Great Wolf Lodge deals and discounts for Sandusky and Cincinnati, plus tips for your visit!

Looking for a fun and quick getaway that the kids will LOVE? Columbus has not one, but two Great Wolf Lodge locations within easy driving distance! 

Groupon is currently offering special deals for Great Wolf Lodge in Cincinnati and Sandusky (as well as other locations around the country). The offers depend on check-in date and the size of the room you choose, but you’ll pay less than the regular rate!

Each reservation includes hotel room, wristbands for the huge indoor waterpark for the day you check in (starting at 1 p.m.) and the day you check out, until closing (and any days in between).

You’ll pay for 1 night and get 2 days of swimming, or pay for 2 nights and get 3 days of water park fun! (which is plenty….trust me!) 

Great Wolf Lodge Cincinnati/Mason

The Cincinnati location features a 79,000-square-foot indoor water park, and is located a little over an hour from Columbus.

Splashy rides such as the Hydro Plunge—a roller coaster/water slide hybrid—and a zero-depth-entry wave pool with 3-foot swells surround the park’s iconic hub: a four-story treehouse with a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket.

Younger kids will have a blast with the water slides and gentle spray features of Whooping Hollow and Cub Paw Pool, plus character appearances, morning yoga, PJ party, storytimes, and more.

The water park, which hovers around 84 degrees all year long, isn’t the resort’s only family-friendly activity. You’ll also find Howl at the Moon Glow Golf and mini bowling at Ten Paw Alley.

Other fun add-on activities include Creation Station, MagiQuest, ShadowQuest, 7 dining options, and more.

Cincinnati/Mason Great Wolf Lodge deals with Groupon

Starting at $149/night for a family suite plus wristbands for up to 6 guests. Stay for six in a Family Suite or Wolf Den Suite, seven in a KidCabin Suite, or eight in a Loft Suite. Daily water park wristbands for each guest up to maximum occupants per room type are included.

With extended water park access, you can enter the water park at 1 p.m. on the day you check in and stay until close on the day you check out (essentially 2 days’ water park admission for each night you stay.

There is a free cancellation period of up to 9 days before you check in (see policies and additional fees for full details). Book here!

Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky

The Sandusky location features a 33,000-square-foot indoor water park, and is located just over 2 hours from Columbus.

Splashy rides such as Alberta Falls—a four-story double-raft water slide—and a winding lazy river surround the park’s iconic hub: a four-story treehouse with a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket. Younger kids will have a blast with the water slides and gentle spray features of Whooping Hollow.

They also have an arcade with 100+ games, hands on crafts and activities at Cub Club for younger children, nightly story time with costumed characters, 5 dining options, and more!

Sandusky Great Wolf Lodge deals with Groupon

Starting at $99/night for a family suite plus wristbands for up to 6 guests. Stay for five in a KidCabin Suite, six in a Family Suite, Wolf Den Suite or Royal Bear Suite, or eight in a Loft Suite. Daily water park wristbands for each guest up to maximum occupants per room type are included.

With extended water park access, you can enter the water park at 1 p.m. on the day you check in and stay until close on the day you check out (essentially 2 days’ water park admission for each night you stay.

There is a free cancellation period of up to 9 days before you check in. (see policies and fees for full details) Book here!

If you want to travel, there are Groupons for Great Wolf Lodge locations around the country.

Resort fees and taxes will be applied at purchase. These fees are applied to regular priced room rates as well, so you’re still getting a great deal. You don’t have to pay for parking (like you do for many hotels throughout the country).

Tips for visiting Great Wolf Lodge

It’s always going to be less expensive during the week, so if you have work/school flexibility, go then! Holiday weekends, spring break, etc are the most expensive times.  

We’ve visited Great Wolf Lodge twice with our young kids, and they have so much fun. (And it’s really all about them for something like this, right?). We love that the rooms are spacious and clean, and you don’t have to pay per guest. Some tips for your visit:

It’s a lot of swimming, but there are other things to do. The resorts do a good job at having other free activities in the lobby, so check out the offerings, and take breaks to enjoy dance parties, storytime, yoga, etc.

We did pay for the Glow Putt, but otherwise we stick to the free activities and swimming. If you’re going to the arcade, designate a specific amount to spend and don’t go over. It’s super loud in there in the evenings, so we didn’t want to spend any time in there anyway.

While we saw kids playing MagiQuest and our kids were curious, we just didn’t see how it could be worth the price. We told them how much it would cost, and compared it to other things we could spend that amount of money on instead. They agreed. 

Skip the souvenirs! Normalize NOT having to get a souvenir every place you go. It’s mostly junk, and/or overpriced. I’d rather go for ice cream then spend the money on a branded memento/toy/shirt. Remember people and experiences, not “things”. 

BRING YOUR OWN FOOD

If you want to stick to a budget, bring food, or leave to get nearby food or pizza. There are plenty of options in the area.

We haven’t dined in the restaurants, but with picky eaters and a food allergy, we knew it wouldn’t be worth the time and money spent. Instead we’ve done a combination of bringing all the snacks, ordering pizza, picking up our preferred fast food/takeout, or getting a slice of pizza at the snack bar.

There are microwaves and refrigerators in the rooms, so you could even bring most/all of your meals if you planned well.

If you drink alcohol, bring your own beverages to consume in the room too! You’ll pay WAY more at the hotel bar, restaurant, shop, or pool bar.

Doing a Kings Island/Great Wolf Lodge combo visit?

It may be cheaper to stay at Great Wolf Lodge the whole time. We planned a 2 night trip to swim at Great Wolf Lodge one day, and Kings Island the next day.

It was cheaper to stay both nights at Great Wolf Lodge than a nearby hotel for the 2nd night. Plus, it’s much easier to not have to move all of your stuff and check out and back in somewhere else. As a bonus, we were able to swim the day we checked out for as long as we wanted to stay.

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