Waterslides, celebrities and fun. Opening day at the Great Wolf Lodge near Delaware.
Great Wolf Lodge Maryland finally opened its doors to the public with a grand opening ceremony Thursday.
The new Great Wolf Lodge, located less than an hour from Wilmington just off I-95, features 22 slides, a bowling alley, a ropes course, a mini golf course, an arcade and more.
The $250 million facility is the largest resort in the chain's portfolio — with 128,000 square feet of water parks, a 57,000-square-foot adventure center and 700 suites for people to stay.
Perryville's location already broke the franchise's record for pre-bookings, with a majority of guests coming from the Philadelphia and Wilmington areas. An estimated 700,000 people are expected to stay at Great Wolf Lodge Maryland every year, and over 1,000 jobs have been generated and filled by local workers.
Splashing, climbing, storytime and more
As official ceremonies with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Great Wolf Resorts CEO John Murphy, actor/director and Maryland native Anna Faris and local officials christened the venue, most visitors were focused elsewhere.
Scores of children and parents were enjoying the bowling, mini golf, Magiquest challenges and the water park. Storytime was being held in the lobby for kids to participate in, and the staff members were all attentive and helpful to the guests.
That's where we turned our attention.
Joined by fellow Delaware Online/The News Journal reporter Krys'tal Griffin, we set off to experience some of the water slides and activities firsthand.
Griffin bravely and swiftly climbed around the two-story ropes course while I cheered her on from the sidelines before we hit two of the 22 slides the park has to offer (getting soaked in the process).
"There are plenty of options to choose from," Griffin said. "If one thing is too crowded when you show up, there are other activities to keep you busy. The open floor plan makes it easy for guests, primarily children, to make new friends."
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We spoke to the Davis family as they enjoyed some Dunkin' snacks before hitting the road back to Woodbridge, Virginia, after three days at the lodge.
Cailee, aged 12, loved the Magiquest activities that cover the entire resort. Alyssa, aged 10, enjoyed swimming and the thrilling water slides the best. Their father, Xavier, was able to join his daughters in all of their activities.
"We did everything," Xavier Davis said. "And we are definitely coming back."
Courtney Romondi from Bel Air, Maryland, was thrilled to bring her son Greyson and his best friend Harper Strowman, aged 11, to Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate Greyson's 10th birthday.
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The trio has tried everything in their two-day stay. Having already completed the adventure ropes course, water slides and Magiquest activities, we found them in the arcade vying for some prizes.
"We've been waiting for this to open, and it just so happened to be his birthday," Romondi said. "[Greyson and Harper] did the water slides for five hours; we've been nonstop since we got here."
Tips from our day at Great Wolf Lodge
Don't limit yourself to one activity. If water slides aren't your thing, there are plenty of other equally fun options in the same relative area.
Try the ropes course during a slower time of day. The time it takes to complete it is highly dependent on the speed of the guests in front of you.
The lodge is definitely meant for shorter trips, two or three days is probably enough to cover everything.
Lines move pretty quickly for the water slides. If one slide is taking too long, take a dip in the wave pool or lazy river until things cool down.
Speaking of cooling down, the waterpark is constantly held at 84 degrees Fahrenheit, which can get a little muggy. So, stay hydrated and pace yourself.
Remember to enter the waterpark on the left side and exit on the right. Take it from these two reporters who repeatedly made this mistake and felt embarrassed...
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New tourist attraction spurs growth
Perryville Mayor Matt Roath spoke about the economic impact that the tourist attraction has already had on the small town, which is planning six large residential developments, five more commercial opportunities and an estimated 40%-50% population increase in the next five years.
Comedic actor, director and producer Anna Faris was also in attendance after completing Great Wolf Resort's charitable challenge to go down all 22 slides to go toward the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
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The Maryland native has always felt a deep sense of pride in her home state and spoke about what it means as a working mother to have a place to entertain her 10-year-old son.
"I now have an ace card up my sleeve," Faris said. "I'm running a victory lap as a mom for sure. [Her son] is loving life; he's doing it all. We were just buzzing."
You can book your stay at the Great Wolf Lodge Maryland website. Family suites for four guests are averaging around $320 per night.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Great Wolf Lodge near Delaware opens to the public
