SANDUSKY, Ohio — Many people think of pumpkin picking, apple cider and taking annual family photos in front of changing leaves as staple fall activities.
But what about going to a water park?
At the Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, it doesn't matter what temperature it is outside, because it's always water park season inside.
The lobby allows visitors to experience the current outdoor atmosphere with their Howl-o-Ween celebration, filled with family fun activities.
Debbie Sichra visited the lodge with her family from North Royalton, Ohio, and said this fall season was the ideal time to make the trip.
"It was in the fall and you can't go swimming outdoors here," she said. "They had a good price going on and we thought, 'we've never been here before," so it'd be a good time to come."
Every day in October, the grand lobby will host Halloween-themed activities including Boo Bingo, storytime crafts, a monster bash dance party and a nightly trick-or-treat trail.
"At Great Wolf Lodge, we strengthen the pack," the Sandusky resort's entertainment manager, Matt Loehrke, said. "And we want the families pack to come here any time of the year. And any time of year is a special time, so we always want to make it as special as possible. Because, unfortunately, we can't decorate the water park, and so we want to make the lodge as spectacular as possible so that any season that families come they can enjoy it just as much as the water park."
Every Halloween, each Great Wolf Lodge department, referred to internally as "packs," holds a pumpkin carving contest that you can vote on for the winner.
Along with its seasonal celebration, the Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky is also in the middle of celebrating its 25th anniversary and is a pilot program for special early access to the water park.
In a few weeks, the lodge will be making the visual transition from fall to winter fun for their guests.
"We change out all of our leaves for snowflakes, and a very special gentleman with some reindeer on the weekends in December to visit our families as well," Loehrke said.
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