Show of hands — Anyone else with a little one who runs screaming through the night if the carving knife slips and the pumpkin’s eyes so much as slant in a menacing manner? Bouncing between tickled and terrified to tears, we walk a fine line each October in my house.

So not one to push (or deal with the weeks of nightmares after the fact), I nixed the typical haunted houses in favor of the best spook-less Halloween party ever at the Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos, PA. We piled pals, Jill with little ones, Gabby and Cameron, into “Henrietta the Volvo” and hit the road.

With a Wizard of Oz themed trick-or-treat trail meandering through four floors of the resort, complete with Tin Man, Flying Monkeys and Glinda the Good Witch (all very sensitive to Jill and I commenting in a loud voice how our little ones didn’t respond well to being startled), horse-drawn hay wagon rides, giant wooden pumpkins littering the lobby and color-your-own-trick-or-treat bags-the place was filled with the joys of the season.

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If you break out in hives at the thought of themes, this North Woods styled place will have you reconsidering your aversion. It’s just done so well here, with thick indestructible log style furniture, woodsy bear lamps, and suites that feature mini cabins or tents inside the room for your little wolf cubs (great privacy so parents don’t have to crash at seven to get the little ones down!). Take the kids down in their pj’s for a song-filled animatronic production about nature followed by a professional actor assisting mascot Wylie the Wolf in retelling a classic fairy tale, such as Rumpelstiltsken.

Kids of all ages can let their inner wizard loose in the lodge’s amazing MagiQuest fantasy game powered by laser activated wands. Quest teams can join for family adventure through the resort to find hidden treasure chests, talking crows and tiptoe past a life-sized sleeping dragon to collect crystals and runes and achieve new levels as mini-magi. Intense graphics and special effects convinced Nakoa, Cameron and Gabby they were destined to fulfill their Quest.

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With all this, you almost forget the real draw of the place, the incredible indoor waterpark. Wave pool, splash and play area perfect for the tiniest tots, 12 graduated slides that allow apprehensive kids (or grownups) to work their way up to what Cameron and I affectionately nicknamed “the toilet bowl,” more water sprayers, balancing features and buckets than you could imagine– this is simply the biggest and best waterpark we’ve been to yet.

Further spoilage can be done at the Scoops Kid Spa, where little luxe-seekers can kick back with an ice cream sundae while strawberry, vanilla and chocolate scented fizzy bombs tickle toes, pre-pedi. Thirty minute “Mom and Me” (or “Dad and Me”) side by side massages can ease the muscle strain of the twenty-third trip of the day up to ride the water rollercoaster, “Hydro Plunge,” which exits the building for a few swirls before splashing back into the lazy river.

All in all – a total blast! And the only scary thing about the getaway was how pruny we were at check out.

October 29th, 2008 | by Sascha Zuger 1 comment