Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg

The Great Wolf Lodge, Williamsburg, is a log-sided Northwood's-style resort, tucked in a forest of towering pines, just three miles from Colonial Williamsburg. The property opened in March 2005, and in less than a year earned TripAdvisor's 2005 Travelers' Choice Award, ranking first in the category of "Top 10 Best Pools in the U.S."

The lodge did so well that 104 new suites were added in 2007 (for a total of 405). Howlin' Tornado, a super-fast water slide with a funnel was added in 2006 and is one of the amenities that differentiates Great Wolf's Williamsburg property form its Poconos Mountains location.

The Williamsburg resort is owned and managed by Great Wolf Resorts, Inc., the largest owner, operator and developer in the United States of indoor water park resorts. The company currently has 12 properties in the U.S. and Canada that cater to families with children ranging in age from 2 to 14. And cater to them they do. A few steps in to lobby, with its massive stone fireplace, comfy chairs, and staging area with faux animals and trees with faces, and our boys could barely stand in line long enough to check-in. Friends joined us for the weekend's stay, and the five children between us (ranging in age from 6 to 11) were begging to explore.