Kids may howl with glee at Great Wolf Lodge

The sky was cloudy and the weather forecast included a chance of rain, but that didn’t stop Jackson Parkin of Anaheim from riding some waves on a boogie board on a recent weekend.

In land-locked Garden Grove, no less.

The boogie board ride is one of more than a dozen attractions at the always-84-degrees-Fahrenheit indoor water park at Great Wolf Lodge, a resort that opened down the street from Disneyland in February.

The resort, the 13th in the Great Wolf franchise and the first in California, features attractions for all ages.

“Great Wolf Lodge is all about family, spending time with your families and enjoying everything that families do,” said Phil Cunningham, general manager at Great Wolf Lodge Southern California, during a media event March 5. “We create family traditions one family at a time. Great Wolf Lodge is a total family experience.”

Arguably, the 105,000-square-foot waterpark is the resort’s main attraction. It’s the only element of the multi-faceted resort that is exclusive to hotel guests. A limited number of extra tickets per room for friends and family not staying at the hotel are available for $40 each.

The waterpark features multiple water slides — some geared toward kids and others toward adults — as well as a lazy river for floating and relaxing; a wave pool, which offers the occasional simulated wave to mimic the ocean; and the Fort Mackenzie play structure, a multistory, interactive treehouse with suspension bridges, swinging cargo nets and multiple water effects.

Cunningham said about 565,000 gallons of water gets recirculated daily in a special water filtration system in a nod to California’s persistent drought.

He said the company had been eyeing California as a resort location for years and began talking with Garden Grove city officials in 2009. He said it doesn’t aim to compete with Disneyland, which is less than a mile away in Anaheim.

“Southern California is a great area to be in,” he said. “This is a family mecca already. We believe we can be a great complement to this area with our unique offerings that we have.”

Indeed, the two may end up being allies more than adversaries. Great Wolf spokeswoman Kristen Olson said company officials are even considering offering special discounted Disneyland tickets in the future.

The Garden Grove lodge features a number of family attractions that are open to the public, including a motion theater, miniature golf, an arcade, a kids spa and a bowling alley.

In addition, the MagiQuest game sends players on a journey through six levels of the hotel to rescue a princess from a dragon. Participants can purchase wands that can be aimed at TV-like screens in order to access clues. Imagine a giant multi-room adventure that is part video game and part scavenger hunt.

The hotel also offers seven restaurants, including a pizza place, a bar and grill, a Dunkin Donuts and a sweets shop.

Chris Hammond, executive chef for the Great Wolf Resort franchise, said he aims to serve his customers tasty dishes.

He said all of the produce comes from local farms, and meats and other products are purchased from high-quality vendors.

Each restaurant also has gluten-free options and allergens like peanuts are taken into account. Many dishes can be accommodated to fit customer needs, he said.

“It’s important for us that we serve something real,” Hammond said. “We aim to have a balance between healthy eating and organic.”

Guests also have the option of seven types of rooms to stay in, with prices starting around $350.

While each room is its own unique experience, families with children are likely to favor the Wolf Den, a kids-themed room with a bunk bed, queen bed and full sofa sleeper. Company officials said children will have fun using the MagiQuest wands to control animatronics in the room.

Meanwhile, the Grizzly Bear and Grand Bear suites, which can accommodate up to eight guests, make them ideal for large families, company officials said. These suites feature at least one private bedroom, two bathrooms and multiple beds.

Lindsey Cruz of San Pablo and her daughter Laylani recently stayed at the resort for Laylani’s 8th birthday.

“One morning [Laylani] saw a commercial for this place and got really excited, so we decided to go,” Cruz said as she and the girl got strawberry-scented manicures while dressed in pink robes at the Scooops Kid Spa.

“It’s been really nice and a lot of fun. She can’t wait to go to the waterpark. This is just a really cool place.”