Review: Great Wolf Lodge Manteca, After My Visit With 3 Kids

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have kids, you’ve definitely heard of Great Wolf Lodge. 

This Bay Area resort and indoor waterpark is, in the words of my six-year-old son, “kid paradise”–there’s a massive room filled with waterslides and other water features, as well as mini golf, a ropes course, an arcade, bowling, kid-friendly food, and much else.

My wife and I visited Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca, California with our three young boys (ages 6, 3, and 2) in November of 2023. Our oldest son had already heard all about Great Wolf Lodge from his friends–it’s definitely well-known among Bay Area kids!

We spent 3 days and 2 nights at Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca, California. Here’s my review, based on our family’s experience.

First, a bit about me. I’m a professional food and travel photographer and writer. My work appears in publications including People Magazine, Time Magazine, the New York Times, and many more. I’ve visited a lot of hotels around the world–both with and without kids–so I can give you all the details.

Check prices and deals for Great Wolf Lodge Manteca by clicking here.

Great Wolf Lodge Manteca Basics

Great Wolf Lodge is a massive, family-friendly resort hotel located in Manteca, California. Manteca is a fast-growing town just South of Stockton. You’ve probably driven past it if you’ve taken the 5 down to Los Angeles.

The cool thing about Great Wolf Lodge is that it’s almost entirely indoors. We visited in November, and despite stormy, 40-degree weather outdoors, we could enjoy a multi-day waterpark vacation, mini golf, a ropes course, and tons of other things, all under one roof.

The other big advantage of Great Wolf Lodge is its location. Manteca is about a 1-hour drive from my home in the East Bay, and probably about 70-90 minutes from San Francisco. That makes it an easy destination for a staycation, or even a day trip.

Great Wolf Lodge has locations all over the country, but their Bay Area resort is brand new. It opened in June of 2021, which means everything from the rooms, to the waterpark, to the activities are in great shape and are only a few years old.

The remote location keeps prices relatively low. Depending on the time of year, you can get a suite for under $100 per night. That said, you’ll definitely end up spending more, since the food, many of the activities, etc. are extra. Still, if you wanted to just come for the waterpark and brought your own food–as I saw several families doing during our visit–you could make a super affordable trip of it.

In this review, I’ll go into tons of detail about the rooms, food, waterpark, and other activities at the resort. I’ll also share tons of photos and videos, so you can get a sense for what it’s really like.

Just a quick note: Great Wolf Lodge hosted us for our stay so we could test and photograph the resort, which means they comped our room and a few basic activities (thanks guys!). The Bay Area Telegraph paid for food, incidentals, and entertainment out of our own funds.

Check prices and deals for Great Wolf Lodge Manteca by clicking here.

The Room

Great Wolf Lodge Manteca is a family-friendly resort. That means the rooms are set up to accommodate families traveling with children. Most of them are suite-style. Some are designed to accommodate really big families, with space to sleep up to 13 people!

• The Basic Suite sleeps 4-6 people, with two queen beds and a pullout sofa
• The Kid Cabin and Wolf Den suites include a super-cool themed section for the kids (more on that below). The Kid Cabin suites sleep 6-7, and the Wolf Den sleeps 4-6.
• The Deluxe Suites are much bigger, with two private bedrooms in rooms like the Grizzly Bear suite. These are the best choice for larger extended families traveling together. You get space for the kids, but also a room where the grandparents can close the door! These large suites sleep 8-13 people.

With our family of 5 (two adults and three little boys), we opted for the Kid Cabin suite.

Our room was comfy and large. One really nice thing about Manteca, if you’re used to tiny San Francisco rooms, is the fact that there’s plenty of space! Our suite was about 400 square feet–nearly double the size of many SF hotel rooms.

Walking in, there was a bathroom on the left with a bathtub (a necessity for traveling with little kids!), and a sink area that was part of the main suite. The separate sink area was useful, since it means one family member can shower while others brush their teeth and get ready.

There was a small, open closet area by the door, and then on the left of the room, the Kids Cabin! We’ll get into that below, but it’s basically a giant, themed fort within the room, with a bunk bed and another bed, so all three kids could sleep in there.

Further into the room there was a queen bed and a pull-out sofa, as well as a small table with chairs. There was plenty of floor space for a Pack n Play, even with the sleeper sofa folded out. Thankfully we don’t travel with one of those anymore, but if we needed, we could have accommodated an infant.

The room had a refrigerator and TV, too. The rooms are nothing fancy, but they’re clean, new, and super kid-friendly.

Kids Cabin

One thing that makes GWL’s rooms so kid-friendly is their “Kids Cabin” sections. These are basically like super cool little forts built into the room itself.

The Kids Cabin in our room had pretend logs around the outside, giving it a log cabin feel. Inside, there was a bunk bed and a single bed. A big, playful mural on the wall featuring Great Wolf Lodge’s characters gives the space an extra-playful feel, and your kids get their own light for their section.

The Kids Cabin was great because it gave our kids their own little room within the room. The bunk bed felt secure and sturdy–my six year old had no problem sleeping on it and climbing up and down.

I don’t think the Kids Cabin rooms are essential–one of our kids didn’t want to sleep in it anyway–but they definitely add a nice touch of theming and fun for little ones.

The Water Park

Great Wolf Lodge’s water park is definitely the highlight of their Manteca location. Most people who told me about Great Wolf Lodge before we went called it a “giant indoor waterpark,” and the waterpark indeed takes up a space about as large as the entire rest of the hotel.

The waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge is amazing. It’s housed in a room that has to be 7 stories tall and covers 95,000 square feet. For comparison, you could fit 67 average San Francisco homes in its footprint. 

It’s on such a huge scale that I found it hard to even photograph. It’s one of the largest interior spaces I can recall standing in. And Great Wolf Lodge does a ton with all that space! There’s multiple waterslides, tube slides, a lazy river, a full wave pool, a toddler splash pad, food, and much else all housed within the space.

Great Wolf Lodge keeps the water heated to a balmy 84 degrees even in the depths of winter, which makes the entire waterpark space feel warm.

Water Slides

The waterpark at GWL Manteca has multiple waterslides–both tube slides and traditional slides. Several twisting slides start from Fort Mackenzie, a four-story treehouse that features water play elements like giant water cannons.

The slides at Fort Mackenzie are great for elementary or middle school aged kids. My 2 and 3 year olds were too small for them, but my six-year-old loved the slides. 

You climb the fort, wait in line (usually for 4-5 minutes in our experience), and then slide down these twisting, meandering body slides, which are called Totem Tower. They’re fast and fun but not too scary. And the ease of accessing them means you can go again and again.

The tube slides are also incredible, and offer a longer ride that’s also a bit faster. On Rapid Racer, you grab a two-person tube and carry it up the stairs to the top of the approximately six story slide. 

For Sequoia Splash and River Canyon Run, you climb stairs to the very top of the building, and then board a larger tube that can seat an entire family. This slide extends far out of the building itself (you can see it from the highway as you drive past the hotel), making for a much longer run with drops and other thrills.

The Sequoia Splash was my favorite of the tube slides. Wolf Tail is another popular slide, where you begin by standing in a little chamber that then releases you into what feels like a 2-story freefall. I was secretly glad that my son was too small to ride this one (it looked terrifying), but for teenagers this would be a super fun thrill-seeker’s ride.

Keep in mind that for some of the water slides, there are height and weight restrictions. The tube slides, for example, max out at 250 pounds, and they will weigh your entire family before you board. 

Your kid will also get a wristband when you enter the waterpark saying which slides they can go on.

Wave Pool

The wave pool, which is called Slap Tail Pond, is super fun as well. Again, it’s massive, taking advantage of the huge square footage of the waterpark. The entry to the pool is extremely shallow, and it tapers to about a 5 foot depth as you reach the far end. 

Kids can splash and play as if they’re at the beach. Periodically, a wave machine switches on and sends big waves crashing through the pool. They’re gentle and fun to play in, but little kids may want to leave when the waves start and then return when the approximately 5 minute cycle of waves ends.

Splash Pad and Whooping Hollow

The waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge would definitely work for kids up to their teens. But there’s also options for the littlest ones. The waterpark has a nice splash pad with water play features, called Cub Paw.

There are also several small slides for the youngest kids, called Whooping Hollow. Even my two-year-old was big enough to ride these, and it made him feel great to ride a real waterslide, just like his big brothers.

Other Waterpark Attractions

In addition to the slides and pools, the waterpark has a variety of other attractions. There’s a full lazy river that meanders around the base of the slides, called Crooked Creek. You grab a tube and float along in a gentle current. 

This is a great one for people who want to enjoy the water but don’t want the intensity of the slides.

Chinook Cove is a water playground with basketball hoops and other play elements. This one looked great for teenagers. In the summer, you can head outside to Racoon Lagoon, an outdoor addition to the waterpark. It was closed during our November visit, but looks like a fun place to enjoy some sunshine in the summer.

The waterpark has chairs you can grab throughout, but you can also reserve cabanas at various levels if you want a private space. I saw people using cabanas as a homebase to celebrate a birthday or other special occasion within the waterpark.

Towels and Equipment

One nice thing about the waterpark is that you don’t need to bring your own towels–you can check them out from a little booth near the entrance. Make sure to bring them back, though! Great Wolf Lodge tracks how many you take, and there’s a $15 charge for any that you don’t return.

If you forget a bathing suit, goggles, or other essentials, you can buy them from Paddle Bay Outfitters right outside the waterpark entrance.

A Note on Safety

Given all the thrills, climbing, etc. that happens in the waterpark, safety is important. Bigger kids can run around on their own, but you need to supervise little ones under 14. Great Wolf Lodge has detailed safety rules that are important to review with your kids before entering.

For non-swimmers, the waterpark offers free USCG life jackets. These are great because they allow even the littlest kids to float securely in the wave pool and other attractions.

I also want to call special attention to Great Wolf Lodge’s lifeguard team. The lifeguards are super diligent and seem extremely well-trained and managed. At the wave pool, I saw multiple lifeguards stationed at different points in the pool, constantly scanning for anyone needing help.

To keep their skills sharp, a manager periodically throws a practice dummy into the water without prior notice. I observed a lifeguard, Pyro, dive into the pool, rapidly swim over, and “save” the dummy in just a few seconds. It was awesome and his speed and diligence inspired a lot of confidence in the lifeguard team!

You still need to supervise your kids, of course. But it was nice to know that there’s a solid system in place to help keep the “pack” safe.

Other Things to Do at Great Wolf Lodge Manteca

While the waterpark feels like one of Great Wolf Lodge’s core attractions, there’s a ton of other things to do there.

Magiquest

Beyond the waterpark, Magiquest was probably my kids’ favorite thing to do at Great Wolf Lodge. I was skeptical that they would get much out of it, but it turned out to be amazing for them.

Magiquest is basically a real-life video game. You buy a special wand for your kid, and there are about 50 “runes” hidden around the hotel.

Your kid can wave their wand at each run, and it will do something interactive. Some runes light up, others move or make sound, and some have screens or special mirror effects.

The game is essentially a scavenger hunt. Your kids start at a screen that gives them a “quest”, with magical characters explaining what they need to find and why. They then run around the hotel, seeking out the specific runes they’ve been told to find. 

When they find one, they wave their wand at the rune to “collect” it. Once they’ve collected everything, they return to the video screen for their next quest. The wand system keeps track of what they’ve collected, and they level up, fight monsters, and otherwise progress through the game.

Each full quest takes about 30-45 minutes, and there are more quests than we were able to complete in a 3-day visit. For little kids who can’t quite follow the game itself, they can still run around waving their wand at runes, watching them light up, and collect “gold coins.”

My kids loved this. We spend hours running around completing quests. It was a great way to use the interior space of the hotel, and also great exercise. I tracked one quest with my Fitbit, and found that I walked about 1.2 miles for every hour of playing Magiquest.

Your kids get to take their wands home, too, which makes for a great souvenir. And when you come back to Great Wolf Lodge, they can restart their quest right where they left off.

10 Paw Alley Bowling

• Experience: Ten Paw Alley offers a unique mini-bowling experience that is perfect for families. The lanes are shorter, and the balls are lighter, making it accessible and enjoyable for kids of all ages.
• Atmosphere: The area is decorated in a fun, whimsical style that aligns with the Great Wolf Lodge theme, creating an engaging environment for both kids and adults.

Ropes Course

• Challenge and Fun: The ropes course at Great Wolf Lodge provides an adventurous and thrilling experience. It’s designed to cater to various skill levels, ensuring that everyone from beginners to experienced climbers can enjoy it.
• Safety First: Safety is a priority, with harnesses and a briefing session provided to ensure everyone feels secure and confident as they navigate the course.

The ropes course proved a little too scary for my six-year-old, but we did make it up to the course itself before deciding that discretion is the better part of valor and making our way back down.

Arcade

Great Wolf Lodge has a full arcade. It opens before other attractions and stays open late, which makes it a nice play to hang out during downtime.

• Wide Range of Games: The arcade is filled with a variety of games, from classic arcade machines to the latest interactive virtual reality games, providing entertainment for all ages.
• Prizes and Rewards: Playing games earns tickets that can be exchanged for prizes, adding an extra layer of excitement to the arcade experience.

Mini Golf

Under the ropes course–and still fully indoors, is a nice, small mini golf course.

• Themed Course: The mini-golf course is creatively themed, integrating elements of the Great Wolf Lodge’s atmosphere, making it an immersive experience.
• Family Friendly: It’s designed to be enjoyable for all ages, ensuring that even the youngest family members can participate and have fun.

Build a Bear Workshop

• Customization and Creativity: The Build a Bear Workshop allows kids to create and customize their own stuffed animals, offering a creative and personal experience.
• Memorable Souvenir: The stuffed animal serves as a unique and memorable souvenir from their time at Great Wolf Lodge.
• Engaging Process: The process of choosing, stuffing, and dressing their bear is interactive and engaging, making it a cherished activity for children.

Food and Dining at Great Wolf Lodge Manteca

Adults be warned–the food at Great Wolf Lodge skews towards kid-friendly items like pizza, chicken nuggets, and fries. But there is one restaurant–Barnwood–that serves some seriously good “big people” food.

Casual Dining

Campfire Kitchen is a rustic buffet-style restaurant that is the perfect place to fuel up for a day of water park thrills. With its wood-fired pizza oven, carving station, and salad bar, Campfire Kitchen is the main breakfast place at Great Wolf Lodge.

Sometimes, you just need a quick bite to keep the fun going. Hungry As A Wolf and Buckets are your go-to for grab-and-go goodness. Think hot dogs, burgers, chicken tenders, and fries at Buckets, and pizza/pasta at Hungry as a wolf.

Make sure to order well ahead–my order took about 30 minutes during the busy lunch time. There’s a limited selection of wines for the adults!

Freshwoods Market is another quick option. They have sundries, drinks and breakfast items like cereal that you can take back to your room.

Barnwood

Barnwood is Great Wolf Lodge’s fine dining restaurant. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting too much from a fine dining place at such a kid-oriented resort. 

But Barnwood was excellent! They serve Bay Area style farm-to-table food in a rustic, farmyard-chic setting. I got the BBQ ribs, which were tender and well-prepared, and they had a giant pretzel which was one of the best pretzels I’ve ever had.

Barnwood also has creative cocktails and fun, colorful drinks for the kids. Try their blue raspberry lemonade–it’s just as festive as the mocktails, but much less pricey. 

I liked that Barnwood felt like an upscale place to eat, but it was still super family friendly. I’ve been kicked out of enough anti-kid Bay Area restaurants to appreciate nice places that also totally cater to families (shoutout to Larson Family Winery on that front, BTW).

Barnwood would also make a great place for a date night if you’re traveling with older kids who can stay in the room by themselves, or if you’re grandparents to babysit. Make sure to make a reservation in advance at Barnwood, though–on our visit, it had filled up on the first night.

Snacks! Sweets! Candy!

In addition to the restaurants at Great Wolf Lodge, there are also several options for sweets and snacks. We joked that at Great Wolf Lodge, every kid gets a bucket of candy before bedtime!

The Lodge has a candy shop, as well as an ice cream parlor. There’s also a Dunkin Donuts where you can get donuts and your morning coffee.

Other Helpful Info

Here are some other tips RE visiting Great Wolf Lodge. 

If you want to bring your own food, that’s totally fine. There’s a fridge in the room, and microwaves in the common areas on each floor. There’s no kitchen or stove in the rooms themselves.

There’s a Costco right next door, and I saw a lot of families bringing food from there. Just be aware that you can’t take food into the waterpark.

In the lobby area, GWL has lots of kids activities including interactive storytelling, yoga in the morning, and more. That’s all included in your stay. There’s also a little play house for younger kids in the back of the Build a Bear workshop.

Great Wolf Lodge also has a gift shop near the front of the hotel. You can get wolf ears to wear around, which our kids loved.

Parking

Parking at Great Wolf Lodge is free! You can upgrade and pay for closer parking if you want. I’d like to see some EV chargers, but I can’t argue with free.

There are no porters at GWL, but they do provide free luggage carts that you can use to bring your stuff to the room.

Activity Passes

GWL sells multiple activity passes that provide discounts on activities. We tried the Pup Pass and Paw Pass. They include things like Magiquest, discounts at stores around the resort, arcade credit, candy, and more.

The passes can be a good deal if you’re planning to do all the listed activities. Keep in mind that activities like the ropes course, mini golf and bowling cost extra. The waterpark is always included.

Customer Service

Many Great Wolf Lodge reservations are non-refundable, but they do offer a $39 option that lets you cancel or change your reservation with more flexibility.

I’m always skeptical of these offers, so the Bay Area Telegraph booked a reservation with the $39 cancellation option, and then contacted customer service to cancel it a few days later.

The customer service chat went smoothly and the reservation was canceled and refunded, less the $39 charge. It was an easy process, and customer service from Great Wolf Lodge seemed excellent.

I’d recommend buying the $39 cancellation option if it’s offered, as it’s cheaper than travel insurance and would come in handy if your plans change.

We also texted with customer service via the Great Wolf Lodge app while we were at the property, and they typically responded within 3-5 minutes.

Getting There

Driving to Great Wolf Lodge is super easy. The hotel is right off the highway, and Manteca, California is rarely busy. The Manteca property is also called Great Wolf Lodge San Francisco because it’s easily accessible from around the Bay Area.

Here are typical drive times to Great Wolf Lodge.

City	Distance (miles)	Drive time	Google Maps directions
San Francisco	73.6	1 hour 16 mins	Directions
San Jose	70.8	1 hour 11 mins	Directions
Oakland	64.6	1 hour 5 mins	Directions
Sacramento	61.2	1 hour 6 mins	Directions
Fresno	114	1 hour 51 mins	Directions

How to Book

You can book directly through Great Wolf Lodge. 

You can also check for deals or discounts and make your reservation on Booking.com.

Conclusion

My six-year-old described Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca as “kid paradise,” and that’s about right. Between a giant indoor waterpark, kid-friendly dining, mini golf, bowling, arcade games and buckets of candy, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more kid-friendly destination.

As a parent, I loved that Great Wolf Lodge was self-contained and indoors. It was super easy to book a stay and know that everything we wanted to do was under one roof. 

It was also the perfect destination for a rainy, cold Bay Area winter. Splashing in a bathing suit in 84-degree water with the kids while it was 43 and stormy outside was a joy.

Great Wolf Lodge doesn’t have as much for adults as other family destinations, like Disneyland or the San Diego Zoo. Still, places like Barnwood provide parent-friendly dining, and just being there with the “pack” is a really fun experience, even if you probably won’t be buying yourself that bucket of candy (right? right??).

If you’re looking for an easy, fun, family adventure that’s close to the Bay Area–especially for a larger family or during chilly weather–Great Wolf Lodge Manteca is a fantastic place to go.

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