Review: Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Resort

Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Resort
2643 Illinois 178
Utica, IL 61348
(866) 399-3866
Website

There are a lot of different options when it comes to staying here. If you stay in the lodge, you have 7 different options!
Family Suite (2 queen beds, queen sleeper sofa, fridge, microwave, TV)
Family Suite with Balcony
King Suite (same as queen, but with 1 king bed)
Kid Cabin Suite (queen bed, twin sofa sleeper, twin bunk beds, fridge, microwave, TV)
Deluxe Family Suite (3 distinct sleeping areas with 2 queen beds, queen sleeper sofa, master bedroom has 2-person whirlpool tub and king bed, living room, and 3 Tvs)
Whirlpool Suite (2 person whirlpool tub, king bed, fireplace)
Combination Suite (Family Suite and Whirlpool Suite with a connecting door)

There are also 2 different cabin options for larger groups.

As for prices, they can be somewhat on the expensive side, but there is so much included! Plus, look for special deals on their website (especially during the off-season). Make sure you look to the right when on their website and click on the part that says 'Click here for internet special' instead of the button that says 'Specials & Packages'. That second button is more for AARP and AAA and Military discounts. We have gone 2 years in a row. Our first year, we decided last minute to go in January. This year, I was looking for a great deal and found one so we went in February. Let me tell you about this deal:

When I booked this, there were special dates that this could be used (weekends in January, February, and parts of March): 2 nights for $222 for a Family Suite with Balcony. This is an amazing deal! Before I found this, I was looking at paying over $400.

Check-In: Check-in begins at 4pm. Guests are welcome to arrive as early as 1pm to pre-register for the room and begin using the waterpark and amusement park until the room becomes available.
Check-Out: Check-out time is 11am. Guests are welcome to utilize the waterpark and amusement park after check-out on the day of departure.
Be aware that on busy days, the check-in and check-out process may take quite a while. We waited in line for about 45 minutes.

The Room: Family Suite with Balcony
There are 2 queen beds, a queen sleeper sofa, fridge, microwave, TV, and all the amenities you would expect.
There are lots of add-ons you can get with your room like birthday packages with balloons or roses or milk and cookies.
There were a lot of great things about our room (like the balcony, the beds, the living space with couch and dining area), but there were some not so great things as well. Our shower head was terrible. I felt like I was never going to be able to get the shampoo out of my hair due to the lack of pressure. All of the buttons were popped off of our phone and then to top it all off, the phone didn't work at all. On our television, the power button was popped off. That was just weird.

Waterpark:
During the winter, the waterpark is only open Thursday and Friday night (4pm-10pm) and all day Saturday and Sunday (9am-10pm). That being said, you can still swim on Friday mornings from 9am-4pm, but there are no lifeguards and the water is still (no slides, no wave pool, no lazy river). *
The 24,000 square foot indoor waterpark boasts play zones, slides, a wave pool, lazy river, and spa.
There is a concession stand area inside the waterpark (that is freezing compared to the hot air near the water – although it wasn't nearly as cold as it was last time) that offers soda, soft pretzels, hot dogs, nachos, and other typical concession offerings.
There is no outside food or beverage or coolers permitted in the Waterpark at any time. However, I did see people bring these items in and no one said anything to them so I don't know how much that rule is really enforced.
The park was very busy while we were there! Everyone must have gotten in on that sweet deal we got.

Adventure Park:
Closed toe shoes and socks must be worn to participate in activities at the Amusement Park.
During the winter, the adventure park is only open Friday night (4pm-10pm) and 11am-10pm on Saturday and Sunday.*
Guests with overnight accommodations can enjoy $15 Adventure cards. Since we stayed for two nights, we got 6 cards. You can add money to these cards if you wish. There aren't really any things in here that I can do so that leaves $90 for my husband and son to split (mostly my son). We also got 3 more $15 cards after eating at the buffet on Friday night. That's $135 to spend at the park!
The Adventure Park features:
32' rock climbing wall – $5 – minimum: 40 lbs; maximum: 200 lbs
Euro Bungee trampoline – $5 – minimum: 4 yo and 30 lbs; maximum: 200 lbs
indoor zip line – $5 – minimum: 30 lbs and 42 inches; maximum: 250 lbs and 6' 3”
super slide – $3 (however, I didn't see anyone charging for this)
ropes course – $5 – minimum: 48” to go alone, shorter kids are allowed with an adult; maximum: 300 lbs
laser tag – $5
and kiddie play zone with bouncy houses – $2 (although, we didn't see anyone having to pay for this)
Plus, there's an arcade.

There are plenty of other amenities and activities going on around the resort as well as the adventure park and waterpark.
Family Craft Time: Spend time with your children as they color and paint their very own Grizzly Jack and Grand Bear t-shirt. Family Craft Time is the perfect way to take home a GRAND memory of your family vacation. Some crafts may require nominal fee.
Grand Ducky Derby: Play and have a blast at Grand Bear Falls, the indoor waterpark, and race to the finish! Open to kids of all ages, the Grand Duck Derby is an action-packed race with fun and prizes for the kids. This activity happens every Saturday and Sunday at 8:45am and on holidays. On Sunday, my son won! They take the first 3 ducks to give a prize to. Everyone received a free scoop of ice cream from the Honey Pot.

Family Story Time: Every night at 7:20pm, the Grand Lobby comes alive for Story Time. Folks gather around in front of the glowing fireplace to hear Grizzly Jack and Grand Bear tell the story of their friendship.
Family Movie Time: Settle down and enjoy a relaxing night of movies with the kids. Showing Thursday-Saturday at 8pm. Family Movie Time presents popular movies for kids of all ages. While we were there, they showed Minions and The Spongebob Movie.
Cave Arcade: Over 60 arcade games to play and win tickets that you can redeem for prizes at the prize shop.
Canyon Creek Mini Golf: This 18-hole mini golf adventure is a blast with a flowing stream and waterfall. The course is open weather permitting. While we were there, it did happen to be open. You got your clubs and balls at the gift shop by the front desk and since it was February, there were no waterfalls or flowing streams. Cost: $5/person

Bear Island: Get wild in nature at Bear Island, a four-tiered observation deck that overlooks Curtis Canyon – a breathtaking 80 foot seasonal waterfall that gives you a real appreciation for nature's artwork. It would be much more amazing if you could see the waterfall. However, you are located at the top so you really just see the water flowing over the edge.

Castle in the Woods Playground: Open daily until dusk, the Castle in the Woods playground is the fun spot for your little bear cubs to run, play, swing, slide and smile. My son really enjoyed it.
Moose Crossing Convenience Store: Toiletries, souvenirs, t-shirts, goggles, swim diapers, snacks, grocery goods, wine and beer available 24 hours a day. We bought a hairbrush and nail clippers from here. The prices are clearly going to be more expensive than Wal-Mart, but I didn't find them to be outrageous.
Northwoods Niche Gift Shop: Grand Bear logo apparel, swimwear, stuffed animals, books, home décor, souvenirs, jewelry, phone accessories, and bottles of wine.

Dining:
Jack's Place Restaurant & Sports Bar – Located inside the Enchanted Forest Indoor Adventure Park. This is a casual dining spot serving classic American cuisine. Order to your suite, villa or cabin with the restaurant's delivery service. We got some amazing food from here. My husband found the Big Grizzly to be especially noteworthy. This item was a large handful of tator tots and fried cheese curds topped with pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and a fried egg. I highly recommend ordering to go or delivery to eat in your room. We also ate at the buffet which had pizza, pasta, and salad. Everything was really good. And for less than $30 for our family, not a terrible price.
Honey Pot Sweet Shop – chocolates, decorated cookies, hand-dipped pretzels, saltwater taffy, seasonal fudge, sweet gummies, homemade waffle cones topped with mountainous scoops of ice cream. What more could you want? We have gotten ice cream from here 3 times and every time has been amazing. They also seem to keep a great selection of decorated cookies that are just adorable.

Nearby Attractions:
Starved Rock State Park – We've been here at least 4 or 5 times and we definitely make it a point to visit when we come to Grizzly Jack's. It's so close to the resort! There are so many beautiful trails and wonderful waterfalls. There is always something new to discover when you visit here. And every season brings new and beautiful adventures.
and not too far from there is another great place: Matthiessen State Park.
There are also places nearby to Zipline, Skydive, and Golf.

*During the summer, I believe the waterpark and adventure park are open every day with weekend hours.