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Splash Down! Great Wolf Lodge Officially Opens in Manteca

The iconic family indoor water park resort offers a carefree escape filled with adventure and fun

June 29, 2021

For all the photos from our day in the water park, head over to https://www.instagram.com/mackidlodi/ (the new official Instagram page for Macaroni Kid Lodi... so make sure you FOLLOW too!)


MANTECA, CALIF. – (June 29, 2021) – Families across Northern California will have something fun to howl about this summer as Great Wolf Resorts, Inc., North America’s largest family of indoor water park resorts, officially opened their newest lodge: Great Wolf Lodge Northern California in Manteca, Calif.


Great Wolf Lodge Northern California is the family-friendly brand of indoor water park resorts’ 19th lodge in North America, and its location in Manteca provides a close, convenient, and fun-filled getaway for families across the Bay Area, Central Valley, and many other Northern California communities

“The highly anticipated opening of our resort provides families with the opportunity to venture out and get back to having fun,” said Murray Hennessy, chief executive officer for Great Wolf Resorts. “Our resort was purpose-built for families and brings a new level of immersive entertainment to Northern California, while also stimulating the local economy with hundreds of new jobs and bringing an influx of new visitors to the area.  We appreciate the support of the community, as well as our shareholders, Blackstone and Centerbridge Partners, in helping to make this resort a reality.”

The 500-room lodge boasts an expansive 95,000-square-foot indoor water park heated to a comfortable 84 degrees year-round with water slides, raft rides, pools and water-play areas for families with children of every age. Aside from the water park, guests can also discover the 45,000-square-foot Great Wolf Adventure Park with an array of indoor attractions including a ropes course, miniature golf, arcade, and a high-tech, newly imagined version of the brand’s exclusive MagiQuest interactive adventure game. The resort also features a number of eateries that range from elevated dining to sweet ice cream treats, spacious and well-appointed guest suites, as well as a massive outdoor resort-style pool to relax and soak up the California sunshine.

To celebrate the grand opening, Hennessy invited Jennifer Stolo, president and CEO of the Northeastern & Central California and Northern Nevada chapter of Make-A-Wish, to test all the slides in the water park.  Great Wolf Lodge agreed to grant $1,500 for each slide Stolo experienced, resulting in a $25,000 donation to help support Make-A-Wish’s mission to grant life-changing wishes to children battling critical illnesses.

“We’re proud to be a national Make-A-Wish partner,” shared Hennessy. “Our purpose is to bring joy to families, and we’re thrilled to support an organization like Make-A-Wish that brings memorable, life-changing wishes to very special children and their families.”  



Great Wolf Lodge Northern California is a year-round family destination filled with attractions and amenities for all ages. The lodge offers an exceptional value for families with admission to the water park and much of the family entertainment activities in the Grand Lobby included as part of the guest stay. Highlights include:


  • A 95,000-square-foot indoor waterpark, heated to a comfortable 84 degrees and featuring a variety of body slides, tube slides, raft rides, the Crooked Creek (lazy river), Slap Tail Pond (wave pool) and Fort Mackenzie, Great Wolf Lodge’s signature, multi-level water play structure with a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket! Making its Great Wolf Lodge debut is Sequoia Splash, a multi-person raft slide that starts by sending riders down a steep drop into a giant funnel, where the raft's momentum sends it careening up one side of the funnel to the next.

  • A 45,000-square-foot family entertainment center known as the Great Wolf Adventure Park.  Here, families can scale new heights on a multi-level ropes course, play a round of miniature golf, compete for prizes at the arcade, or bowl a strike at Ten Paw Alley.

  • The fantasy world of MagiQuest – Great Wolf Lodge’s exclusive live-action adventure game – encourages players to use an interactive magic wand to uncover relics and runes needed to complete a quest.  This all-new, completely reimagined version of the game includes a new storyline, updated gameplay, graphics and music, along with new characters to meet and new enemies to battle.  

  • An animated storytelling experience in the lobby called the Northwoods Friends Show, which offers interactive fun for the whole family by inviting everyone to clap and sing along while projection-mapping technology visually immerses guests into the world of the Great Wolf Lodge characters.

  • A collection of complimentary family events and activities including Yoga Tails, a program that combines tales of the Northwoods creatures with yoga poses, and Great Wolf Lodge’s signature Story Time event, where children gather around for a bedtime tale and an end-of-night meet-and-greet with one of the Great Wolf Lodge characters.

  • Nine dining options, including a collection of eateries inside the Great Wolf Adventure Park, a Dunkin’, and an ice cream parlor called the Wood’s End Creamery. The resort also features Barnwood, a full-service elevated dining experience with a delectable array of dishes and variety of craft cocktails.

  • Family friendly suites in a variety of categories and styles including themed suites featuring separate sleeping quarters for kids complete with bunk beds and Great Wolf Kids character theming, as well as multiple bedroom suites that can sleep up to 13 guests for large families or multi-generational groups. 


Great Wolf Lodge Northern California is located off Highway 120 west of the Interstate 5 interchange in Manteca with room rates starting at $199 per night. The lodge opens with elements from the company’s Paw Pledge program, a health and safety initiative that focuses on keeping families healthy and safe.


In celebration of the official grand opening, Great Wolf Lodge Northern California is offering a special promotion deal of up to a 30 percent discount off standard room rates.  To get this offer, use promotional code “NOWOPEN” (one word) and book before July 2 for a stay before December 16, 2021. Post Labor Day room rates with this discount code start as low as $139.99 per night.


To make a reservation, please visit www.greatwolf.com/northern-california. For more information about Great Wolf Resorts or the Paw Pledge health and safety initiative, please visit www.greatwolf.com.