When visiting central Florida, the big draw is to visit the Disney World Resort. Disney does a masterful marketing job to the masses to make Disney World Resort the #1 destination in the Orlando area. We found a surprising alternative to Disney, which is LEGOLAND Florida! After traveling for nine months and visiting numerous “touristy” attractions, LEGOLAND Florida surprised the whole family as a favored day trip.

With my recent visits to Disney World, the last thing I wanted to do was visit another amusement park. Shortly after the Disney World trip, we met a sweet family who had just purchased LEGOLAND season passes. Each season pass comes with two-day entrance tickets to share with friends and family. Our new friends generously offered to take our family for the day to visit LEGOLAND Florida.

About Disney…

In our last blog, I reviewed our experience at Disney World. I don’t think the disdain I share for amusement parks was really expressed. I have never liked amusement parks. Maybe it’s because, in New Mexico, we had one little roller coaster in the whole state. Or because of the time when I was 13 and visited Six Flags Over Texas and got severe whiplash. I even had a sweet boyfriend gift me a season pass to Disneyland when I lived in So. Cal. The amusement park bug never took hold. The crowds, the lines, the “fair” food, and all the carnival games, not to mention instant motion sickness on any whirly rides, leave my skin crawling versus bringing me joy.

But our friends made a generous offer to take us to Legoland, Florida, which is a huge $400 savings for our family. Our twins absolutely loved playing with their kids, so off we went for another theme park day to LEGOLAND.

I never thought I would ever recommend and encourage people to go to an amusement park, but if you are looking for a place big on value, fun, and more rides per person, check out LEGOLAND Florida

Honestly, I don’t even know if the girls knew what LEGOLAND was. We haven’t really played much with Legos and have missed all the Lego movies. My experiences with anything LEGOLAND were only from driving past the park in Carlsbad, CA when I worked in the San Diego area.

So if you are wondering what LEGOLAND is, or need an alternative to Disney, read below all the things you need to know before you go.

This page contains affiliate / compensated links. For full information, please see our disclaimer here.

NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Where is LEGOLAND located? 

It may come as a surprise to many people, LEGOLAND Florida is not located near all the other big Orlando amusement parks.  LEGOLAND  is located in Winter Haven, FL, about an hour from the greater Disney World area.  In fact, you can get to LEGOLAND in about an hour from the Tampa area too.  LEGOLAND is located on the old Cypress Gardens grounds for those who visited the gardens and water ski show in years past.  

• 

• 

Save up to 50% on Value Deals in Orlando!

Who should go to LEGOLAND?

This park is targeted for children between the ages of 2-12, with the optional ages to enjoy the park to be 4 to 9. This means most rides are geared for age and height-appropriate thrills.  For adult thrill-seekers, this isn’t your park, but if you go with kiddos, you will be sure to enjoy the experience through their eyes.

When you arrive in the park, off to the right at guest services is a measure station.  Kids can get measured and receive a color-coded wrist band saying how tall they are.  This helps when you get to rides, ride workers can tell by the color-coded wrist band how tall a rider is.   Our girls just had turned 4 and are 40″ tall, so they were allowed to ride every ride in the park except three. 

• 

• 

What is the cost for LEGOLAND? 

LEGOLAND is less spendy than most parks.  It is $99 a day, but if you book online and purchase tickets beforehand, you save $15!  Purchasing online is $85 to visit LEGOLAND  Florida for 1 day and $110 to visit the theme park AND the water park. Kids 2 and under are free. There are more savings found online for multiple days.   

If you are a Florida resident (we are as we domicile in Florida), you might consider the annual pass option.  Once we visited, we knew we would be back.  Both sets of grandparents were coming to visit and really wanted to spend the day doing an amusement park activity with the twins. Since LEGOLAND was easy and twin-approved, we knew this was the perfect place to take the grandparents for a day of fun. 

Season passes run between $99 and $300 with progressive benefits packages.  We chose the Awesomer Pass at $179 as it comes with 2 complimentary tickets.  This meant for our family of 4; we would receive 8 additional guest passes.  For our family, the season passes cost $716 (plus tax).  We were able to visit the park two other times and gift both sets of grandparents and an aunt with admission into the park, a total savings of $571! The savings continued to add up with free parking.  And we went once more, paying it forward with our three remaining tickets to another Fulltime Family.

Where to Stay?

If wanting to make more of a vacation, LEGOLAND does have three hotel accommodations to choose from.  There is LEGOLAND  Hotel, the new Pirate Island Hotel, and the Beach Retreat.  Check LEGOLAND.com for Vacation packages and all-inclusive packages.

• 

What is LEGOLAND?

LEGOLAND Florida is exactly what it sounds like! LEGOLAND Florida brings to life a land made of Legos, hand-built with thousands of everyone’s favorite toy brick.  Walking around LEGOLAND, you will be amazed at the genius of engineering brought to life with beautiful replicas of dinosaurs, Star War characters, jungle animals, and so much more.  Walking around the 150-acre interactive theme park full of attractions, experiences, dining, shopping, mini-cities created of Legos, and even a water park.   

LEGOLAND  Florida is on the property of what used to be Cypress Gardens, and there is still an area dedicated to the former park. Opening Spring of 2021 is an all-new water ski show, and the park has an area dedicated to the gardens, a perfect spot for a picnic or a quietstroll.

LEGOLAND  Florida is divided into multiple lands inspired by different LEGO  product lines and destinations: The Beginning, Fun Town, The LEGO  Movie World, MINILAND USA, Duplo Valley, LEGO Kingdoms, Land of Adventure, LEGO  City, Imagination Zone, LEGO Technic, LEGOLAND Water Park, Cypress Gardens, Heartlake City and LEGO Ninjago World.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

What is there to eat in LEGOLAND?

One of the great things about LEGOLAND is they allow you to bring in your own food and pack a picnic.  Picnic tables are scattered throughout the park.  If packing a lunch isn’t an option, there are a ton of food options. With theme park prices being half of the other parks we visited, we found purchasing lunch at LEGOLAND didn’t bust the budget.  Do be aware, during winter and covid, most restaurants are not open, so this does limit your option a bit, but normally there is so much to choose from.  There is an Italian buffet, taco stand, bratwurst/hot dog shop, Burgers (the only sit-down option), famous apple fries, and ice cream.  And fear not, if you must get your carnival food fix, they even have funnel cake.

• 

• 

Covid Rules

LEGOLAND does have Covid measures in place to make you feel safe during your visit.  We found LEGOLAND took a more kid-friendly approach to Covid rules.  Children age 8 and under are not required to wear masks, but it is up to your family to choose mask-wearing.  Adults, and those over the age of 8, are required to wear masks in line and rides.  But you may choose to take your mask off as you walk around the park, provided you maintain social distancing.  We saw several staff workers cleaning the park restrooms, tables, and high touchpoints.  Hand sanitizer stations are located throughout the park.  We appreciated LEGOLAND’s approach to covid rules and definitely made our experience more enjoyable.

• 

• 

• 

More to know about LEGOLAND:

1. There is a Water Park! We visited this our last trip when it was finally warm enough so we wouln’t miss out before we leave Florida.  The water park has a lazy river, splash pads, multiple water slides, a wave pool, and a huge playground with water features. One word of caution: the water park is located at the back of the theme park, and you must walk all the way through the park, which is at least a 15-minute walk.  You will need to pack your own towels and swim gear, and don’t forget the sunscreen as central Florida is HOT and Sunny. 
2. The lines are short at LEGOLAND Florida. We only went on a weekday in December, January, February, and March, and our experience was virtually no line.  The longest we waited in any line was 10 minutes.  And during non-pandemic times, LEGOLAND  provides LEGOS for idle little hands to help pass the time.  We recommend getting to the park as it first opens and hit your favorite rides early. 
3. We recently learned about Mini Lego People Trading! Much like pin trading at Disney, LEGOLAND employees will trade Legos and Lego people with the guests (pre-covid)! Something to keep in mind for your little LEGO fans. 
4. Worried about having kids of all ages?  Don’t worry, LEGOLAND considered even the smallest of tykes.  Located beside every “big” kid ride is a play area or jungle gym to keep littles occupied while the big kids ride the coasters.

• 

• 

• 

BDA Ride Recommendations:

• “The Dragon” – By far, the girls’ favorite ride is the “The Dragon.”  This is a medieval-themed indoor/outdoor roller coaster.  You must be 40” to ride, and it is the only roller coaster in the park. The twins are tall enough to ride.  They love it and frequently ask to ride it again and again.
• The “School” rides – In an area dedicated to teaching how to operate vehicles, the girls love the “Ford Driving School” and “Boating School.” Here little can drive their own vehicles.  The Ford Driving School is divided into ages 3-6 and 6-12 for age-appropriate sized car, speed, and track length.  Nothing is cuter than watching a bunch of four-year-olds drive cars.  Well, maybe just as cute is watching 4-year old’s navigate in little boats.
• Unikitty Disco Drop – this ride drops, spins, and bounces to techno music.  While Brighton was scared the first time, she now loves this ride!
• THE LEGO MOVIE Masters of Flight – is a three-story flying couch transporting riders through THE LEGO MOVIE.  Daisy and I prefer to close our eyes at parts of it as the “flying” is a little too fast for our stomachs.
• Safari Trek – this ride is just so fun to get into a little jeep-like car and ride around a safari of Lego animals.  The details in the elephants, tigers, zebras, and giraffe are amazing!
• Rescue Academy – this ride is a true workout and takes the whole family to team up and race your fire truck to put out a fire.  Don’t let mom or dad sit this out, as the whole family needs to pull together as a team.
• Grand Carousel – near the park’s front, we can’t walk by without riding this classic.

BDA Attraction Recommendations:

• DUPLO Zone – this area has rides and attractions for the littlest parkgoers.  My girls love riding the tractor and train rides or pushing all the farm animal buttons to hear the sounds they make.
• Miniland USA – Miniland area is an area featuring cities across the scale on a miniature LEGO scale.  You can see New York, Las Vegas, the street of San Francisco, or even watch a space shuttle launch for Florida Space Coast.  This area is shut down temporarily in the spring of 2021 as they build a shade structure but will open in time for the summer of 2021.
• Brickbeard Watersports Sunt Show – This show is brand new starting February 2021.  We got to experience the thrilling sky-high jumps, stunts, and water sports featuring LEGO characters. The girl in me who put a water skier on her high school ring was elated with seeing the water ski pyramid!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

LEGOLAND receives eight BDA Thumbs Up!

On our very first trip, LEGOLAND surprised and delighted us immediately. We rode more rides in a day at LEGOLAND than we did the three days spent at Walt Disney Resort. We didn’t experience long lines, and the whole atmosphere was much more relaxed. Our kids could run around and pick rides. Knowing most rides were geared to a younger audience, we got to enjoy the magical excitement of the twins learning the first thrills of a “real” roller coaster.

I never thought I would ever recommend and encourage people to go to an amusement park, but if you are looking for a place big on value, fun, and more rides per person, check out LEGOLAND Florida.  Our girls have enjoyed every minute.  And as parents, seeing their joy in playing and learning gives us many BRIGHT DAIS AHEAD.

• VISIT NORTH DAKOTA – SEE A MUSICAL AND A NATIONAL PARK
• HOW TO VISIT GLACIER NATIONAL PARK WITH KIDS
• THINGS TO DO IN THE OREGON CENTRAL COAST WITH KIDS
• THE REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY – HOW TO VISIT WITH KIDS
• How to see the Grand Canyon with Kids
• BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK – 5 REASONS TO DRIVE OUT OF YOUR WAY
• Visiting Disney World during a pandemic
• South Dakota: America’s Best Kept Secret
• Visiting Yellowstone with Toddlers