Great Wolf Lodge preparing for grand opening in Collier County

Reporter: Michelle Alvarez
Published: Updated:
Great wolf lodge
Great Wolf Lodge construction. CREDIT: WINK News

A brand new family-focused indoor water park resort just hit a big construction milestone. The Great Wolf Lodge is approaching its grand opening.

Great Wolf Lodge South Florida announced on Wednesday they will be done by Oct. 1, 2024. Lots of work is still to be done but if you want to be among the first to see the finished product, you need to make your reservations very soon.

The resort will feature a 90,000-square-foot indoor water park and a 60,000-square-foot adventure park. 500 family-friendly guest suites and numerous eateries and retail outlets.

“It’s about families coming together here,” said Steve Jacobsen, the vice president of development for the Great Wolf Lodge.

The resort will be on 20 acres of land. It’s on the eastern edge of Collier County right next to the Paradise Coast Sports Complex.

A ‘topping off’ ceremony took place Wednesday, and people got to sign a piece of the final building material before it was put into place. Although, when the work is done, will Great Wolf Lodge have enough staff to satisfy worldwide visitors?

“The goal is to work with the local workforce programs,” said Jacobsen “What is a training pro we could do to bring new people into the market? Or people that were doing something else and go wait a minute, I can get trained, and I can get that relatively inexpensively train? I can get a job or a part-time job.”

Ben Wilson, the chief operating officer at Suffolk Contracting explained that locals want to go to the Great Wolf Lodge resort.

“I can tell you that there is no offering in Florida that currently matches what this is going to bring to the community. You know, it’s not hard to say on (a) 110-degree day that there is an incredible market here for an indoor waterpark,” said Wilson.

Overall tourism numbers are down in Southwest Florida, but Great Wolf Lodge plans to market itself to locals as well as visitors.

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