will say the manager Jason Mata was incredibly helpful. He was able to put some alcohol drops in my ear to relive the fluid from my ear. However it came right back a few minutes later, no fault to him. Either way, it was so much fun and didn't ruin my time one bit! They also have a large pool with a partial deep section and a splash pad area for younger kids. There's also a beach/sandlot playground to enjoy. Lots of fun for everyone!! And the best perk is being able to bring your own food and drinks. This excludes any glassware or alcohol. I honestly think that's a clutch option and so awesome! Did I mention the place is clean and the staff is great?? Cheers to summer!!

Nice water park. A bit expensive in my opinion for 1 day.... $17.75 for 1 kid…read more There's a lazy river, two areas for slides and a pool. It's nice but, just seems expensive. Plenty of chairs. Pretty clean. Basic food in the mini cafeteria. Pretzels and nachos and pizza etc.

The first time stopping in, my kids and I really enjoyed ourselves. Small children friendly! The…read morebigger slides are safe for younger kids when accompanied by an adult. All the staff members were helpful and very attentive. There were TONS of lifeguard on duty for a safe yet still fun atmosphere. Cleanliness was pretty fair and Sunday rates were very reasonable. We can't wait to come back.

They have an arcade on the top floor and the pool area on the lower floor. You can only purchase…read moretickets online and no cash is accepted. When we went to check in the woman working was not the most friendly. The arcade is where you pick up wristbands and that was a very easy process. We looked around the arcade but didn't play any of the games. Many similar games as to what is at Dave and Busters. The water area has a decent layout and a number of water slides big and small to go down. We spent most of our time in the general pool with the basketball hoops. They also have an American Ninja warrior type hanging rope course that we had a lot of fun on.

Fave place to be in the summer with the kiddos! It's less than 2 miles from us and the kids just…read morelove it

After visiting the 24 hour sculpture park I took my son to this water park. We truly enjoyed…read moreourselves and plan on going back soon. It was $12 each for non-residents and the children and adults we're friendly and welcoming . The bathroom facilities were ok hence the 4 instead of 5 stars . All in all my son had a ball and made a new friend. A hidden gem in this area. Parking is challenging so I suggest an early arrival . I did see parents bring in snacks , however we opted for dinner at nearby Bahama Breeze.

Vernon Hills, I see you! I don't know that I've ever been to Vernon Hills, to be honest, and it…read morefelt Ike a trek! But it was a fun evening so it was definitely worth it. The aquatic center is clean and has a large pool, and two water slides!! One is actually a water tube. I want to come back to use the slides myself, hopefully Vernon Hills will have me! The village of Vernon Hills was hosting a comedy showcase at the Family Aquatic Center, which is why I came to town. They apparently do the comedy show annually and it was really enjoyable. It was a 21 and over, and a little blue for your kids so pay attention to any sort of age advisory there may be.

This pool offers so many things, its not that big but it does have a splash pad with slides! And a…read morelazy river!