Set on a bluff overlooking a field of bison, this resort feels nicely separated from the retail hub along Highway 31 south of Traverse City. This was the third Great Wolf Lodge in the United States with the total number now up to 11.

The Great Wolf Lodge nicely complements the area's concentration of lodging. While much of the lodging is along Lake Michigan and boasting of beaches, Great Wolf does fine without the sandy scenery. It instead focuses on indoor entertainment that makes this a favorite family getaway in any season of the year or weather.

Toddlers and preschoolers, in particular, will love donning pajamas for story hour with a singing clock and critters in the grand lobby. Each floor also features parts of the interactive MagiQuest game. There are so many school-age kids with wands bringing animals, paintings, faeries and dragons to life that it sometimes feels like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Older kids gather at the water parks, shops and the black-light arcade offering more than 100 games. It's a combination of activities that has made this chain a success across the country with 11 locations.

Highlights include a 39,000-square-foot water park with Howling Wolf, a three-person tube slide, four other slides and multiple ways to get wet. Additionally, there is an animated song and story hour each night in the lobby, MagiQuest (an interactive game with computerized wands to activate wizards), fairies and dragons, Scooops Spa for kids and Elements for grownups, family suites with wolf-dens, a room within a room that has woodsy-themed bunk beds and a TV, playful up-north decor, seasonal programming, crafts and kid-friendly dining.

Great Wolf also specializes in seasonal decor, whether it's holiday buffets, Halloween trick-or-treating or transforming the lobby into a Christmas village complete with snow.

Bottom line: Great Wolf offers a family-focused weatherproof vacation year-round and a welcome winter escape when cabin fever hits.

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