LAGRANGE, Ga. — A massive indoor water park, restaurants and ice cream parlors, indoor activity centers and luxurious family suites — all packed into the 500,000 square foot future site of the newest Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange.

Thursday, city leaders and top members of the Great Wolf “pack” invited media for a first look at everything the new resort has to offer.

“It’s unlike anything we have in our city, really anything we have in our region,” says LaGrange Mayor Jim Thornton. “It’s a big deal and it’s a big facility, and it’s really going to be transformative of this area.”

“Pack members” say the newest Great Wolf location will feature more than 400 hotel suites and house close to 400,000 guests every year. They say the resort is expected to be a major tourist destination from several surrounding states.

All the extra traffic also means extra growth for LaGrange. Mayor Jim Thornton says a shopping complex, including major retailers and restaurants, will surround the tourist attraction. In all, it represents a $170 million investment in the community’s growth.

“It really made my day when we worked out the deal for them to come,” he says.

Great Wolf Lodge CEO Rubén Rodriguez says the company currently has 14 open resorts and 3 under construction — including our local project. He says he’s excited to see how much residents are already looking forward to opening day.

“Our purpose is to bring joy to families all together and we’re very excited to extend that purpose to the state of Georgia with Great Wolf Lodge Georgia,” Rodriguez says.

The LaGrange resort will open its doors May 31, 2018. Reservations are open now and all guests who book before January 31, 2018 will receive a 30 percent discount on their stay.

“Pack members” also remind everyone, you don’t need to stay to play. The indoor water park is reserved for guests, but all the resort’s restaurants and adventure centers are open to the public.