Foxwoods Breaks Ground on Great Wolf Lodge

02.03.2023
Member News

Construction for the state’s first Great Wolf Lodge officially began at Foxwoods Resort Casino Feb. 1.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation project is expected to bring hundreds of new jobs and thousands of tourists to Connecticut. 

“For us at Mashantucket, it has always been a vision of ours to have a resort beyond gaming,” Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation chairman Rodney Butler said. 

The $300 million resort will sit adjacent to the casino. 

It will have more than 500 rooms designed for families, a 91,000 square-foot water park, and 60,000 square-foot dry entertainment center, equipped with a ropes course, restaurants, and other entertainment. 

‘Big Moves’

“This is becoming a destination,” Gov. Ned Lamont said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

“This is where people want to be, not just overnight, not just for a show, but for a week for a whole family”  

The project is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2025, with about 400 workers needed to build the massive resort.

Scenes from the Feb. 1 groundbreaking ceremony.

Once complete, the resort will employ about 500 people. 

Foxwoods president and CEO Jason Guyot said the project has been a dream for the tribe for two decades. 

“We’re making some big moves at Foxwoods, and nothing is as grand of a move as a Great Wolf Lodge at Mashantucket,” he said.

‘Fuel the Economy’

Tribal leaders initially engaged with Great Wolf in 2007, but talks slowed during the recession. 

About a month into the pandemic, Butler said promising conversations reignited. 

Great Wolf vice president Steve Jacobsen and CEO John Murphy said Connecticut presents an opportunity to strengthen the Great Wolf’s footprint in the Northeast. 

“Our resort will perfectly complement Foxwoods Resort and help fuel the regional economy.”

Great Wolf Lodge’s John Murphy

“Our resort will perfectly complement Foxwoods Resort and help fuel the regional economy,” Murphy said.

Guyot said the Great Wolf Lodge is only the start of new developments and efforts to come at Foxwoods. 

“The state-of-the-art waterpark and resort is a testament to our ongoing commitment to innovative entertainment and adding that here at Mashantucket,” he said.

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