Kansas Trip Part I - Great Wolf Lodge

Hello! We're back from Kansas, unpacked, and settled into our regularly scheduled routine. Although I'm drowning in work catch-up, I'm checking-in today to start recapping our trip. We had a FANTASTIC time and a lot of fun memories to share.

This was Ivy's first trip to Kansas in the summertime and Kip hasn't been since 2019. Dan and I realized this is the first time we've traveled without diapers or a stroller. Totally different ball game!

The kids did great on the flight and Grandma picked us up from the airport in a rental mini van we had for few days. I am now in love with the Toyota Sienna and I want one bad. 

Anyways, we went to Fritz's for lunch which was a super cute and fun little diner place where you order on a telephone and they deliver your food via a model train on a track suspended from the ceiling! It was SO FUN and the food was great.

After lunch we checked-in to our room at Great Wolf Lodge!!

I've been curious about taking the kids to GWL for awhile and since there is one conveniently located in Kansas City, we made an event of it and booked a room for the night and two days. We immediately hit the water park. I didn't get pictures the first day since I left my phone in the room but Kip and I tried the tube slide first and then he and Dan rode them over and over. Ivy got brave and discovered she loved the little kiddie water slides. Grandma and I took turns catching Ivy from the slides and helping her jump into the pool. After an hour or so at the water park we got changed, walked around the hotel, and then hit the arcade.

After the arcade we redeemed our wands for the MagiQuest game and tried that out for a bit. There were different challenges and interactive features all over the hotel.

 

Kip was immediately hooked on the quest so he and Dan took off running around doing that while Grandma and I took Ivy to the little Build a Bear and craft time. Despite the fact that the Kansas area is back in school (and it was the middle of the week), the hotel was much more crowded than we expected but overall it was a fun family friendly environment.

Gotta love a country sunset.

We all slept pretty well but the kids got us up bright and early. Unfortunately, nothing was open until 9 AM so we drove to McDonald's to get breakfast and burned time in the hotel room until Dan and Kip could get back to their quests.

Kip was intent on defeating the Red Dragon and awarded the title of Master Magi in a little ceremony later that morning.

He is ticked off in this photo because they dotted the "i" in his name with a star and that's just not okay with him. Sheesh.

We also hit the gift shop, did mini golf, and got pictures with another character.

Then we headed back to the water park for more slides. I managed a few photos this time.

Ivy skinned her knee on one of the rides down and after that she was pretty much done. So we got lunch, changed, packed-up the car, and then went back to the arcade to play a few more games and cash-in all our tickets for some prizes.

We all had a great time and Kip has talked about the MagiQuest every single day since. Going to a place like this was totally new for us and I think we all had fun. I'm really glad Grandma got to come with us as well.