Great Wolf Lodge (Gurnee, Illinois)

Great Wolf Lodge is a resort and indoor waterpark of 30 acres (12 ha) located in Gurnee, Illinois near Six Flags Great America and Gurnee Mills. The resort is operated by Great Wolf Resorts. It was originally opened as Key Lime Cove and was listed as the "Official Resort of Six Flags Great America".^[3] The resort is located about an hour away from Chicago and less than an hour from Milwaukee.

Great Wolf Lodge
View of the hotel from Wiley's Waterpark
Location within Illinois
General information
Location	Gurnee, Illinois, United States
Address	1700 Nations Drive Gurnee, Illinois 60031
Coordinates	42°23′00″N 87°56′41″W / 42.3833°N 87.9447°W / 42.3833; -87.9447
Opening	2008 (as Key Lime Cove) 2018 (as Great Wolf Lodge)
Closed	2017 (Key Lime Cove)
Owner	Great Wolf Resorts
Technical details
Floor count	4
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Iconica Creates^[1]
Other information
Number of rooms	414^[2]
Number of restaurants	7
Website
https://www.greatwolf.com/illinois

History

KeyLime Cove operations (2008–2017)

Around 2007, the resort, formerly named KeyLime Cove was constructed. It opened the following year, with a water park. It had a tropical theme around the resort.

Nine years later, in 2017, the hotel announced its closure. It was announced that it would be owned by Great Wolf Lodge and would be having an extensive renovation throughout the whole hotel. ^[4] This also ended the partnership with Six Flags Great America, though, as the shuttle entrance to the park removed its signage, and it did not reference the hotel after its removal.

Great Wolf Resorts operations (2018–present)

Renovations on the new Great Wolf Lodge finished around summer of 2018. The renovated hotel opened on July 1, 2018.^[5] It featured a new forest and wolf theme. There was a new expansion in the water park by adding new water slides near the original slide complexes. The exterior was painted a new brown and peach color. It also incorporated the MagiQuest game throughout the park.

In 2020, the hotel closed down for the COVID-19 pandemic. The hotel was used for housing navy recruits during April for quarantining purposes.^[6] The hotel reopened on August 24, 2020, with temperature checks.^[7]

Entertainment

Attractions

Level 1

• Wiley's Waterpark – A water park with a variety of water slides and pools named after Wiley the Wolf, the mascot of Great Wolf Lodge.^[8]
• Rustic Ridge Climbing Wall – A 21-foot climbing wall.^[9]
• Howl in One Mini Golf – A mini golf game with nine courses.^[10]
• Northern Lights Arcade – An arcade with prizes and games.^[11]
• Olivers Mining Co. – Sand-sifting experience hunt for a variety of gemstones.^[12]
• Ten Paw Alley – Family-based bowling alley.^[13]
• MagiQuest – An interactive fantasy roleplaying game.^[14]

Level 2

• Howler's Peak Ropes Course – An obstacle course elevated over Howl in One Mini Golf and Rustic Ridge Climbing Wall.^[15]

Dining

Level 1

• Hungry as a Wolf – An Italian restaurant that serves pizza, pasta and more Italian food.
• Timbers – An American restaurant with burgers, salads and sandwiches.^[16]
• The Outpost – Bar with craft beers and signature cocktails.
• Campfire Kitchen – À la carte dishes that serves both breakfast and dinner.^[17]
• The Watering Hole – Located in Wiley's Waterpark, The Watering Hole sells poolside soft drinks, cocktails and beer.^[18]

Level 2

• Barnwood – An American & bar restaurant with locally-sourced food and beverages.^[19]
• Ben & Jerry's – An ice cream shop.
• Dunkin' – A popular donut and coffee shop.

Shopping

Level 1

• Great Wolf Candy Company – A candy shop.
• Paddle Bay Outfitters – Swimwear shop.^[20]

Level 2

• Camp H.O.W.L Kids Store – "The Great Wolf Kids" characters themed merchandising.
• Build-A-Bear Workshop – Chain company that sells stuffed animals.
• Buckhorn Exchange – Vacation souvenirs, gifts and other essentials.^[21]

See also

• List of water parks
• Six Flags Great America
• Gurnee Mills

References

1. "Keylime Cove Water Resort – Iconica Creates". Retrieved 2022-06-23.
2. Mest, Elliott (June 22, 2018). "New Great Wolf Lodge opens in Gurnee, Ill". Hotel Management. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
3. . 2014-07-06. Archived from the original on 2014-07-06. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
4. Susnjara, Bob (2017-04-19). "Great Wolf expected to open in Gurnee in mid-2018". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
5. Schwabe, Amy. "I got to see the inside of the new Great Wolf Lodge, and it's going to be awesome!". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
6. Graham, Doug T. (2020-04-20). "Gurnee's Great Wolf Lodge starts housing Navy recruits for 14-day quarantine period". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2021-01-23. (subscription required)
7. "Great Wolf Lodge Announces Reopening Date Amid Coronavirus Concerns". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
8. "Indoor Water Park Attractions| Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
9. "Rustic Ridge Climbing Wall | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
10. "Howl in One Mini Golf | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
11. "Northern Lights Arcade Attraction | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
12. "Oliver's Mining Co. Attraction | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
13. "Ten Paw Alley Family Bowling | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
14. "MagiQuest Live Action Game | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
15. "Howlers Peak Ropes Course | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
16. "Timbers Dining | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
17. "Campfire Kitchen Dining | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
18. "The Watering Hole Dining | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
19. "Barnwood | Dining | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
20. "Paddle Bay Outfitters | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
21. "Buckhorn Exchange Gift Shop | Chicago Resort | Great Wolf Lodge". Chicago / Gurnee, IL. Retrieved 2022-06-24.

Further reading

• Graham, Doug T. (June 22, 2018). "Chance the Rapper hits the waterslides at new Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee". Daily Herald. Retrieved July 18, 2018.