About Great Wolf Lodge Minneapolis, MN 

We Bring Joy to Families

Since opening our first lodge in Wisconsin Dells in 1997, Great Wolf Lodge has grown to 23 locations - and we're still expanding. We are proud to be North America's largest family of indoor water park hotel resorts. Our over 12,000 employees (we call ourselves Pack Members) are dedicated to our mission: Bringing Joy to Families. Every attraction, every experience, and every interaction is designed to create memories families will carry with them long after their visit.

Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota at a Glance

• Opened: December 2017, when the resort joined the Great Wolf Lodge family; originally the Water Park of America
• Address: 1700 American Boulevard East, Bloomington, MN 55425, near the Mall of America
• Suites: 404 suites in 14 suite types, from 365 to 1,143 square feet, including standard, themed, and premium suites
• Largest suite: the Northwoods Suite, which sleeps up to nine guests in 1,143 square feet, with two bedrooms and two baths
• Guest elevators: 5
• In every suite: mini-fridge, coffee maker, and hair dryer
• Microwaves: a microwave in every suite
• Check-in and check-out: check-in at 4:00 pm, check-out before 11:00 am
• Water park: 75,000 square feet, kept at 84°F year-round; open to overnight and Day Pass guests
• Features for young children: the floating lily pads of Big Foot Pass and the interactive water toys of Fort Mackenzie
• Beyond the water park: MagiQuest, Howlers Peak Ropes Course, Rustic Ridge Climbing Wall, Ten Paw Alley mini bowling, Oliver's Mining Co., Northern Lights Arcade, and Build-A-Bear Workshop
• Meeting space: 5,957 square feet, with six breakout rooms
• Fitness center: none at this lodge
• Wi-Fi: included throughout the lodge
• Pets: service animals only; other pets are not allowed

Our Story

Great Wolf Lodge originally started as Black Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin in 1997, and was one of the country's first indoor water park hotels. From here, we grew into a place where families could escape together, play together, and connect in a way that only a fully immersive resort experience makes possible.

Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota sits at 1700 American Boulevard East in Bloomington, near the Mall of America and just outside Minneapolis and St. Paul. The lodge was originally the Water Park of America, which opened in May 2006 and was home to the tallest indoor water slide in the United States, with a slide tower nearly 10 stories high. It joined the Great Wolf Lodge family in December 2017, and today the lodge is known for its 10-story raft ride.

When you're ready to explore, Bloomington is home to the Mall of America, the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, the Normandale Japanese Garden, and Hyland Lake Park Reserve. In Minneapolis, families can visit the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Walker Art Center, Minnehaha Regional Park, and the Chain of Lakes, or catch a game at Target Field or U.S. Bank Stadium. See more things to do in Minneapolis.

As Great Wolf Lodge has evolved, we've continued to innovate:

2000s:

• Great Wolf Lodge opened its second location, in Sandusky, Ohio, originally called Great Bear Lodge, beginning the journey to becoming America's largest group of indoor water park resorts.
• Great Wolf Lodge goes international, opening its first location outside the United States in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
• We added an interactive magical scavenger hunt game called MagiQuest at all lodges.

2010s:

• We added indoor adventure parks, complete with ropes courses, rock walls, and other attractions to complement our water parks.
• The GWL (Great Wolf Lodge) Scholarship was founded. To date, more than two million dollars has been distributed to Pack Members and their families to support their educational goals.
• Lodges began special seasonal activities and events that have included things like a life-size gingerbread house during our winter Snowland, giant spiders made from balloons during Howl-O-Ween, and duck racing down waterslides during the Summer Camp-In.

2020s:

• We launched The Great Wolf Pack, an exclusive animated series, featuring our beloved characters, including:
• Wiley Wolf – The adventurous, energetic leader of the pack. Wiley is curious, brave, and always ready to explore something new.
• Violet Wolf – Wiley's sister. She's creative, kind, and loves music, art, and helping friends solve problems.
• Brinley Bear – Friendly, thoughtful, and dependable. Brinley enjoys nature and often brings a calm, encouraging perspective to the group.
• Oliver Raccoon – The inventive tinkerer. Oliver loves building gadgets, experimenting, and figuring out clever solutions.
• Sammy Squirrel – Full of enthusiasm and optimism. Sammy is playful, energetic, and always excited to join the next adventure.
• We celebrated 25 years of making family memories.
• At Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota, Campfire Kitchen serves dinner entrees inspired by world cuisine, with fresh market salads and sustainably sourced fish and seafood to provide a delicious but relaxed sit-down dining option for guests.
• We rolled out private cabana rental options complete with covered seating, mini-fridge, safe, TV, towels, overhead fan, and space for up to eight guests at all water parks.
• We opened three new fourth-generation lodges in 10 months – our biggest expansion at one time.

Today, with 23 lodges across the United States and Canada, we're proud to welcome more than 10 million guests each year. As we've expanded, we've worked hard to make sure there's a Great Wolf Lodge a short drive away, no matter where you live.

Rooms Built for Families

At Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota, our guest suites are designed with families in mind. Unlike a standard hotel room, our suites are built for families, with layouts that sleep three to 12 guests, so families can be together with enough space to relax after a day of fun.

Each lodge is a little different, but they all feature themed suites which embrace the Northwoods feel, including a separate kids' sleeping area with bunk beds built right into the room, turning bedtime into part of the adventure. Unlike a standard hotel, we love to embrace the fun of a weekend get-away with kids.

At Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota, there are 404 suites across 14 suite types, from 365 to 1,143 square feet. Our Family Suites offer two queen beds and a full sleeper sofa for up to six guests in 365 square feet. Smaller packs can choose the Queen Sofa Suite for up to four or the Junior Queen Sofa Suite for up to three. Several suite types are also available with a balcony. To make it easy to get to and from your room, the lodge has five guest elevators.

Kids can claim a bunk of their own in several of our suites. The Deluxe Bunk Bed Suite pairs a queen bed with a bunk bed and a full sleeper sofa for up to six. Our themed Queen Cabin Suite has a queen bed and two bunk beds for up to six guests in 420 square feet.

Premium suites have room for extended families and groups traveling together. The Royal Family Suite offers 533 square feet, with two queen beds and a full sleeper sofa for up to six. The Grand Bunk Bed Suite, the Majestic Bunk Bed Suite, and the Deluxe Majestic Bunk Bed Suite each sleep up to six with a bunk bed. The Majestic Bunk Bed Suite also has a fireplace. The Grizzly Family Suite sleeps up to 12 in 918 square feet, with two bedrooms, four queen beds, two full sleeper sofas, two full baths, two fridges, and two microwaves. The Northwoods Suite is our largest at 1,143 square feet. It sleeps up to nine guests in two bedrooms, with two full baths, a king bed, a queen bed, a bunk bed, two sleeper sofas, a fireplace, and a balcony or patio. Accessible versions of many suite types are available, and our accessibility page lists the lodge's accessible features.

Every suite comes with a mini-fridge, a coffee maker, and a hair dryer, and every suite has its own microwave. Our spacious suites give families more time to make memories together and less time stressing about logistics.

Free Daily Events

Every lodge offers free daily activities for everyone who is staying overnight or visiting with a Day Pass. All these events are family-friendly and include things like morning family yoga, story time, character appearances, arts & crafts, games, and our signature nightly family dance parties.

Character appearances feature the Great Wolf Pack cast — Wiley Wolf, Violet Wolf, and their friends — which we know are meaningful for younger guests. We pay special attention to all the details to make sure our music is fun (and PG rated) and all activities work for every age group and ability level.

At the Minnesota lodge, the daily lineup includes Yoga Tails, Meet the Great Wolf Pack, Arts & Crafts, Epic Story Time, the MagiQuest Ceremony, and our Family Dance Party.

Attractions

Beyond the water park, Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota is full of indoor attractions for every age. Test your courage on the Howlers Peak Ropes Course, balancing on ropes, crossing bridges, and climbing through obstacles from the safety of a climbing harness. Or take on the 28-foot Rustic Ridge Climbing Wall, where our staff fits you with a safety harness and shares tips for reaching the summit. Pan for gemstones at Oliver's Mining Co., roll a few frames on the shorter lanes of Ten Paw Alley, and visit Northern Lights Arcade and Build-A-Bear Workshop.

MagiQuest is one of the attractions outside the water park that sets Great Wolf Lodge apart from other water park resorts. It turns the lodge into a live-action interactive fantasy adventure game where guests are the star. Players choose a magic wand, top it with extra powers, and set off on a quest throughout the lodge.

Every day, the MagiQuest Ceremony welcomes our newest members into the order of the Magi.

Water Park

Water Park Attractions

The indoor water park is the heart of every Great Wolf Lodge: a massive, climate-controlled space kept at a comfortable 84°F year-round, regardless of the weather outside. Inside the water park, expect pools, slides, toddler areas, a giant water-tipping bucket, and much more.

At Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota, the indoor water park covers 75,000 square feet. Alberta Falls races tandem tubes through four stories of banking turns and steep pitches, outside the building and back in again. Otter Run is a high-speed body slide full of tunnels and quick turns. River Canyon Run takes the whole family down a twisting, turning raft ride together.

For a slower pace, float the Crooked Creek lazy river or shoot hoops at Chinook Cove. Slap Tail Pond, our wave pool, runs from a five-foot deep end to zero-depth-entry shallows. The four-story Fort Mackenzie treehouse is filled with interactive water toys and kid-activated features. Totem Towers offers gentle slides sized for small and tall alike, and Big Foot Pass invites little ones and adults to cross its floating lily pads with the help of cargo nets. The water park is included with every overnight stay, and Day Passes, including Half Day Passes from 4:00 pm to close, are available for families visiting for the day.

Safety

At Great Wolf Lodge we take safety seriously. We are proud to have a partnership with Ellis & Associates, the global leader in aquatic safety and risk management. Every lifeguard at our facility is trained through the International Lifeguard Training Program™ (ILTP®). This training includes advanced water rescue techniques and emergency care. Lifeguards must pass both written and practical evaluations and maintain proficiency through regular testing and certification renewals.

We also use the Ellis Aquatic Vigilance System (EAVS) which uses high-definition analytic cameras to help monitor every body of water in our lodges. We combine our diligent and well-trained on-deck lifeguards with the live feeds monitored by a certified lifeguard in the onsite control room to provide even more attention to safety.

Local Events

Plan your trip around two popular seasonal events in the area: the Minnesota State Fair and the Renaissance Festival. No matter when you visit, Bloomington, Minneapolis, and St. Paul have plenty to explore on your way to or from the lodge.

Our Values

We take our company values seriously and incorporate them into how we treat each other and guests.

• We Are One Pack: We help every Pack Member feel they belong. We assume positive intent, and listen with empathy and curiosity.
• We Improve Every Day: We always reach for more. We value feedback as fuel for growth and stay adaptable in the face of change.
• We Get It Done With Care: We're creative in finding solutions, take pride and ownership in our work, and we celebrate the wins — big and small.

Accessibility

To support our mission of Bringing Joy to Families, we want all kids to feel welcome and supported in our lodges.

Sensory Accessibility

We have partnered with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), an organization that specializes in autism and neurodiversity training. You'll find sensory guidelines to help evaluate all water slides, pools, attractions, arcade, shows, and activities. Each item is rated and described for expected sound, lighting, touch, smell and movement. This allows families to plan activities based on their child's sensory preferences before arriving at the lodge. We know, with many kids, a little planning goes a long way.

As part of the IBCCES partnership, Pack Members receive training designed to help them better support autistic guests, sensory-sensitive children, and neurodivergent families.

Physical Accessibility

For guests with physical disabilities, we work hard to ensure guests can experience as many attractions as possible. We offer ADA-compliant guest rooms, accessible entrances and parking, pool lifts, sloped entries, or transfer systems (depending on the attraction), and closed captioning or transcripts for certain entertainment experiences, including MagiQuest content where applicable.

Service animals

Great Wolf Lodge permits trained service animals throughout the resort, including most public areas. Because of health regulations, service animals are not allowed in or immediately adjacent to pools, but they are welcome in other accessible areas of the water park.

Our Leadership

Great Wolf Resorts is led by a team of experienced hospitality professionals united by a shared passion for families, team members, and operational excellence. We are proud that many of our lodge General Managers and Assistant General Managers start as front-line Pack Members. Supporting Pack Members and providing training and professional development is part of how we Improve Every Day both at lodges and at our corporate support center, in Chicago, Illinois.

The General Manager of the Bloomington, Minnesota lodge is Angela Reed, supported by an experienced and professional staff leading Aquatics, Attractions and Retail, Engineering, Entertainment, Finance, Food and Beverage, Group Sales, Guest Services, Housekeeping, Human Resources, Security, and Technology. There is always a manager on duty to support guests with anything they may need during their stay.

Recognition

Great Wolf Lodge has been recognized repeatedly as one of the best family resort destinations in North America, including:

• 10 Best Indoor Water Parks — USA Today (2026)
• Best Family-Friendly Waterpark — WhereverFamily (2025)
• Best Play-filled Water Park - Good Housekeeping Family Travel (2025)
• 24 Best Water Parks in the U.S. - U.S. News & World Report (2025)
• National Family Travel Award – Parents Family Travel Awards (2023)

Great Wolf Lodge is a great place to work, and was cited by Newsweek as one of "America's Greatest Workplaces" for diversity, for women, and for Gen Z!

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Wolf Out With Us

With 23 lodges across the United States and Canada, you are probably just a short drive away from a great adventure for your pack. Each Great Wolf Lodge features our signature indoor water park, themed accommodations, restaurants, a full arcade, and free daily events and activities designed for every member of the family, from toddlers to grandparents.

Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. Chicago, Illinois www.greatwolf.com

Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. is owned by Blackstone.