This week brought some sad news indeed: the realm in Downers Grove IL (a.k.a. the Chicago realm, Adventure Realm) will be closing its doors permanently after May 21st of 2017. The announcement was made via Facebook and their website. Per a statement from the owners, "Unfortunately, we are not able to earn enough revenue and compete with other entertainment options to create a sustainable and profitable business."
That news both is and isn't a surprise. It is no secret that the "legacy" locations have been gradually fading away. With the demise of the Myrtle Beach and East Hanover locations, we were concerned that the writing might be on the wall for Downers Grove eventually too. Sadly, this is indeed the case not too long after East Hanover.
It appears that the future of MagiQuest is tilting toward being a Great Wolf Lodge thing only. And we do love the Lodges, don't get me wrong! That thought is still sad to us, though, because the legacy locations bring a certain uniqueness that will be lost if everything is Great Wolf.
On the other hand,it also means that via Great Wolf, MagiQuest has a future, and we'll get to continue our adventures for years to come... and that's a wonderful thing!
I will have the opportunity to pay a visit to Adventure Realm in Downers Grove right before the closing. I'll be back with information to report, and lots of pictures. Magi Lutra will be taking a MagiQuest trip of her own soon, and will be bringing us a wealth of information about the realm in Colorado.
To end the post on a positive note with some good news: As well as the departures, there are some new realms coming! Great Wolf is currently working on construction in Orlando FL, LaGrange GA, Bloomington MN, and Gurnee IL. Bloomington is currently slated to open at the end of 2017, with Gurnee following in 2018. I don't have specific info about when the other two will open - would love to hear about it if any of our readers are in the know!
And so it goes. Realms go, and realms come... and we enjoy the adventure, even when the news is sad or bittersweet!
~Annacat
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