Great Wolf Lodge sets opening date for Florida indoor water park
By Devonta Davis
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Feb 22, 2024

Great Wolf Lodge has announced its big splash on the Sunshine State scene with the launch of its first Florida indoor water park resort later this year.

The $250 million resort is expected to bring more than 600 jobs to the area with 500 themed suites, a 92,000-square-foot indoor water park and 62,000 square feet of family friendly attractions and restaurants, as well as a convention center and other amenities.

The water park’s centerpiece attraction is Otter Cave Waterworks, a multilevel, interactive water play structure intertwined with “leaking” water pipes, spray jets, four twisting body slides and Great Wolf Lodge’s signature, 1,000-gallon tipping bucket.

The Naples location, south of the Tampa Bay area, is scheduled to open in early fall on Sept. 25, barring any construction issues.

“Anything can happen with construction, but we feel strongly about that date being open and welcoming our first families,” said Jason Bays, general manager of Great Wolf Lodge South Florida, in a statement.

Some highlights of the water park include:

Breakaway Bay: A family raft adventure accommodating up to five riders. Riders accelerate before dropping into a “tornado” where they slosh up one side and down another before exiting into a 360-degree loop.

High Paw Holler: A body slide filled where riders surge through enclosed flumes, race along the outer wall of open-air saucers, and experience a few more twists and turns before splashing into a water-filled runout.

Rapid Racer: Riders can race side-by-side down a course featuring drops, chutes and serpentine curves.

River Canyon Run: A family raft ride that sends up to five riders on a whitewater adventure down one of the park’s longest slides.

A year before the resort broke ground in July 2022, the Collier County Commission approved a $15 million economic development agreement with Great Wolf Resorts.