It isn’t often a family can walk indoors into a picture-perfect winter scene and enjoy all the ambience of the holidays and warming up by the fire in a north woods log cabin, but that’s exactly the inspired scene as guests arrive for the Great Wolf Lodge’s Snowland celebration.

The forecast calls for a snow storm three times a day, but don’t forget your bathing suit. Come again? That’s right, no matter what the weather is outside, there’s no cabin fever here because the 84-degree indoor water park will keep the chills away.

This year marks the third annual Snowland event at the Great Wolf Lodge resorts across the country. The Mid-Atlantic region is home to two resorts, one in Williamsburg, Va., and the other in the Pocono Mountains, Pa.

Starting Dec. 1, the Grand Lobby of the lodge will be filled with holiday lights, bright stars, glowing icebergs, falling snow, decorations, trees and wreaths for the perfect family winter getaway. Twice daily “snow showers” will drift down on guests, providing holiday ambience that will warm you up. Children can gather around the Clock Tower twice a day as it comes to life to entertain with stories and songs.

Great Wolf Lodge is a first-class, full-service, year-round family destination resort designed to capture the atmosphere and adventure of the northwoods. Each lodge is slightly different, but Great Wolf Lodge provides a comprehensive package of destination lodging amenities, including over 400 family-sized suites; a large indoor entertainment area, featuring a grand scale waterpark; arcade with ticket redemption; children’s craft and activity room; Aveda Concept Spa; Scooops Kid Spa, which includes flavorful treatments and ice cream treats for “tweens,” fitness room; restaurants; confectionery café; state-of-the-art meeting space; two whirlpools; and a gift emporium.

In fact, the year-round resort offers something for everyone, every day of the year.

Waterpark fun

The water park features pools ranging from children’s splash pools to wave pools, waterslides for kids of all ages, including kiddie slides, high-speed body slides and inner tube waterslides that wind in and out of the building, six-story “extreme” tube rides, a lazy river, a water roller coaster and hot tubs and whirlpools for adults.

There is also a 12-level treehouse waterfort, an interactive water experience for the entire family, featuring over 60 water effects and cargo netting and suspension bridges. On top is the signature “tipping bucket,” which fills with water every few minutes, tipping at the sound of a bell and drenching everyone gathered below. What a fun, unique way for families to spend the holidays together!

Cub Club fun

When it’s time to dry off, youngsters can earn their Snowland mittens at the North Pole University, a series of tasks including arts, crafts and activities at the Cub Club. Kids who complete all the assignments will be awarded a Snowland Mitten filled with eight arcade tokens. Santa’s Workshop will be open for business in the Cub Club, where kids can make holiday cards and presents. Twice each day, children can gather in the lobby for a holiday sing-along with the Great Clock Tower, a special story time with Rowdy the Reindeer, and entertainment provided by local musicians.

The holiday activities will culminate with the Snowball on Dec. 31, a New Year bash for families that will have kids and parents howling with delight to start 2008. Festivities will include karaoke, a special New Year’s Eve feast, a waterslide duck race with prizes and dancing into the night.

Arcade fun & games

There is a lot of kid-appeal at Great Wolf Lodge. Kids of all ages can join the excitement in the Northern Lights Arcade. The arcade features over 100 games, ticket redemption area and black-lit area for adventure and racing games. The arcade is nonstop fun for the young and young at heart.

MagiQuest fun

Kids of all ages will also enjoy MagiQuest, the first live-action adventure game of its kind at a resort. MagiQuest is designed to immerse kids into a world of Renaissance-style fantasy propelled by modern-day technology. MagiQuest works like a videogame in the sense that it challenges you – the “Magi” – to complete quests, accumulate powers and proceed to higher levels of the home. However, unlike a video game, you won’t be confined to a computer screen. Instead, you cross into a three-dimensional world and become the main character in a live action adventure game, completing magical challenges.

Spa treatments

While the kids are busy slaying dragons, moms and dads can retreat to the Aveda Concepts spa to be pampered from massage services to nail treatment and facials. The spa offers eight treatment rooms with more than a dozen massage selections, including aromatherapy massage, Swedish massage, hot stone massage, pregnancy massage, stress relief chair massage and much more. Other refreshing spa services include facial therapy, herbal body wraps, pedicures, manicures and body bronzing.

Even kids can enjoy a spa treatment at Great Wolf Lodge! “Scooops Kid Spa” offers services designed exclusively for the 12-and-under set.

The “menu” of services features ice cream-themed manicures and pedicures, along with an offering of facials and make-up touch-ups. The furnishings for this kid-friendly spa have the look of a modern ice cream shop, with whimsical wall murals, retro swivel stools, and a pedicure sofa that looks like an oversized ice cream sundae. The services are even themed to match up with a child’s personality. And included with every spa treatment is a coupon for real ice cream in the Bear Claw Cafe.

Visit www.greatwolf.com for room rates, discounts and special promotions. For information, call 1-800-905-WOLF.