TALKING STICK RESORT ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT — Those eagerly awaiting the opening of the Great Wolf Lodge in Arizona have even less time to wait because the indoor resort and water park will open in three weeks, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
General manager Brian Johnson said the 350-room resort would open on Sept. 18, 2019, which is nine days earlier than they originally planned to open. It is actually the second time Great Wolf Lodge has bumped up its opening date. When first announced, the resort was expected to open in the middle of October.
Photos: A behind-the-scenes look at construction at Great Wolf Lodge resort in Arizona
"There is great news today and I am howling," Johnson said, who did, in fact, let out a howl during our interview.
"We've had great partners..and we've been tracking key milestones as we've gone along," he said. "We've met those milestones and now we can open earlier so everyone is just so excited."
Members of the press were invited to the property on Tuesday morning for an updated tour of the construction site, which is being built within the Talking Stick Entertainment District on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, near the Loop 101 and Via de Ventura. It is located across from Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
Construction crews were seen working on the indoor Adventure Park, which will have a ropes course, miniature golf, and a four-lane bowling alley, as well as the 85,000-square-foot indoor water park.
The water park is kept at 84-degrees year-round and has a lazy river, wave pool, a play structure with a 1,000-gallon bucket that dumps water every few minutes, and a mix of tube slides and raft rides.
It will have nine places for guests and the public to eat and drink, including Barnwood, its signature restaurant, Ben & Jerry's, the state's only location, and Dunkin.
Related: Where to eat and drink at Great Wolf Lodge
It will also be home to the "Diamondback Drop," a new high-speed four-person raft slide that drops its riders into a 360-degree coil. The Arizona hotel is the only one in the company to have that ride, officials previously told ABC15.
While the water park is reserved for guests staying at the resort, the Adventure Park and the restaurants will be open to the general public.
Reservations have been open for months and can be booked at www.greatwolf.com. Standard rooms start at $179.99.
