What To Expect With The Great Wolf Lodge Coming To Naples

Great Wolf Lodge started its soft opening today in Naples! It's now one step closer to opening its doors to the public in October!

The new Great Wolf Lodge location is a 20-acre hotel that's found just beyond the Paradise Sports Complex in South Collier County. The soft opening started today Wednesday, September 18th and will allow the resort to focus on developing and training their staff.

Great Wolf Resorts is based in Chicago, Illinois and Great Wolf Lodges can be found in California, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado, Texas, Washington, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Canada, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Virginia, and Wisconsin. I had no idea there was going to be that many when I started the list. Now, Florida will be joining with the Naples location opening in October.

According to NBC 2, the Collier County location is expected to open in October and will feature a 92,000-square-foot indoor waterpark, 12 slides, 3 pools, 2 play areas for children, a 60,000-square-foot adventure park, mini golf, bowling, concessions, aerial ropes course, 2 zip lines, and 500 suites. NBC 2 points out that the indoor water park will be 84 degrees year-round. The company plans on hiring 600 employees for the facility including entry-level to upper management positions, per NBC 2.

The Naples location will be the 22nd Great Wolf Lodge location in the country and the very first in Florida. Steve Jacobson, vice president of domestic development for Great Wolf Resorts tells NBC 2, "We're really excited to be part of this community and help contribute to the success. You did an incredible job with the sports complex and all the other development. We expect the synergies between us and Paradise Coast Sports Complex will create a very unique draw that I don't think we have at any other location. The draw of these two developments side by side will help attract families locally and regionally by creating a bigger destination experience, and give them a unique and another reason to stay longer--which will benefit Collier County and South Florida. It will additionally drive new tax dollars to Collier County."

Would you and the family want to check it out? It sounds like there would be something to do for every member of the family from young children to grandma and grandpa! Or is there already enough to do in Southwest Florida?

What are the best TV shows set in Florida? There are more than you think and they aren't all popular hits!

Over the years, there have been many TV shows that chose to set their show in the state of Florida. In fact, some of the biggest shows ever took place in Florida. However, some weren't massive hits but are worthy of making the list. Some take place in Miami, some in Southwest Florida, and some shows have used the Tampa area as their setting.

I recently made a similar list of the best TV shows set in Las Vegas, and it was much easier than Florida! There are so many shows set in the state of Florida, I had no idea there were so many! Most of them (a significant amount) take place in Miami, but there are shows set all over the Sunshine State. Do you have a favorite show set in Florida? Let us know what yours is! Only picking five shows was tough because there are so many to choose from, so the one you're thinking of might have slipped our minds and didn't make the list! Many fantastic shows that I would highly recommend ended up being left on the cutting room floor.

Since so many good shows had to be left behind, we need to take a minute to shout out some Honorable Mentions. Burn Notice, starring Jeffrey Donovan, was a successful show that ran for several seasons. Some of my friends even called it their favorite show at one point. However, it didn't end up making the list but it needed some love and deserves a spotlight. Vince Vaughn's new show Bad Monkey takes place in Florida but I haven't had a chance to watch it yet (even though I really want to) so it's not going to be found on the list. Seriously, the trailers made it look exciting and funny! Plus, you can't go wrong with Vince Vaughn. Finally, Jane The Virgin was a show that was set in Miami, and a lot of people enjoyed it. I never got into it, so it also won't make the list.

What shows ended up making the final 5? Check out our list below! Then, make sure to tell us if we forgot your favorite show and maybe it can be added as an Honorable Mention!

https://youtu.be/YQeUmSD1c3g?si=jhOZ_MgTO1siMRTO In my opinion, Dexter is the best show of all-time set in Florida. For a while, I might have even called it the best show ever. Then that finale happened and I haven't gone back since. Seriously, might be the worst finale ever. However, the show was fantastic especially the early seasons. It couldn't be matched! I like how it integrated the mood and music of Miami into the show.

https://youtu.be/-aMCzRj3Syg?si=EaFCx6FyxOPJHV4C A blast from the past! Yes, it was before my time. However, I still can recognize that it's one of the best shows set in Florida and definitely one of the most iconic. It was decades ago but its impact is still felt not only in Miami but outside as well. It remains an aesthetic today! Not many shows can pull that off. Miami Vice definitely deserves to be on the list and if you haven't watched it you are missing out!

https://youtu.be/mznsEcZlM2I?si=1NCBW-BopvkDYCcP CSI: Miami isn't the best in the CSI series, that honor goes to Las Vegas. However, it is still one of the best shows set in Florida. You just have to see it as a comedy. You can't take Horatio seriously and he's so cheesy but that's what makes the show! He delivers the cheesy pun and then puts on his sunglasses and it never gets old. It's a great show if you approach it the right way.

Tiger King was set in Florida! You can't forget that! The hit that helped get many of us through the COVID-19 pandemic was set in Tampa, Florida. That's where Carole Baskin's Big Cat Rescue is. There were so many iconic "Florida Man" type people shown in that show. It was a hit and it's pure Florida.

The first few seasons of Nip/Tuck took place in Miami before the show later was set in Los Angeles. However, the best seasons were the early ones and those were all in Miami. The show was a massive hit in the early 2000s. Many people still watch and stream it today. It definitely has to be named as one of the best shows set in Florida.