Milwaukee families are looking forward to the July 1 opening of Great Wolf Lodge right outside of Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois.
I had stayed at what used to be KeyLime Cove Indoor Waterpark Resort with my family a few times over the past five years, and I've been curious to see what changes have been made since Great Wolf Lodge has remodeled it.
"A lot of locals had really good feelings about KeyLime Cove and are excited to have something take its place," said Emilio Fabico, general manager of the resort.
So what is taking its place? I got the chance to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the new resort on Wednesday, April 18,and here are a few highlights.
Family entertainment
One entertainment option is a gathering area in the resort's lobby. The spot in front of the fireplace serves as the site for activities such as morning yoga, educational talks about wildlife and story times with appearances by Great Wolf Lodge characters.
"We have a lot of activities that families can enjoy together,"Fabico said.
There will also be nightly glow dance parties.
"It's just like a big fun party,"Fabico said. "Everybody in the family has glow sticks, and just enjoys their time together."
Adventure park
One of the big changes made to KeyLime Cove was the demolition of some of the shops that were on the lobby level.
Now, there's a multi-level ropes course, the second story of which overlooks a rock climbing wall and what will be an 18-hole miniature golf course.
Magical scavenger hunt
Immersive experiences are trendy right now. Think Pokémon Go, geocaching and card trading games at places like Disney World. Great Wolf Lodge has MagiQuest, an interactive live-action, role playing game. Guests can buy a wand and activate it at one of the activation stations throughout the resort. Then there are more than 150 locations throughout the property to wave the wand at.
"Families find clues, work together to figure out a puzzle and then go to the next location to discover what's there,"Fabico said.
The coolest thing about the MagiQuest experience is that you can customize it to your own family. If the kids are really enjoying it, you can spend hours running through the resort, playing an immersive game.
Ronald Neumann, director of retail and kids' experience (although he calls himself the director of fun), said the whole experience covers five miles, so it's a nice active way to get your steps in and tire your kids out.
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Dining options
On my visits to KeyLime Cove, I remember getting hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and ice cream— all fine choices for a few days at a water park and resort.
Great Wolf Lodge, though, is stepping things up a notch. There will be all your regular resort fare plus a full-service farm-to-table restaurant and a "taco truck" with service counters on both the food court side of the vehicle and within the water park.
Whenever I go places where food is served, I ask about food allergies, since my daughter, Alex, has severe allergies to peanuts and eggs.
Rebecca Smith, communications manager for Great Wolf Lodge, said they pride themselves on their allergy accommodations. The resort is completely nut-free, and chefs work with families with allergies to make sure there are safe food choices.
"The chef will come to your table and craft an entire meal for you based on what your allergies are,"Smith said. "Or, you can also email in advance, and someone will meet with you when you arrive to go through a menu for your whole stay with us."
Kid-focused lodging
I've found that the easiest way to make my kids happy when we go to a hotel is to make sure they have their own space. Great Wolf Lodge has 14 styles of suites which include sleeping areas specially dedicated to kids.
In the wolf den suite, there are bunk beds in a cozy little area designed to look like a cave, and the cabin suite has a children's area designed to look like— you guessed it— a cabin.
And, of course, the water park
Fabico saved the best for last in his tour. When we entered the water park (which, incidentally is the only part of the resort that's exclusively reserved for overnight guests), I was surprised to see how much had changed from when it was KeyLime Cove.
First of all, the wave pool was gone. Instead, there's an area completely dedicated to little kids. There's a wading pool, zero-depth entry into the larger pool, kiddie water slides and even a splash pad with water features.
"We created this area for kids who don't necessarily want to swim but who still want to play in the water,"Fabico said.
Considering the wave pool is a favorite of my own children, I was a bit concerned at first. Then the tour moved on to a completely new area that used to be just part of the parking lot. And that's where the new wave pool is.
"Don't worry," Fabico said, "we just relocated it. We didn't lose it."
The two family slides include a conveyor so you don't have to carry your inner tubes to the top.
There's alsoan outdoor pool, a deck and bar.
Fabico saidguests take advantageof these features during the summer months.
"Guests from KeyLime Cove wanted an outdoor experience," Fabico said. "They just want to be outside in the sun when they can be."
