Legoland Florida

Legoland is a theme park devoted to all things lego located less than an hour away in Winter Park, Florida. The park was created for families with children ages 2-12 in mind. My family had the opportunity to visit this park last May and had a great time. (Full disclaimer, my husband and I are HUGE Disney fans and ALL parks we visit are compared against the house of mouse no matter how much we promise not to. Let’s face it, Disney sets the standard so it is hard not to compare any theme park to Disney standards.) That being said, we were impressed and as a Disney fan, this is not an approval I give lightly. If you have kids who are lego fans, this park is a MUST visit! There are 13 different sections or lands within Legoland Florida, not including their water park which requires a separate admission ticket. The majority of rides at the park are geared for little ones. Some still require a parent to ride along with, but many do not. There are also a few smaller roller coasters for the older or more adventurous kids. We found the park to be clean and easy to navigate. What I really appreciate is that in almost every area of the park there is a play area for kids! This includes playgrounds, splash pads, lego building areas and other fun areas where kids can run and explore to burn off energy. Theme parks are great but they can be very over stimulating for any child. I am a huge believer in giving kids a break from the parks to run around and be a kid. This is one park where no break is needed unless your child needs a nap. They have so many wonderful areas for them to play beyond the rides that it makes this admission ticket worth it’s price. The rides themselves are well thought out and have a cute lego theme that kids and adults will enjoy. They also have a mini land featuring lego displays of cities from across the US and world, as well as, an area dedicated just to Star Wars. When your feet need a break, they even offer 3 unique shows to entertain everyone in the family. Legoland also allows food and non-alchoholic beverages to be brought into the park in a soft sided cooler no larger than 8.5″ wide x 6″ high x 6″ deep. Foods that need to be heated or refrigerated are not permitted. This is a nice feature that allows families to save money by packing snacks, water and/or sandwiches. There are also plenty of food options available at the park. We found the food tasty and affordable as far as theme park standards go. They also have strollers, wheelchairs and ECV rentals available on a first come, first serve basis. Baby changing areas are found throughout the park. They also have several gift stores that include hard to find legos not typically found in most department stores. Other things you should know before you go include this park is smoke free. If you need to smoke it MUST be done outside the park entrance. Smoking is NOT allowed anywhere inside the park. I also encourage packing lots of sunscreen as Florida weather is warm and swimsuits for the kids as there are plenty of splash areas for them to get wet. There is also a charge to park your car at Legoland so be prepared. Since the park is a less than an hour away from Disney, there are only a few options for getting there. If staying on property at Disney, your best bet is to rent a car for the day at one of their Alamo locations. For those staying outside of Disney World there is a bus service you can take to the park that leaves from International Drive near Universal Boulevard. There is free parking there and a $5 per person charge to ride the bus one way. You will need to consult the operating schedule for times. My son was almost 5 at the time of visit and was able to ride about 98% of the rides. I think he only skipped 1 or 2 because he simply did not want to ride them. He LOVED this park and we all had a great time. As a travel agent, we have visited our fair share of theme parks, and beyond Disney, this is one he asks to visit again and again. In short, if you have small kids who enjoy legos, especially in that pre-k to grade 3 age, this should be part of your Orlando itinerary.