Spring-a-Palooza at Great Wolf Lodge

Spring-a-Palooza at Great Wolf Lodge

By Kyla
Spring-a-Palooza is in full bloom at Great Wolf Lodge and guests are sure to have a howling good time celebrating the return of spring to the resort. Now through April 16 Great Wolf Lodge is rolling out the colorful spring decorations and making the Grand Lobby Spring-a-Palooza Central. There is even a special character-themed garden for the kids to explore!

Spring-a-Palooza not only means the Great Wolf Lodge will be decked out in all things spring, it also means spring themed entertainment options for guests to enjoy. There will be special spring-inspired activities and events taking place daily. They include Spring Picnic, Bubble Dance Party, Spring-a-Palooza Story Time, Spring Scavenger Hunts, Character Themed Flower Gardens, Jelly Bean Guessing Game, and Spring Themed Crafts.

During the Spring Picnic you can grab a blanket, spread it on the floor, and join Violet for an afternoon picnic in the Grand Lobby. Sip on a complimentary glass of lemonade from Violet’s Lemonade Stand and play a round of “Take a Wiley Guess” card game.

Put on your guessing goggles and check out the gigantic jar filled to the tippy top with jelly beans that sits in the Grand Lobby. Make your best guess for the Jelly Bean Guessing Game with how many candies you think fill up that giant jar. The guests with the guesses closest to the correct number (without going over) will be entered to win a $25 Great Wolf Lodge gift card!

The two Spring Scavenger Hunts will require your best detective skills to find all the items so you can claim your prizes! The “I Spy Spring” scavenger hunt will have you searching the entire Grand Lobby to find a dozen hidden objects. Once you’ve conquered that hunt, then the “Spring Sprint” scavenger hunt has ten clues for you to solve that will take you on a journey through the lodge and ends with a sweet prize!

Even the food is celebrating during Spring-a-Palooza! The new spring menu items features fresh and delicious spring vegetables, delicious honey glazed backed salmon, wild mushroom risotto, and stuffed chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and goat cheese. If you thought you were going to get chicken nuggets and french fries, you were sorely mistaken! Executive Chef Hany Ali has so much more planned for your palates and tummies!

Along with the Spring-a-Palooza beginning in March, Great Wolf Lodge Southern California also celebrate its first birthday!!! To commemorate this exciting occasion artist Linda Mihara was commissioned to create the world’s largest origami birthday cake! Standing 9 feet tall and taking more than 2 weeks to create, this work of art is topped with what else – a howling wolf!!!

General Manager Phillip Cunningham shared his gratitude for the Southern California community for making the Great Wolf Lodge’s first year such a success. He treated those in attendance to delicious cupcakes and the beautiful origami birthday cake. An origami cake was chosen because the first anniversary gift is supposed to be paper and what says paper better than a giant paper cake!

 There are so many fun things happening at Great Wolf Lodge during Spring-a-Palooza – you will definitely want to take your family to enjoy all spring fun the resort has waiting for you! It’s only here until April 10th, so grab your swimming suits, pack your bags, and spend your spring break at the Great Wolf Lodge.

Kyla Armstrong is the creator and writer of the Orange County crafty lifestyle blog Funky PolkaDot Giraffe. When she isn’t writing for her site, you can find her busy crafting, baking, juggling three kids, and trying to steal a moment for herself in the pages of a good book. You can keep up with her Southern California adventures on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is a Foodie Lovers Paradise! #KnottsSpring @Knotts

Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is a Foodie Lovers Paradise!

By Erin

Disclosure: This is written by me for GigaSavvy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I do not work for, or with, any brand mentioned in this article, nor do I have any official relationship with them.

Knotts-Boysenberry-Festival-Banner

Last week I got a little taste of what’s to come this weekend at the start of Knott’s Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival. Here are some of the highlights that you have to look forward to! What mouthwatering favorites or new creations are you looking forward to devouring? If you love boysenberries as much as I do, you won’t want to miss any of this deliciousness! Also be sure to check out all of the other Knott’s Boysenberry Festival Fun here!

KNOTTS-SPRING-BBQ-RIBS

Ribs with Knott’s Famous Boysenberry BBQ Sauce, Fried Alligator with Boysenberry Aioli, Fish & Chips Sandwich with Boysenberry Tarter Sauce. Yum!!

Boysenberry-Chicken-Sausage

Boysenberry Chicken and Sausage Sandwich served on a Knott’s Fresh Boysenberry Bun!

Knotts-Boysenberry-Festival-Wings

Wings with Knott’s Famous Boysenberry BBQ Sauce! Finger Licking Good! 😉

Continue reading »

Knott’s Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival & Giveaway #KnottsSpring @Knotts

Knott’s Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival

By Erin

*This is written by me for GigaSavvy. I do not work for or with any brand mentioned in this article, nor do I have any official relationship with them. I’ll be attending a media event for the Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival with complementary passes. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

Boysenberry Pie. Boysenberry Lattes. Boysenberry Trifles. Oh my! Now all we need is a glass of boysenberry wine! As a foodie at heart, Knott’s Spring is my all time favorite time of year here at Knott’s Berry Farm, because of all the fresh and tasty bites and sips to choose from. This is one fun spring food fest that you won’t want to miss! You can celebrate this spring during Knott’s Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival that is harvested in the theme park’s historic Ghost Town. From March 28th- April 12th, 2015, this 16-day festival returns with an unforgettable lineup of exquisite Boysenberry Bites, dazzling entertainment, gourmet food and the Wine and Craft Brew Tasting Garden, plus the limited time return of the classic Bear-y Tales characters in a pie making kitchen, and more!

KnottsSpring 15

Ghost Town: The History

A little bit of fun history about Knott’s that you may not know, as this fun festival celebrates its roots. Back in the 1930s, Walter Knott harvested the boysenberry, which is a cross between a loganberry, red raspberry and blackberry. It was named after its originator Rudolph Boysen. All boysenberries in the world can trace their roots back to Knott’s Berry Farm. That’s pretty neat!

Boysenberry Plants This spring you can purchase authentic boysenberry plants from Walter & Cordelia Knott’s Original Roadside Boysenberry Stand (recreated for the special event). The Knott family sold freshly picked boysenberries from the original stand. Guests can capture the moment and the memories at boysenberry themed stand-in cutouts, like wanted posters, a boysenberry farming family and more. Watch special demonstrations including a chainsaw wood sculpting, glass blowing and blacksmithing. Meet the Ghost Town’s mayor, Mayor Desmond Ryder and his lovely wife, Josephine. From day to night, Ghost Town has never looked so lively.

Tasty Boysenberry Treats to Try

Knott's Spring

Deep Fried Alligator Pieces & Fries with Boysenberry Aioli

Fried Cheese Curds paired with a Spicy Boysenberry Dipping Sauce

Craft Beer and Wine VendorsBoysenberry wine and Belgium Boysenberry Beer, located inside of Ghost Town’s Wilderness Dance Hall, will feature an assortment of wine and craft brew labels, in addition to a variety of boysenberry inspired gourmet food that’s just bursting with flavor.

Knott's Beer & Wine Fest

Boysenberry Trifle (vanilla cake piece, frozen boysenberry, soft serve ice cream, and whipped cream)

Berry Market™ Boysenberry BBQ Sauce smothered on an assortment of other delectable treats (an original Knott’s Berry Farm creation)

Fish and chips sandwich with boysenberry tartar sauce

Boysenberry ICEE Floats

Boysenberry Frappuccino and Latte (served at the new Gourmet Coffee Hut which proudly serves Starbucks drinks)

And more!

You can find more charbroiled treats cooked on open-air barbeques throughout the streets of the festival. Additional fee for tastings. Guests who want to take home the exquisite sauce can do so by stopping by the Berry Market, General Store in Ghost Town or by visiting knotts.com.

Continue reading »