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FAMILY FUN WHAT WINTER?

March 3, 2007 12:35 am

BY KATHERINE SHAPLEIGH

WILLIAMSBURG

I sneak up to the first school just before the buses--like a wolf, you might say--and request the presence of my 9-year-old.

Hannah is surprised to see me--and even more surprised to see my co-conspirator, her grandmother. Nannie is outside in the car, beaming.

My 16-month-old niece, Jenna, is too young to conspire. But she knows the sun is shining on this winter afternoon and the snacks are plentiful, so she is smiling, too.

Next stop, big sister's school. Same reaction.

Confession time.

"Girls, we're taking you to Great Wolf Lodge."

We are dodging drudgery and frost by escaping to the great North Woods--right nearby in Williamsburg.

LET'S GO CAMPING

About an hour and a half later, we pull off Interstate 64 and wind our way to the imposing chalet-style resort we've previously only gazed at on our way to and from the beach.

We're so anxious to explore that we drive around the property, "ooing" and "aahhing" over the sprawling grounds and the bright water-park tubes that are visible out back.

We pull to the front and I step inside. I'm in a true "great room" with a three-story stone fireplace, elk-antler chandeliers and hand-hewn log furniture.

The check-in desk is housed in a hunting-and-fishing shack facade.

Customer service is first-rate--the whole place, in fact, reminds me of a Disney property.

Someone whisks our bags to our room as we park, then gives us a quick introduction.

The kids can't get into their bathing suits fast enough.

It's oddly liberating to be wearing a bathing suit in the middle of winter. Luckily, it's a weekday, so there aren't many people around to witness that liberation.

We pad down the halls in our flip-flops to the 55,000-square-foot indoor water park. Four-story interactive tree-house water fort with 1,000 gallon tipping bucket? Check. Adult and family whirlpools? Check. Wave pool and lazy river? Check. Ditto for the eight water slides--including two three-story body slides.

My girls get right to business while my mother and I dip Jenna's toes in the water in the baby area.

We order snack pizza and drinks from the poolside snack shop, but the kids barely pause. They don't question their luck at finding themselves in this warm-weather playground, where temperatures never fall out of the 80s.

It's an opportunity that keeps the place packed with visitors. Plan ahead, especially for those all-important weekend slots.

We grab dinner in Camp Critter Bar & Grille. Outside, in the lobby, children gather around the hearth in pajamas for stories.

Inside the Grille, our booth features its own tent canopy and hanging lantern--how cute is that?

Our food is OK, but we're entertained by the attention to detail. Offerings including "Bears in the Mud," a chocolate milkshake with bear-shaped Teddy Grahams crackers kicking back on top. This place has mastered the special touches.

After dinner, I head to the resort's third and fourth floors with the older girls to try something really different.

We outfit them with $14.99 magic wands, so they can play the new interactive game, MagiQuest.

Sessions are $9.99, and last for days. The wands can be reactivated on future visits.

The wands allow players to become real Harry Potters, choosing a quest, and setting out to perform feats. They open treasure chests, make pictures light up, make creatures talk.

Participants get a workout following clues--"to seek out the armor, the stairs you must climb then turn quickly to look and you'll find him in time"--to the Whispery Woods, Piney Path, Enchanted Forest and beyond.

Before long, I am exhausted, and so are the kids.

We settle in for the night in our Wolf Den Suite, where even the privacy sign is adorable: "Privacy, please, cubs in hibernation."

There's an enclosed set of bunk beds, along with a queen bed and a sofa bed. Big and little bears romp on the couch fabric. Details.

In the morning, we hit the Northern Lights Arcade and grab coffee and breakfast in the cozy Bear Claw Cafe. We gaze longingly at the Aveda spa. Maybe another time.

We're sad when we have to step out of the cozy North Woods and into cold reality.

Katherine Shapleigh: 540/364-5461
Email: kshapleigh@freelancestar.com