Great Wolf Lodge Opens in Southern California

Posted on March 7, 2016August 12, 2025 by Francine Brokaw

Great Wolf Lodge has opened its 13th resort, this time in Southern California. Located in Garden Grove, about 40 minutes (without traffic) from LAX, the resort provides year-round fun for families.

First, the resort boasts an enormous indoor water park which encompasses 120,000 square feet of great H2O fun, whether it be sliding down one of the many water slides, swimming and playing in the pools, surfing in the Wolf Rider Wipeout pool, or simply playing in the waves. What makes this water park so enjoyable is that there is no need to slather on the sunscreen. It’s all inside and the temperature is a constant 84 degrees with the water temp kept between 82 and 83 degrees, so no one will get a chill when exiting one pool and heading to another. For those who love the sun, there is one outside pool with more water fun. Parents don’t need to worry because there are complementary lifejackets available and plenty of lifeguards in every pool. Children do need to be accompanied by an adult though.
If you’re thinking a water park isn’t a good idea for drought-ridden California, the water park contains 565,000 gallons of water, which is less than an Olympic-size swimming pool. The water is filtered, treated, heated, and reused. And the way they use it, with all the slides (over 4,000 feet in all) and recirculation, it is not even a proverbial drop in the bucket.

The water park is probably the main focus of this resort, however there are plenty of other activities that deserve recognition and consideration when planning your next family vacation. There is the 24-hour Northern Lights Arcade with over 100 games from which to choose. And there is a shortened bowling alley with five-pound balls so little ones can enjoy the game. As if that’s not enough, there is a glow-in-the-dark indoor miniature golf course too.

Little ones can take advantage of the Scooops (no misspelling) Kid Spa with several choices, including a Mommy & Me Pedicure ($79.99), manicures ($44.99), a princess experience ($89.99), and other options. And every option includes an ice cream dessert.

The HowlyWood XD Theater presents 5-minute special effects films with motion seats that react to the films. Audiences get right into the action here.

Seven eateries provide guests with plenty of choices, from a simple buffet to a table-service restaurant. And with three stores in the resort, there is everything from swimming essentials to jewelry to all kinds of souvenirs and stuffed animals. One store even has a sort of build-a-bear area with the various characters from the resort.

And speaking of the Great Wolf Lodge characters, they consist of the mascot, Wiley the Wolf, along with fellow wolf Violet, Oliver and Rachel Raccoon, Brinley Bear, and Sammy the Squirrel. The lodge has several character appearances during the day as well as a Wolf Walk where guests learn about the great Northwoods wildlife.

Story Time happens in the lobby area every night at 8 and 9 pm. Little ones gather (often already in their PJs) to hear a bedtime story before heading back to their rooms. The different room options sleep up to 7 guests.

Included in the nightly room fee is free admittance to all areas of the lodge, however, with the exception of the water park, each activity is a separate fee. When registering guests get wristbands so there is no need to carry any money. Simply use the wristband to charge any activity or food to the room.

MagiQuest is a game that is available to play throughout the resort. Magic wands (starting at $18 and can be personalized with options and additional games) work throughout the resort at several locations. The interactive game gives guests challenges and plenty of fun with the wave of the magic wand. This wand can be used at any of the Great Wolf Lodge resorts. Currently there are 13 with more planned throughout the country.

What might appeal to parents is that for every night guests get two days of fun in the resort. Even if your room is not ready when you get to the lodge, you can start taking advantage of all the activities, and on the day of check-out guests can still access the water park and activities until closing.

Holidays are made special at the resort with Howl-O-Ween October (plenty of special activities corresponding to Halloween) and Snowland December where snow falls daily in the Grand Lobby.

“At Great Wolf Lodge, we want each family to have a truly memorable experience,” said CEO Ruben Rodriguez. There are standard suites as well as themed suites. Every room is a suite with plenty of room (no pun intended) to move around.

Great Wolf Lodge Garden Grove offers visitors to Southern California another option for a family vacation. It’s really an interesting family destination, and close to other resorts including Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland. Great Wolf Lodge has a relaxed, family-feel with everything under one roof.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

Follow her on Twitter

Cars Land Adds Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters

Posted on February 26, 2016August 12, 2025 by Francine Brokaw

Disneyland Resort is always growing. The newest attraction is at California Adventure where Luigi’s family has come to California from Italy to share in the fun. Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters replaces the old attraction that was, well, not very popular. You remember Luigi’s Flying Tires? It was fun but not exciting or memorable. Well, Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters promises to be more entertaining and enjoyable.

When you get to Cars Land, head to the back to the Casa della Tires. There, guests ride in miniature Italian roadsters as the singing cars dance and move across the floor. “Here at Luigi’s, the roadsters seem to have a mind of their own” said Kevin Rafferty, Executive Creative Director of Walt Disney Imagineering. He explained that each car has his – or her – own signature move so when guests ride in different cars, they will get a different experience.

Each car has his – or her – own name and personality. And they each look different. They are definitely unique, and Luigi is happy to have his cousins in Cars Land to help entertain guests in the park.

Here are some facts about Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters:

It is the first Disney attraction in the United States with a trackless ride system. That means the cars are free to dance around at their pleasure.

The cars will spin, turn, and glide across the floor and can even interact with each other.

The “dance floor” is 125 feet long and 70 feet wide, which is large enough to give these mini-roadsters enough room to strut their stuff.

Some of the cars sing. Luigi sings “Rollicking Night and Day,” cousin Rosetta sings “Mambo Italiano,” cousin Lou sings “Eh, Cumpari,” and Luigi calls out periodically with his own additions to the repertoire.

There are fun things to see while you’re in Luigi’s territory. The attraction adds some extra fun and whimsy to Cars Land. The entrance to Cars Land has Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, where the little tractors spin and sing, and now at the end of the street Luigi’s cousins have their own fun dancing and singing. Cars Land is definitely expanding and adding more cares with personality and even musical abilities!

Get your groove thing on with Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters. The fun opens to the public March 7, 2016.

Click here to check out the fun with Luigi and his cousins!

About the Author

Follow her on Twitter

Disneyland Resort Spring and Summer 2016

Posted on February 3, 2016August 12, 2025 by Francine Brokaw

What’s in store at the Disneyland Resort as the weather warms up? Plenty. The Diamond Celebration continues at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

In Disneyland, Super Hero HQ is the place to find out more about several Super Heroes and meet them in person.

Chewbacca and other Star Wars characters visit the Star Wars Launch Bay, which has a Star Wars – themed cantina and replicas from the film. And speaking of Star Wars, Space Mountain has been transformed into Hyperspace Mountain with a new soundtrack, putting guests right into an X-Wing battle.

Even more Star Wars fun is waiting for guests at ‘Star Tours – The Adventures Continue” with a journey aboard a Starspeeder 1000. And a short film, “Star Wars: Path of the Jedi,” shows several iconic scenes from the films with a new perspective. A reimagining of the “Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple” interactive show is hosted by Darth Vader.

The theme park is under construction for the new Star Wars land. While the Disneyland Railroad is currently closed (temporarily), there are other limited time experiences aboard the Columbia and Mark Twain Riverboat throughout the year, and the train stations host some interesting exhibits.

The “Paint the Night” parade is the updated “Main Street Electrical Parade” that was popular for so many years. This new – and bright – experience will continue through September 5, 2016, as will the amazing “Disneyland Forever” fireworks spectacular. This is worth the ticket to the park. It’s the most remarkable, inventive, and immersive display ever, with surprising projections in several locations in the park as the music plays and the fireworks erupt.

Disney California Adventure just celebrated its 15^th anniversary. Yes, this park has been around for 15 years and has experienced some major changes throughout those years, including the addition of Cars Land, which is now the home of Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters. Guests will ride in 1950s style micro cars as they dance and move along to the music. Each car has its own special routine, so each experience is different.

A new musical based on the film Frozen, brings a live adaptation of the story to guests, with production numbers and all the fun of the movie. The production will premier in late Spring and play at the Hyperion Theater.

“World of Color – Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney” continues to dazzle guests with spectacular lasers, colorful fountains, and the story and history of Walt Disney.

Dining in the two parks as been ramped up with themed food and new offerings. Plus the Disney characters join guests for several meals including the “Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park” at Plaza Inn in Disneyland and the Disney Princesses dine at Ariel’s Grotto in Disney California Adventure.

Southern California Residents get a treat with special pricing through May 19, 2016. For details, visit https://Disneyland.com/flex.

Disneyland is always changing. It is limited only in imagination, and let’s face it, the imaginations of the folks at Disney never fail to come up with new and exciting experiences. Marilyn Monroe sang, “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” But girls aren’t the only ones who are enjoying this Diamond Celebration. And according to James Bond, “Diamonds are Forever.” But the Diamond Celebration is not. Enjoy 2016 at Disneyland Resort this spring and summer with all the fun and new experiences, and the limited run of the spectacular night shows.

About the Author

Follow her on Twitter