Great Wolf Lodge Maryland makes splash at grand opening: ‘A beautiful celebration of our state’

Actress Anna Faris, a Baltimore native who rose to fame in the comedic “Scary Movie” series, said that her stay at the new Great Wolf Lodge Maryland in Perryville gained her “total Mom points” with her 10-year-old.

“This is a mom win in every way,” Faris said. “We’ve had a blast. It’s just a wonderful vibe for him and a great experience for me.”

Faris, joined by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Great Wolf Lodge CEO John Murphy, and the resort’s mascot Wiley the Wolf, initiated the grand opening of Great Wolf Lodge’s 20th resort on Thursday by pressing a comically large button triggering a tipping bucket with 1,000 gallons of water onto the water fort treehouse, Otter Cave Waterworks.

The newest location for the combination indoor waterpark and resort in Perryville is the first in Maryland. It is also the chain’s largest location, with a waterpark of about 128,000 square feet.

The Great Geyser Water Park, kept at 84 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, has 22 slides – including two making a debut at Great Wolf Lodge, the water slides High Paw Holler and Forest Flume, as well as a lazy river and wave pool.

Faris, herself, went down all 22 slides as a challenge from Great Wolf Lodge, which donated $22,000 to the Make-a-Wish Foundation for her efforts.

Moore said the addition of the 700-suite resort was a “beautiful celebration of our state” and a contribution to this being “Maryland’s decade.”

“Every part of the state has got to grow and thrive,” Moore said. “When we said, ‘leave no one behind’ … we meant that.”

The governor commented that he was overdressed for the event, promising to be back at the park “with a very eager 12-year-old and a very eager 9-year-old,” his two children, Mia and James.

Moore notedthat of the 1,000-plus jobs provided by the resort, about 61% of them went to Cecil County residents.

“There has to be an economic growth strategy for every single part of the state that’s going to be coordinated, and frankly, that’s going to be supported by our administration,” Moore said.

Also at the resort is Great Wolf Adventure Park, a 57,000-square-foot dry adventure park including activities such as a ropes course, miniature golf and Great Wolf Lodge’s own live-action adventure game, MagiQuest.

The resort’s lobby is also home to the where the immersive engaging story “The Legend of Luna,” a tale of a young wolf searching for her purpose, is told every evening with several screens, special effects and projections. The show is making its debut at this resort.

A multitude of dining options are available, including the main dining room Barnwood; an ice cream shop, Wood’s End Creamery; and a Dunkin’.

Celebrity chef Duff Goldman, of Baltimore’s Charm City Cakes, also appeared at the grand opening to debut special cupcakes themed around Great Wolf Lodge characters to raise money for The Believe in Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins, which will be sold through this summer. All proceeds from the cupcakes, which sell for $6 each, will go to the organization that serves critically ill children.

“It’s been so fun collaborating with the Great Wolf on these Adventure Cakes,” Goldman said, “and I hope the guests of the resort love them, as much as we loved making them.”

In honor of the grand opening, Goldman, with his wife and 2-year-old daughter present, rolled out an expansive cake replica of Otter Cave Waterworks, complete with a bucket that doused the cake in blue sprinkles, which was served to guests.

“We are a water slide-loving family, and we’ve been riding slides almost nonstop since we got here,” Goldman said.