A new Great Wolf Lodge broke ground this week in Mashantucket, Conn. The family-focused resort and entertainment complex is on 13 acres next to the sprawling Foxwoods Resort Casino.
The $300 million, 549-room Great Wolf property is scheduled to open in 2025. It will feature a 91,000-square-foot indoor water park that includes body slides, tube slides, raft rides, and activity pools. It will also have a 61,000-square-foot family entertainment center called Great Wolf Adventure Park.
When complete, the property will be the company’s 23rd resort in North America and the third resort in the Northeast. Others are in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains and Fitchburg, Mass.
Current projections predict the new Great Wolf location will draw some half-million visitors a year.
The resort is being constructed in partnership with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which operates Foxwoods Resort Casino. Foxwoods, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, is believed to be the largest casino resort in North America.
In addition to gambling and hotels, Foxwoods has entertainment spaces for concerts and comedy shows, many restaurants, go-karts, golf, and more than 80 retail stores.
Economic Boost
Connecticut and nearby Rhode Island will also get an economic boost from the development. Once open, it will lead to more than 500 new jobs. During construction, Turner Construction predicts it will hire close to 400 construction and trade workers.
Foxwoods initially opened in 1986 as a Native American bingo hall after reaching a Class III gaming compact with Connecticut, traditional Las Vegas-style slot machines and table games launched at the casino in 1992.
Foxwoods opened a high-stakes bingo hall last year. It is about 30,000 square feet and holds more than 2,200 players.
Foxwoods continues to evolve with the changing US gaming landscape by offering sports betting at its facility and iGaming online. A DraftKings-operated online gaming site and the brick-and-mortar DraftKings Sportsbook at Foxwoods are also in operation.
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