Let's see. How to say this politely? Adults and long time locals will love that LEGOLAND Florida pays homage to the former Cypress Gardens by retaining several acres of it's former beauty. But you know kids. Your child will take one glance around the gardens and assume that your exciting LEGOLAND Florida day is rapidly deteriorating.
Are the whines and complaints worth it? They are. The centerpiece of what must have been stunning, manicured gardens is the 80-year-old Banyan Tree that towers and sprawls and is majorly impressive. Bribe the kids and don't miss a 20-minute walk through the beauty.
LEGOLAND, Florida Attractions
LEGOLAND, Florida Attractions
 | Cypress Gardens LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL • 877-350-5346 Best For: Kids (3-6) |
 | DUPLO Village LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL • 877-350-5346 Duplo Village is an impressive playground with rides made just for the shorter crowd. Bring your toddler, but keep in mind, that anyone shorter than 36 inches won't be allowed to ride the little kid rides. And if your child is shorter than 48 inches, a responsible rider taller than 48 inches must be with him or her. Catch all that? In DUPLO Village kids drive through the desert to deliver cargo on the Big Rig Rally, douse flames on the Junior Fire Academy and beep horns and bounce around on Granny's Jalopies. The DUPLO Farm offers a huge colorful play structure tricked out in farm life. The kids slide, climb, and crawl in safety with friendly farm animals. Moms will love the LEGOLAND Baby Care Center located in the DUPLO Farm -- an ideal stop for nursing and changing diapers. Best For: Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12) |
 | Fun Town LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL • 877-350-5346 Fun Town is home to a quick Factory Tour that gives a peek into how LEGO bricks are made -- and allows guests to buy individual bricks in the "Pick-a-Brick" area. Best of all is the Wells Fargo Fun Town 4D Theater offering excellent 4-D movies that play throughout the day. Catch at least one movie during the heat of the Florida afternoon. The 700-seat theater offers wonderful air-conditioning and an inventive, high-quality movie that entertains both kids and adults. Fun Town also boasts a beautiful double-decker Grand Carousel -- inspired by the Lego carousel model -- and is ideal for little kids. A store, LEGO Studios, offers LEGO licensed products for sale including Clutch Powers, Harry Potter and Star Wars. Even if you don't want to purchase, stop in for the air-conditioned relief and watch scenes from a LEGO video game. Interesting for kids and adults. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9) |
 | Imagination Zone LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL • 877-350-5346 Let's start with Albert Einstein's head. It's huge, all in DUPLO -- and in the Imagination Zone. (Just a guess but I bet our planet's most popular genius would have treasured being included in modern day toy engineering.) The Imagination Zone is a blast for older kids who want to dig into a pile of LEGO bricks to begin building or even shake hands with Stormer. Shake hands with who, you ask? Just one of your child's greatest heroes from Hero Factory, that's all! Besides meeting their heroes in Hero Factory, kids create with LEGO bricks to their heart's content and race their LEGO car against other cars on the digitally timed track. LEGO Mindstorms is a first-come, first-served forty-five minute program delivering a hands-on experience with robots. Guests simply visit the Imagination Zone and sign up for one of the LEGO Mindstorm sessions. As for an actual ride in the Imagination Zone, risk-lovers will totally go for the Kid Power Towers where kids and parents hoist themselves to the top of a tower to get an impressive view and then allow themselves a fun "free-fall." Best For: Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | LEGO City LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL • 877-350-5346 LEGO City was declared one of the best spots in LEGOLAND by my 8-year-olds. To start, parents and kids alike will marvel at the full size red Ford Explorer that took over 382,858 LEGO bricks, weighs 2,654 pounds and took 2,500 hours to design and build! The rides are totally interactive. Kids douse flames with the entire family on the Rescue Academy ride. Or "drive" at the Ford Driving School where kids take off in small cars and later receive an official LEGOLAND Florida driver's license. (There's a fee for the fancier license.) Younger kids drive in Junior Driving School. Kids navigate their own vessel at the Boating School. Or "fly" at Flying School -- a floorless roller coaster ride that has little legs hanging down, giving the feeling of flight. Kids will dig the "Big Test" show that is interactive for the audience and incorporates lots of silly fun culminating in a fire safety lesson. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9) |
 | LEGO Kingdoms LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL LEGO Kingdoms is a great place for both your thrill-seeker and your child who prefers gentle rides to find a great time just their speed. Your risk lover will climb immediately onto The Dragon, a "scary" roller coaster that zooms by many cool LEGO models including a dragon, a baby dragon, knights and Merlin the Wizard. Younger kids will go for Merlin's Challenge which is a "roller coaster-light" that undulates very gently as it moves in a circle. Twelves and under will head for the LEGO horses that gallop through medieval scenes encouraging riders to joust with other riders. The Forestmen's Hideout is a multilevel tree, rope and slide play structure ideal for ages 7-years-old and younger but my 8-year-olds were quickly bored. Shopping includes the Princess Palace where princesses and pirates dress up (for a price) and parade through the Middle Ages. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12) |
 | LEGO TECHNIC LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL • 877-350-5346 If you have an 11- or 12-year-old risk-lover in tow, head straight for LEGO TECHNIC -- home to the rides that deliver the most exhilaration per second. Test Track is a traditional roller coaster with a big dip and lots of sharp, hairpin turns. The Aquazone Wave Racers spin around and dodge water blasters. The Technicycle ride lets kids peddle giving the impression that they're pedaling into the air. Best For: Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Land of Adventure LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL • 877-350-5346 The Land of Adventure is exciting for older kids and home to many rides with height requirements. The Coasterasaurus -- one of the original Cypress Gardens rides -- rockets past animated and life-sized LEGO brick dinosaurs. Not to be missed is the Lost Kingdom Adventure -- a gentle, but fun interactive ride where guests fire lasers at little points of light inside. Riders receive their score at the end. The Beetle Bounce ride offers plenty of up and down bouncing -- too much activity for my quieter boy, but great for my excitement-seeker. On the gentle Safari Trek riders check out the impressive life-like LEGO animals including elephants, parrots, lions, ostriches and more. Best For: Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12) |
 | Miniland USA LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL • 877-350-5346 The very best that Legoland has to offer is Miniland USA with seven Lego created scenes from America's most celebrated cities. Avoid visiting during the heat of the day so that you're cool enough to enjoy the sights. In Miniland USA you'll find -- the entire state of Florida from Key West to the mansions in the Panhandle. The very impressive Kennedy Space Center that features a space shuttle "launch" with count downs and smoke appearing on cue. Famous scenes from San Francisco including the Golden Gate Bridge and the painted ladies Victorian homes. Elaborate hotels and water features in Las Vegas. The Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Monuments. The White House and the U.S. Capitol building in Washington DC. The skyline of the Big Apple with Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty and more in New York. And gorgeous and intricate pirate ships fighting the King's navy in the pirates' region. Whew. The detail is a lot to take in -- you might want to visit more than once. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9) |
 | Pirate's Cove LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL • 877-350-5346 I had to see my favorite part of LEGOLAND Florida twice. The Pirates' Cove water ski show incorporates Miranda, the leader of the soldiers (giant LEGO mini-figures), pirates, Cap'n Brickbeard and the shark. Miranda and the pirates execute impressive water ski moves -- the pirates even turn back flips from ramps. Just as I was wondering how it would be handled if Miranda didn't get a good grip on one of the departing water skiers, sure enough, she didn't get a grip and ended up in the drink. Being a pro, Miranda gracefully swam back to shore and moved onto the contingency plan without missing a beat. Very cool. Pick up burgers and fries next door at Cap'n Brickbeard's Burgers and enjoy the show on the fully shaded bleachers overlooking Lake Eloise. A friendly warning: water is shot from "cannons" into the audience, so if you don't want soggy burgers, eat them in the beginning of the show. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12) |
 | The Beginning LEGOLAND Way Winter Haven, FL "It's always best to start at the beginning," Glinda tells Dorothy as she begins her journey along the yellow brick road. Our children can "begin at the beginning" too -- on just as colorful an adventure as Dorothy ever had. In The Beginning of LEGOLAND you'll purchase tickets, meet a huge, colorful DUPLO dinosaur, and see The Big Shop full of LEGO toys and merchandise. Don't miss a spin on the Island in the Sky -- one of the remaining rides from the original Cypress Gardens park -- a 150-foot rotating platform that provides a 360 degree view of LEGOLAND Florida. Gentle enough for everyone in the family. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
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