Hi ladies:
I was planning to go with my husband and kids to Double JJ Resort in Michigan for New Years Eve, until I found out it was almost 4 hours away. Can anyone recommend a place to go for New Years Eve with the kids that is closer? Someplace where there is a waterpark and kids activities, not the Dells.
Grizzy Jack's in Utica Illinois. They have a very nice waterpark & amusement park too.
Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Lodge in Utica, IL is near Starved Rock State Park and has a waterpark. It is aimed more for younger kids, not as many big slides as the Dells area. There is an arcade area in the hotel and there is also a larger arcade/indoor ride area with food across the parking lot. They have a website with pictures. We have had one great experience there and one horrible. Other people I know say the same thing. The website shows all the amenities but fails to mention that they are only open depending on how many guests are their each day. Also some of the restaurants that are still on the website no longer exist. So there is a possibility (if not enough guests) that there will not be anywhere that serves food at the resort. This happened to us last time with breakfast. We were just in a regular room so no kitchen area. I would suggest bringing food just in case. We even tried to eat at a restaurant at Starved Rock and couldn't even find a place to park because that was so crowded. Not all of the rooms are attached to the hotel/waterpark either so that is something to consider in the winter. I'm assuming with it being New Year's Eve that there will be enough guests for them to fully staff the hotel & have things open. Another problem we ran into at the Arcade/indoor ride area both times we stayed was that part of it was closed off for private parties - also something they fail to mention when you make your reservations so you may want to ask those questions. I believe there is another indoor waterpark in one of the suburbs. I think it might be called Key Lime Cove. Good Luck!
There's Key Lime Cove in Gurnee (By Great America) or the Holiday Inn in Elmhurst has a waterpark.
How about CoCo Key in Rockford?
