Legoland Orlando

Do yourself a favor. Check out Legoland Orlando.

When you make the not too long, but not too short either, drive to Legoland in Winter Haven, it’s better when you get there to find that the gates are open! Sigh…

Coordinates for Legoland Orlando are at the end of this page, so do check to make sure that the park is open before you go as depending on what time of year you go, the park may not be open on certain days.

Legoland Orlando is one amazing place! There are lots of pictures of Legoland Orlando on this page, and a photo gallery near the bottom.

We didn’t know quite what to expect from this venture into Legoland, especially since we were adults with no children about to explore this venue, yet we had a really marvellous, full day.

From the time you enter the park and are greeted by the exceptionally friendly and helpful staff, to the time Legoman waves goodbye to you at the end of your stay, all of your senses will be exercised and happily working overtime.

The map that you are given at the onset of your journey through Legoland shows you where to find everything in Legoland, and will tell you what the guidelines are for each ride or attraction.

The park is divided into 10 connected sections. Visit them all! They are:

• Land of Adventure
• Lego City
• Imagination Zone
• Lego Technic
• Pirates Cove
• Miniland
• Lego Kingdoms
• Duplo Village
• Fun Town

Legoland Entrance

The list above only shows 9 sections. The first of the 10 sections is the entrance to the park, simply called “The Beginning”, where you’ll find guest services, a restaurant, a pet kennel, a shop and a wonderful introduction to the park in a ride called Island in the Sky – a must do for anyone entering this incredible theme park.

In addition, there is a bridge right beside Pirates Cove that connects Legoland with the world-famous Cypress Gardens. Don’t miss it. It’s a stunningly beautiful area with so much to see – well worth wandering through while visiting Legoland. . There is no added charge to get into Cypress Gardens from Legoland.

Legoland is Widely Appealing

It appeals to a really wide age range. I’d take a toddler there with no hesitation since there are areas in the park specifically for that age group, and enough sensory stimulation all around to keep a toddler happy. Older children – maybe up to age 12 or 13 – will have a blast on all the rides, attending the shows and visiting all the “hands on” areas in the park.

Anybody from 13 up will still find a good chunk of the rides appealing and will really appreciate all the Lego art in the park – how thousands (millions?) of little Lego pieces have been built into elephants that spray water from their trunks, medieval knights, Star Wars characters – almost anything imaginable.

Miniland

“Miniland” is an awe inspiring, often animated with sound effects, rendition-in-miniature of places like the Kennedy Space Centre, Las Vegas, New York and places in Florida, all scaled down to wee-person size, and all built out of Lego.

The detail is crazy good – things made of Lego tucked into every corner. You have to see it to believe it. Sounds a bit wonky perhaps, yet it will blow you and your kids away!

Legoland Rides

There is a nice variety of rides. A lot of them have some cool twists which require one to use skills while participating. For example, when participating in the Junior Fire Academy ride in Duplo Village, one is on a cherry picker and uses a fire hose to put out a simulated fire by directing the stream of the water from the hose to a light (fire) as the cherry picker rides up and down. There’s space for 2 people on each section of this ride for small children who might need help.

A lot of moms and dads were enjoying this experience, along with their children.

The Grounds & Amenities

Legoland park itself is beautifully landscaped, clean, easy to negotiate with wide paths to and around all the different sections.

There are lots of benches and rest areas (We saw more than one grandfather napping in the Florida sun on a bench in the afternoon!), and an ample number of clean restrooms in each section of the park.

There are themed restaurants sprinkled throughout the park. Prices are reasonable, and fare is varied, from burgers, to pizza, apple fries, chicken, sandwiches, ice cream and more, and service was always fast and friendly.

Legoland Attention To Detail

A lot of attention is paid to detail at Legoland. For example, those who attend the “driving school” or the “flying school” can receive a personalized photo I.D. attesting to the completion of their course. A very nice keepsake for the kids, a little lighter in the wallet for Mom and Dad, as these are extras.

In many of the areas where one waits to enter a ride, there are tables heaped with Lego (what else?!) to keep the boredom of waiting away from children when the park is really busy. Signs at all attractions tell you how long you will have to wait for your turn.

And everywhere you look there are creatures built from Lego bricks, tucked away in trees, beside trash containers, holding signs for exhibits, gazing from rooftops, climbing utility poles, the attention to detail in making the park enjoyable is extraordinary.

Value

As with all theme parks and attractions in the Orlando area, the price of admission may seem a little steep, yet the cost includes tons of value, making the purchase, in my opinion, well worth it.

Apparently buying your tickets online is cheaper than buying at the gate, and there are numerous outlets in the Orlando area that give discounts on tickets as well. If you decide you’d like to come back another day, an annual pass is a good option. You can apply that day’s admission charge to an annual pass at the pass kiosk.

Parking is extra in the huge Legoland lot adjacent to the front gates. While it seems a bit petty to me to charge folks to park when they have already forked over a goodly sum to enter the park,  this appears to be the trend at all the theme parks.

For the parsimonious, there are shuttles that run from area malls to the park that let you park for free, but at the cost of convenience.

Regardless of whether or not you’ve ever played with Lego, you’ll love both Lego and this park when you are done!

As I was taking the last of my 250 or so photos while leaving Legoland, my camera flashed “Battery Exhausted”. So was this photographer, but happily so!

Legoland Orlando

• Location: One LEGOLAND Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884
• Distance: about 52 miles from #408 & #4 in downtown Orlando
• Tel: (877) 350-LEGO(5346)
• Web: florida.legoland.com