Boston Great Wolf Lodge Trip:
Prologue:
After visiting the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls twice, I wanted to visit one of Great Wolf Lodge’s American locations. The closest American location is west of Boston. In 2025 the waterpark was undergoing renovations. The renovations finished before summer.
In October 2025, I was browsing Facebook when I noticed an ad for a sale at Great Wolf Lodge. On a whim, I entered dates in late January 2026 and saw they were selling rooms at $89 per night. To me that was a price too good to pass up! As it happens Air Canada was also having a seat sale which I took advantage of as well. This enabled me to spend a night in Boston before heading to Great Wolf Lodge.
My final plan was to fly down to Boston and stay at a place in the city. I would do some transit riding on the first day. The second day I would head over to Great Wolf Lodge where I would spend two nights. I would then take the Lakeshore Limited to Syracuse and spend the night there before taking the Maple Leaf home.
This would be the first trip I took after I moved from my childhood home to an apartment. Two days before I was originally going to depart, Air Canada had cancelled my flight. I was rebooked on a flight leaving almost 28 hours later. I had to scramble to change reservations. However, Great Wolf Lodge and eventually Amtrak helped me out. The trip unfolded as follows.
January 26,
2026:
I was relaxing at home while packing for my trip. Today was the I was to originally fly to Boston. However, at 5:17 pm I got a text message from Air Canada that my replacement flight had also been cancelled! They told me to wait for 30 minutes to see about rebooking my flight. 30 minutes later I hadn’t gotten an answer from Air Canada.
I looked on Adirondack Trailways’ website and made a last minute purchase. I then went on Amtrak’s website and bought a ticket. I would take a bus leaving at 8:00 pm to New York and then Amtrak Northeast Regional train #172 to Boston. If I got into Boston on time, I would get there 15+ minutes before my secondary flight’s arrival.
I quickly finished packing. I got a text putting me on a flight on Wednesday which would not work.
I left my apartment and walked to Don Mills Station. I just missed a subway and waited for the next train. I rode to Sheppard-Yonge and transferred to the Yonge line. I rode to Union. The train encountered some slow orders and stopped for a few minutes between King and Union. However, I soon arrived and was able to get supper. I walked to the bus terminal and waited. I managed to cancel my plane ticket with Air Canada going to give me a refund. I eventually boarded Adirondack Trailways bus #62224. The bus left four minutes late.
We hit the highway and left the city. I settled in for the ride. The bus stopped at Niagara Falls before continuing. We crossed the Peace Bridge into the United States. We then pulled to the side and went into a building to clear customs. I ended up being one of the last to clear, but I got back on the bus and we departed. We stopped at Buffalo for a few minutes. We were allowed off the bus. I stepped off and attempted to photograph the bus.
I got back on the bus and we headed off. The bus stopped at Batavia. We departed and hit the highway.
January 27,
2026:
I attempted to sleep. The bus stopped at Rochester. The stop at Rochester was for several minutes but I stayed on the bus. We departed. The passenger behind me was on the phone which hindered me from sleeping.
Some point later we stopped at Syracuse. I saw the road and highway still had snow. We were allowed off the bus in Syracuse. I stepped off and bought a lemonade from a vending machine in the terminal. I attempted to photograph the bus.
I got back on the bus and we headed off. We soon hit the highway again. I attempted to sleep again.
Hours later I woke up to find we were in Pennsylvania. We stopped at a gas station for a stretch. I got off and photographed the bus.
I went in the store for a few minutes but didn’t buy anything. I got back on the bus. Several minutes later we departed. I attempted to sleep until we were outside of Newark. I could see some NJT light rail cars as we approached. We stopped at Newark Penn station. We then departed and crossed into New York by way of the Lincoln Tunnel. We soon arrived at the Port Authority bus terminal on time.
I got my suitcase and then went into a washroom to change my clothes. I then went and caught a subway. I noticed metrocards like what I used in the last few times I was in New York were no longer valid. They now had something called OMNY which I believe works like Presto back home. I bought a card and got on the subway. I missed a train so I waited for the next train. When it came, I photographed the train.
I rode one stop and got off. I filmed the train pulling out of the station. I then walked to the Tick Tock diner. On my New York trip back in 2007 my family ate there. I had breakfast then walked over to Penn Station.
Since the last time I was in New York, Penn Station opened a new wing of the station which is nice. I found somewhere to work and worked on this report some more.
Other Amtrak trains were delayed or cancelled but my train was still set to leave on time.
Soon it was time to board. I was seated in Amfleet 1 coach #82691. While I eventually got a forward facing window seat on the left hand of the train, I would learn the train was sold out. The train left 8 minutes late.
As we departed, I filmed a long distance train that had arrived into Penn Station. This was either the Crescent or Silver Meteor. I also filmed an inbound Acela Express consisting of an original Acela trainset.
I filmed a southbound Acela train which had one of the new Acela trainsets as well as Sunnyside yard. I then photographed the New York skyline.
The train crossed over Hell Gate Bridge and slowed to a crawl. We let a southbound regional train pass which I attempted to film. We soon picked up speed. My ticket was scanned. The train slowed to a crawl again. We stopped at New Rochelle. While we were stopped, a Metro North train passed. A second train passed a few minutes later. We soon departed.
We passed some Metro North commuter trains. As we stopped in Stamford, I attempted to film a southbound Regional led by ACS-64 #642 which is done up as a Veterans locomotive. After leaving Stamford we passed a yard full of Metro North commuter trains.
I went to the café car for lunch. Another passenger commented on my Amtrak hat. While in line we stopped at Bridgeport. I saw a southbound Amtrak Regional.
We later were approaching New Haven. I filmed some locomotives in the yard before we stopped at the station. We departed New Haven. This was the start of new trackage for me. We passed a new Acela trainset. The train stopped at Old Saybrook.
The train stopped at New London. New London is the closest Amtrak station to another Great Wolf Lodge location. I could get from the Amtrak station to Great Wolf Lodge. However, I had chosen the location near Boston.
The train stopped at Mystic a little while later. I decided to have a nap as I was tired. The train stopped at Westerly. We were running 25 minutes late. An older Acela train passed. The train stopped at Kingston, Rhode Island.
The train overtook an MBTA commuter train. We then paused outside of Providence before continuing into the station. While we were stopped, the MBTA commuter train pulled in and I photographed it as we departed.
I also attempted to photograph the train as we went on a curve outside the station.
We passed a southbound MBTA commuter train. Awhile later we stopped at Route 128. We passed two southbound MBTA commuter trains. A few minutes later we were running parallel to MBTA’s Orange line which meant we were getting close to Boston Back Bay. The train entered a tunnel before Back Bay. In 1990 an Amtrak train entered the same tunnel too fast and derailed on a curve and the derailing train struck an MBTA commuter train. Fortunately, no one was killed in that accident. The train then stopped at Boston Back Bay station. This was pretty much the end of the new trackage I had to cover.
I readied my stuff in preparation to get off. Train #172 arrived into Boston South Station 26 minutes late. I got off and photographed the train.
I went inside the station and phoned home. I let my dad know I was in Boston. After I bought a day pass for MBTA. It is good for 24 hours after I first tap it which if all goes according to plan, I won’t have to pay until I buy a ticket for the commuter train the next day.
I decided to go ride the Mattapan line first. I had a long wait as the winter weather had disabled multiple red line trains. MBTA really dropped the ball on this one. A train did eventually come and I rode to Ashmont. I had just missed a PCC.
Since the last time I was in Boston, there was talk that the Mattapan line might be converted into a BRT line and loose its historic PCCs. However, MBTA has signed a contract to have up to eight PCCs rebuilt. At least two have been rebuilt to date.
The next PCC to arrive was #3265. This was the first PCC to have been refurbished. I photographed it before I got on.
The car departed and we went down the Mattapan line. I rode all the way to Mattapan and got off. I photographed the car.
I filmed the car going around the loop. I took some photos.
I then photographed PCC #3262 in the yard. #3262 was the 9th PCC assigned to the Mattapan line but was written off following a collision. I had ridden #3262 back in my 2011.
Here’s PCC #3262 back in happier times.
I waited for the next car to arrive. PCC #3260 ended up going into service. I photographed it before I got on.
I rode the car back to Ashmont. I got off and photographed the car.
I filmed PCC #3260 departing Ashmont. I then went to the Red Line. I saw a train on the departures platform. I got on and we eventually departed.
I rode to Park Street. I got off and filmed the train leaving. I then transferred to the Green Line and rode one stop to Boylston and got off. I then left the station. I saw some trees still had Christmas lights on. I photographed them.
I reentered
Boylston station for Green Line
trains going in the opposite direction. I photographed historic car #5734 and
PCC #3295 on display.
Even though PCC #3295 is younger
than the PCCs on the Mattapan line, it is also not going to be rebuilt. It and
#5734 will continue to sit in storage.
I then boarded a Green Line train on
the Medford/Tufts station “E” branch and rode to the end of the line. Since my
last trip to Boston, the Green Line has been extended North. The “E” branch now
ends near a college. I got off at and photographed the train.
The train departed. I went around
the area for a few minutes before I filmed another train pulling in. I rode to
North Station and got off. I filmed the train pulling out.
I had heard that there was a
restaurant themed around the show Survivor which I’m a fan of. After looking
around I went into a hotel and learned it was only temporary. I ended up buying
dinner at a McDonald’s in North Station.
I then went to catch an orange line
train. I got on and the train departed. We were held for several minutes at
Community College station due to people at track level. Eventually we departed.
I rode to Malden Center and got off. I then waited for a bus on route #430.
While waiting, I noticed a woman who was speaking who had no concept of an
indoor voice. She would end up boarding the same bus that I got on.
The #430 bus came and I got on. The
no indoor voice lady was on and ranting through the ride. She got off several
stops before me. Other passengers and I were relieved that she was gone.
I got off a few minutes later. I
still had to walk a distance. However, I soon got to the hotel. I checked in
and went to my room. I phoned home and let my dad know I had made to my hotel.
I asked for a wake up call for 7:30 and set an alarm on my phone for 7:45. I
phoned a taxi to pick me up at a commuter train station the next day to take me
to Great Wolf Lodge. I worked on this report for a few minutes before I called
it a night.
January 28, 2026:
I didn’t get my wake up call as I
woke up from my phone’s alarm. I got up and got dressed. I went to the lobby
for breakfast. After breakfast I returned to my room and finished packing. I
then went to the lobby and checked out.
I then walked to the bus stop. I got
there in plenty of time. The route #430 came and I got on. I rode back to
Malden Center station. I then got on the orange line. When the train arrived, I
photographed it before I got on.
MBTA retired the Hawker trains that
ran on the orange line a number of years ago. Due to safety concerns the whole
fleet was pulled from service or so I heard. The Seashore Trolley Museum was
offered a set for preservation but they declined. They were no longer
interested in subway cars. It reminds me of how Halton County never got any of
TTC’s Hawker subway cars.
I rode to North Station where I got
off and filmed the train pulling out. I walked to North Station. I bought a
ticket to Wachusett. While waiting, I photographed an inbound Downeaster train.
My train was supposed to depart at
10:30. However my train was delayed. We didn’t board until after 11:00.
However, a different MBTA commuter rail line was replaced by buses. I would
still ride a train to Wachusett.
Eventually my train did board. I
photographed the train before I got on.
Even though there were five coaches
on the train, only the two coaches closest to the locomotive were open. I had a
seat in the second car. The train departed.
I phoned the cab company and let
them know my train was late. I sat back in for the 98 minute ride to Wachusett.
We passed a few MBTA trains going in the opposite direction.
Not all trains go to Wachusett. Some
turn around at Littleton/Route 495. However, I knew this train would go all the
way.
The train passed an MBTA plow train
on a siding as well as an intermodal terminal. We passed several double stack
cars.
Eventually we got to Wachusett. I
got off and attempted to photograph the train as it departed for a yard further
down the line.
I went up and saw my cab wasn’t there.
I eventually phoned and they thought I would call them before I arrived. They
said they were sending a cab.
It took several minutes for the cab
to get there. I wondered if I could have walked to Great Wolf Lodge in the time
I waited.
When the cab arrived, I put my
suitcase in the trunk and got in. The driver said I could have gotten off the
train at Fitchburg and waited in a warm building instead of the freezing air
for the same fare. Live and learn.
I soon arrived at Great Wolf Lodge
and paid the cab driver. I went inside and checked in. I had booked the basic
room. I didn’t get a free upgrade like I did in 2024 when I first went to the
Niagara Falls location. Interestingly enough the room I got was the same number
as the train I rode from Boston!
I went into my room and dropped my
stuff off. I exclaimed that I was finally at Great Wolf Lodge. I then went
outside and photographed the building.
I remembered how last year when I
went to Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, I saw a supervisor from the Home
Depot I work at. While I never had problems with this supervisor, I figured
that it would be unlikely I’d see anyone from my Home Depot at this Great Wolf
Lodge. However, while the odds were low, they are technically not zero. I then
went back inside. I took some photos inside.
Like the location in Niagara Falls,
this location would bring out members of the Great Wolf Pack. Oliver Raccoon
was the first character I saw. I photographed Oliver.
I even gave Oliver a high-five or as
the members of the Great Wolf Pack call a “High Paw”.
I then had lunch at the restaurant
called “Buckets”. There is a Buckets at the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls.
I then took some photos.
I then decided to go to the indoor
water park. I noticed the water park was in two different sections. Between the
two sections, there are 12 waterslides, a wave pool, a lazy river, a hot tub
where one could go outside even in winter, and some kids play areas. The water
park at Niagara Falls has one more slide, but this lodge has different kinds of
slides.
After I finished at the water park I
went back to my room and got changed. I then walked around and took some more
pictures.
I went to the Howling Timbers Adventure Park and played a round of mini golf. I played in the style I played at the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls by adding a second name to the score card: Mr. Bean! I based it off an episode of the live action series where he played mini golf. He got a hole in one on the first hole, but on the second hole, he ended up hitting off the course and all over London eventually sinking it in 3427 shots.
I took some photos on the golf course.
I took a few more photos.
I then saw kids were playing Bingo. The bingo cards had pictures of Sammy Squirrel from the Great Wolf Pack on them.
I then took a few more photos.
I went into the Build-A-Bear in the lodge. While the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls also had a Build-A-Bear, this one gives the options to build plushes of the Great Wolf Pack.
Soon it was time for another Great Wolf Pack character to come out. A Great Wolf Lodge employee announced that it would be Wiley Wolf. I couldn’t help but cheer because Wiley was the only member of the Great Wolf Pack who I didn’t get to see last year. Needless to say, I photographed Wiley.
I then had dinner at a restaurant in
Great Wolf Lodge. After dinner I went to the Legend of Luna story time.
The story involved Violet from the
Great Wolf Pack being told a story by her grandmother about a wolf pup named
Luna who was born different from other wolves in her pack. The story pretty
much had the Aesop about accepting what makes one unique. After the story,
Violet Wolf showed up. I photographed her.
I chatted with someone from a
family. I told her about my website and how I visited the Niagara Falls Great
Wolf Lodge location. She suggested I go to the “Hustle and Howl Dance Party”.
I then decided to go to Magiquest. I
had brought the wand I had bought at the Niagara Falls Great Wolf Lodge
location last year. I was able to reactivate it and pick up where I left off. I
played Magiquest for a little while.
I did go to the “Hustle and Howl
Dance Party” though it had already started by the time I got there. One of the
songs played was the ending theme song “Better with You” which is the ending
theme to the Great Wolf Pack animated series on Youtube. Other songs played
were the Cha-Cha Slide and Katy Perry’s Firework.
After the Hustle and Howl Dance
show, I went outside and photographed the wolf statue in front of the lodge.
I then went back up to my room. I
set my alarm on my phone and called it a night.
Click here for the next part of my trip: Part 2 of Great Wolf
Lodge
