We escaped the winter cold for a week of family fun in Florida recently and one of our adventures was a return trip to LEGOLAND Florida! My kids are 8 and 6, and while they both had a fabulous day, I know they are soon going to be outgrowing many of the rides (they're spoiled living so close to Hersheypark!).
Designed for kids age 2 through 12, LEGOLAND features 13 different "lands" and more than two dozen rides and attractions. After our first visit, I covered the highlights of the lands in the park, including LEGO Kingdoms, LEGO City, and Land of Adventure.
Since that trip, LEGOLAND has added Heartlake City as a new land, which my 6-year-old daughter loved! Nothing like posing with the same car that you built at home!
LEGOLAND has also expanded with its very own LEGOLAND Hotel right next to the park and an all-new water park! Since we visited in February, the water park wasn't open yet for the season, but you can read all about it on the website. We also stayed with family in the area, but here's more information if you'd like to stay at the hotel.
Just this week, LEGOLAND Florida also announced additional expansion plans coming in phases starting as soon as this spring! See full details on their website here.
Here are my best tips for visiting LEGOLAND Florida with your family!
Do some research on tickets. There are often promotional codes in LEGO Club magazines, on LEGO packages in stores and through other outlets. You can also pre-purchase admission and parking online through the LEGOLAND website and save a few dollars.
Bring or buy a LEGO minifigure to trade. Many of the cast members in the park have minifigures on their name badges that you can trade throughout the day (similar to pin trading at Walt Disney World). Bring one from home (make sure it has all its pieces, including hair/hat) or buy one upon entering the park so they can trade all day long! My daughter was lucky enough to get a Princess Leia figure on our visit!
Head to the back of the park first. LEGO City is home to Driving School, which is one of the longer attractions in the park as kids can get their photo taken for their own driver's license, and also must watch a short instructional video (with LEGO characters, of course!) before they can hit the road. This makes it great to do before the park gets crowded. Flying School is also in this area, which is a roller coaster for older kids that has a minimum 42-inch height requirement.
Pick your entertainment. Whether it's The Battle for Brickbeard's Bounty water show in Pirate's Cove or a 4D LEGO movie in FunTown Theatre, make sure you pay attention to the show schedule, found in the park map and on signs throughout the park. Some shows might only be offered once a day.
Plan when and where you want to eat. There are several delicious food options at LEGOLAND, but many of them are concentrated in two main areas (the front of the park or toward the water area). For example, when we were ready for lunch, Castle Burgers was closest to us, but definitely not my son's first pick.
Let them play. Whether it's little ones in Duplo Valley or older ones in Land of Adventure, let your children burn off some energy by enjoying the LEGOLAND play structures. Also, in many of the line queues, you will find a LEGO play area where your children can play under your watchful eye as you hold the place in line.
Consider packing a snack or lunch. Outdoor food and drinks along with small coolers ARE permitted into the park. There are even designated picnic benches where you can eat.
Prepare to get wet. The Quest for Chi ride in The World of Chima is still our family's favorite, but you will get WET, and maybe even SOAKED. I don't mind getting my clothes wet, but I hate squishy sneakers, so consider wearing crocs or flip-flops or throwing a pair in your bag. See our video of this fun ride here.
Allow time to really enjoy Miniland. There are lots of moving pieces throughout Miniland, which features replicas of cities like Las Vegas and Washington, D.C, as well as a Star Wars area, and a simulated NASA rocket launch. You'll want to spend time checking out each area, and the rocket only launches every 10 minutes.
Shop last. We let our kids look through the stores throughout the day, but encouraged them to wait until they made a final decision to purchase. Many of the larger stores are right in the front of the park in Fun Town on your way out, although there is a store in The World of Chima that carries some of the clearance merchandise that you will want to stop at, too!
Check out the hotel. Whether you're coming for the day, or going in the summer when the waterpark is open and want to spend two days, take a peek at the benefits of staying at the LEGOLAND hotel, including early park access and LEGO building workshops.
Hours vary throughout the week, so make sure to check the website when planning your visit. We went on a Monday and found most of the park to be on the less crowded scale.
The park overall was easy to navigate. There are numerous signs directing you to the different areas, and restrooms are also plentiful, well-marked and clean.
LEGOLAND Florida has more great information on its website at florida.legoland.com.
