When we flew down to Florida last month, we really weren’t sure what side trips we’d be making, but I had heard great things from a few different friends about Legoland. Both my kids have loved their Duplo sets for years now, but we haven’t graduated to Lego yet, and the Lego movies are still too scary, overwhelming, or just plain long for my kids to watch. I was concerned they wouldn’t be that interested in a whole theme park based on, well, Lego. Especially right after our trip to Disney.
Boy, was I wrong.
As it turns out, Legoland Florida is the place where everything really is awesome, and I’m so happy we took the time to visit. The overall beauty of the location – the park is actually on the grounds of Florida’s first theme park and botanical garden, Cypress Gardens, which opened in 1936 – is the first thing that struck me, as we began to explore the park. We went on the Island in the Sky ride when we first arrived, and it was wonderful to see the grounds from a bird’s eye view.
There was unbelievable care taken in accommodating young children, from the moment we walked into the park. The attendant who took our tickets noticed my son and immediately handed us a little brochure entitled “What to do When You’re Two,” which listed off all the rides and attractions that he could go on. It was invaluable in planning our visit, allowing us to steer him away from attractive-looking rides that he was too young to go on, and thus preventing some serious meltdowns.
Photo Via: Lego Land
The rides were definitely fun, but one of the most unique parts of Legoland is the ability for kids to interact with much of their environment. Going to the Flight Zone or the Creation Zone and letting the kids create fun things with the millions of Lego pieces available, without having to worry about clean up, is a great way to get out of the sun for a little while. Not to mention the bonus of letting parents sit down for a few moments.
No trip to Legoland is complete with out a stroll through MINILAND USA, where you can see Lego reproductions of Las Vegas, New York City, Kennedy Space Center, and more. The most difficult part of walking through this section was convincing my kids not to climb into the fenced off areas to touch all the miniatures themselves.
Photo Via: Lego Land
And my favourite part of all? Taking the kids on a weekday during the school year was nothing like the overwhelming experience of going to certain other theme parks. There were plenty of people in the park, but line-ups weren’t painfully long, and the sheer size of the park grounds made the likelihood of walking into people and losing your kids far lower. That, in and of itself, made the visit a really positive experience. I would definitely recommend carving out a day to take your kids, the next time you’re in Orlando!
Disclaimer: The author received 4 complimentary Park Passes from Legoland Orlando in order to write about her experiences, however all opinions are her own!
