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The Great Wolf Lodge is a family of indoor water parks with locations across the country. The park offers guests a chance to play and stay with their kids in an environment that’s all about family fun. They offer hotel rooms as well as suites which feature space for the whole clan. And don’t worry-if your little ones need some down time you can take them out for some spa treatments so they can relax and ready themselves for more adventures!

While there is not a Great Wolf Lodge in Tennessee yet, there are plans for one. Today we are going to look at the Great Wolf Lodge system of resorts and look into where the new one in Tennessee may be coming!

Image from Wikimedia Commons

What is Great Wolf Lodge?

Great Wolf Lodge is a chain of indoor water park resort locations. Offering family-friendly vacations at affordable prices, Great Wolf Lodge provides many thrilling water activities for all ages.

The largest attraction for most people is the indoor water park. Their water parks are simply out of this world! And since they are indoors, you can enjoy them all year long, which is a huge draw in the cooler months.

Each lodge features a unique design, so just because you’ve stayed at one doesn’t mean you’ve seen all this resort has to offer!

Here are some other things you can find at any Great Wolf Lodge location:

  • Rooms of all sizes to fit a variety of families from couples up to families with many children or families traveling with grandparents
  • Large indoor waterpark with slides and wave pool
  • Magiquest, an interactive adventure game
  • Scooops Kid Spa
  • Northern Lights Arcade
  • Nightly story time and lobby show
  • Activities such as a ropes course, bowling, mini golf
  • Entertaining events such as yoga, arts and crafts, dance parties, and more!

These vary by resort so be sure to check that the location you want has the amenities you are looking for – each resort is a totally unique experience!

Where Can I Find a Great Wolf Lodge?

The resort chain currently has 19 locations in North America, with 18 in the United States and 1 in Canada:

West

Anaheim, CA

Colorado Springs, CO

Grand Mound, WA

San Francisco, CA

Scottsdale, AZ

Atlanta, GA

Charlotte, NC

Grapevine, TX

Williamsburg, VA

Chicago, IL

Cincinnati, OH

Kansas City, KS

Minneapolis, MN

Sandusky, OH

Traverse City, MI

Wisconsin Dells, WI

Boston, MA

Pocono Mountains, PA

Niagra Falls, Ontario

You can read more about all Great Wolf Lodge locations here.

New Locations for Great Wolf Lodge

There is a Great Wolf Lodge currently under construction in the Baltimore, MD area, with grand opening planned for late 2023.

In October of 2021, news broke that the Great Wolf family was looking to add another location in the beautiful state of Tennessee, but now we are into 2023 without a ground breaking. But where will that be?

Great Wolf Lodge Pigeon Forge or Great Wolf Lodge Gatlinburg?

Even tough this is by far the most visited area of the Volunteer State, there are no plans to build Great Wolf resorts in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg.

There are so many other amazing things to do like downtown Gatlinburg, Cades Cove, Dollywood and all the other incredible action of the Great Smoky Mountains! Not to mention the amazing mountain views, hiking trails and other major attractions in the area.

The closest Great Wolf Resorts to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area would be the Great Wolf Lodge in either Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. So if you are in the Pigeon Forge area and want to try out a Great Wolf Lodge, check into one of these locations.

But, don’t fear! There are some resorts in the Great Smoky Mountains area if you are planning to visit where you can experience the same family fun with an indoor water park.

Indoor Water Parks in Pigeon Forge and Surrounding Areas

If you are headed to that area and want a similar experience to a Great Wolf Lodge resort, try these other resorts:

Wilderness at the Smokies

This water park resort offers both indoor and outdoor water parks, so there is always fun to be had regardless of weather. The indoor waterpark features many slides, a wave pool, kid’s area and surfing. You can also tan year-round with the see-through roof!

This is the closest to Great Wolf Lodge that I have seen in the area. It’s large with plenty of rooms and so much fun for all ages. We’ve been here several times and love it!

See more about Wilderness at the Smokies here

Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort

This resort features an indoor water park with several slides, a lazy river and a kid’s area. It’s not as large as the Wilderness, but it’s still fun.

This resort is in between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, so we like to come here to enjoy both towns.

Learn more about Westgate Smoky Mountains here

Resort at Governor’s Crossing

This resort has both an indoor and outdoor water park, an area called Firefly Grove with a playground, firepits, hammocks and more, and game rooms.

Search for a stay here:

Great Wolf Lodge Tennessee

The area that is almost finalized for the next Great Wolf Lodge is Jackson, TN! Jackson is located in West, TN a short drive from both Nashville and Memphis.

2023 UPDATE: There are still plans for a Great Wolf Lodge in Jackson, Tennessee, but plans have been pushed back until 2024. The company has stated that they are 100% committed to opening a lodge in Jackson. Read more about that here.

Here are some local news reports about the deal

Great Wolf Lodge, known for indoor water park, close to opening first Tennessee location

Great Wolf Lodge Coming to Tennessee

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So, whether you are wanting to visit one of the other locations until the one in Tennessee opens, or if you are looking for a family-friendly waterpart in the Pigeon Forge area, I hope this post has shed some light on what’s going on with Great Wolf Lodge Tennessee.

Commonly Asked Questions About Great Wolf Lodge

Does Tennessee have a Great Wolf Lodge?

At the end of 2021, no, there is no Great Wolf Lodge in Tennessee, but there are talks of building one in Jackson, TN. Jackson is on the western side of the state right about halfway between Nashville and Memphis (although a bit closer to the Memphis side).

Is Great Wolf Lodge coming to Jackson, TN?

According to local news reports there are plans in the works to build a Great Wolf Lodge in Jackson! This would be the first Tennessee location for this company. Ground breaking could begin as early as Spring 2022.

Why did Great Wolf Lodge close?

The Great Wolf Lodge system of resorts has only closed during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 as a precaution. There were no reported cases of Covid transmitted at any of the resorts, it was just a precaution as the resorts were following CDC guidelines.

How many locations of Great Wolf Lodge are there?

There are 19 locations, all in North America. Eighteen of these are in the United States and one is in Canada. There is currently (as of the end of 2021) one new resort under construction in the Baltimore, MD area and several under consideration, including the one in Jackson, TN.

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