Great Wolf Still Wet Behind the Ears

Great Wolf Resorts was not the first to introduce the breakthrough concept of bringing water park fun indoors and marrying it to a hotel resort. But it was one of the early pioneers, and it has evolved into the biggest chain of indoor water park resorts. This spring, Great Wolf is celebrating its tenth anniversary and is running a "Brand Wolf Birthday" promotion in which it is taking $110 or more off one-night stays Thursdays through Sundays from May 10 to June 10. The chain includes nine resorts that are now open in the U.S. and Canada with two more under construction. With its explosive growth and booming popularity, it's hard to believe that the indoor water park industry began only a few years ago. Like many great ideas, it more or less started by accident. The owners of the Polynesian Resort in Wisconsin Dells wanted to shore up business in the late spring and added a small water park attraction to its indoor pool in late 1994. When visitors began jamming the resort throughout the winter and into the spring, the town's other hoteliers didn't take long to take the indoor water park plunge. The first Great Wolf opened in Wisconsin Dells in 1997. With 18 indoor water park resorts in the Dells, what used to be a summer-vacation haven is now a year-round destination haven.

More Great Wolf Lodge and water park info:

• Find Great Wolf Resorts
• Discover the many New Indoor Water Parks that have recently opened or will be opening soon.
• Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls Photo Gallery
• A (Very) Brief History of Wisconsin Dells and its Indoor Water Parks