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What Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee will look like

Great Wolf Lodge, set to replace KeyLime Cove in Gurnee, has revealed initial plans of what the expanded water park and resort will look like.

Anchored by an 80,000-square-foot indoor water park, near Six Flags Great America and Gurnee Mills, the renovated resort is the first for the brand in Illinois and is set to open in mid-2018.

"Our paw print is expanding across the country, and we are excited to bring a Great Wolf Lodge to Illinois," said Rubén A. Rodríguez, CEO for Great Wolf Resorts. The original Great Wolf Lodge is in Wisconsin Dells.

Great Wolf plans to invest at least $65 million in new constriction and renovation at the facility, according to documents that were part of a revenue-sharing agreement with Gurnee. Including the KeyLime Cove purchase, Great Wolf expects to spend at least $100 million on the project.

With plans to nearly double the size of the existing water park, Great Wolf Lodge Illinois will debut several new water attractions, which are still in development, along with beloved brand favorites such as Fort Mackenzie, a multilevel interactive water fort treehouse featuring a massive tipping water bucket and Totem Towers body slides.

Great Wolf Lodge Illinois will feature 414 guest suites in several different sizes and styles. The resort will also offer several dining options for families. New for the brand, Great Wolf Lodge Illinois will also feature a multirestaurant, open-seating area where guests will find an array of culinary offerings.

Options are also available for meeting and event planners as the property will have nearly 7,800-square feet of flexible meeting space with breakout rooms.

Great Wolf has North America's largest water park-hotel portfolio with 14 properties. The company has been in a growth mode, with new resorts planned in the Atlanta area, near Yosemite National Park in California and in Bloomington, Minnesota, near the Mall of America.

"Chicago is the third largest market in the U.S. and while we are fortunate to have an established fan-base here, we believe the added convenience of having a resort in closer proximity to the metro area will allow even more families the opportunity to experience a Great Wolf Lodge getaway," Rodríguez said.

Gurnee approves revenue deal for Great Wolf Lodge

KeyLime Cove in Gurnee is closing Great Wolf Lodge buying property, renovating facility

Great Wolf expected to open in Gurnee in mid-2018

Hospitality gets boost by reinvestments in local hotels, entertainment hubs

An artist rendering of what Great Wolf Lodge resort will look like in Gurnee. Courtesy of Great Wolf
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