On our first trip to LEGOLAND Florida, we’d just walked beneath the landmark LEGOLAND sign into the park when my 4-year-old daughter spotted it: The Grand Carousel.
This isn’t just any carousel. A double-decker beauty and the centerpiece of the park’s Fun Town, the towering carousel gleams with colorful LEGO-themed horses and whimsical LEGO designs. My daughter and her twin brother shrieked in delight, pulling their 7-year-old sister along as they made a beeline for the classic ride.
With no line on a breezy afternoon, my children immediately clamored to the top deck and claimed horses. As the carousel spun and cheerful music played, we were treated to thrilling panoramic views as my kids grinned and whooped. I knew then that this would be a vacation we would all remember.
Here’s what we learned on our family trip, and everything you need to know to make a trip with little ones to LEGOLAND Florida unforgettable.
Stay Onsite at a LEGOLAND Hotel
One of the best decisions of our trip was opting to stay onsite at one of LEGOLAND Florida’s fully themed hotels. Just steps from the park’s entrance are the ultra-walkable LEGOLAND Hotel and Pirate Island Hotel, while the lakeview LEGOLAND Beach Retreat is a short shuttle ride away.
All three of the hotels are designed specifically for young children, with a separate kids’ sleeping area in each room, nightly kids’ entertainment, a full schedule of activities, countless LEGO-themed play areas, swimming pools, a free all-you-can-eat hot breakfast, restaurants and more.
We booked a Kingdom-themed room at the LEGOLAND Hotel, and my children (ages 4, 4 and 7) couldn’t have been happier. My oldest completed an in-room treasure hunt, while my younger two jumped and boogied in the hotel’s disco elevators. We attended a castle-themed storytime and pajama dance party, and my kids found new friends on a giant LEGO ship in the hotel’s play area.
SheBuysTravel tip: Staying in either of the onsite hotels (LEGOLAND Hotel or Pirate Island Hotel) grants access to both properties’ amenities. Since the hotels are connected, we freely floated between the two, opting for a decadent pirate-themed dinner (and breakfast one morning) at Shipwreck Restaurant and the Pirate Island Hotel’s multiple pirate-themed play areas.
Buy the Multi-Park Passes and Allow for an Extra Day
LEGOLAND Florida Resort encompasses three separately ticketed (onsite) theme parks: LEGOLAND Florida, LEGOLAND Water Park (accessible through the main park) and the adjacent Peppa Pig Theme Park. Since it’s impossible to see all three in one day, the Multi-Day (either 2 or 3 day) 3-Park Passes are the best value. The multi-park tickets allow for park hopping, too.
No matter which park tickets you buy, allow for an extra day in case of something unexpected — like inclement weather. While Florida theme parks are often even better on rainy days (no crowds!), sometimes heavy rain can interfere with theme park plans.
On the first morning of our trip, our children happily played at the hotel while torrential rain poured down. The skies later cleared for a gloriously uncrowded afternoon at LEGOLAND Florida, and we were rewarded with the resort’s Rainy Day Promise: the ability to use our tickets for one additional visit within the next year. We chose to extend our trip for an extra day at the parks, storing our luggage at the hotel and driving home that evening.
Visit Kid-Friendly Rides with Minimal Wait Times
While LEGOLAND Florida does have its thrill rides and rollercoasters (including rides like The Great LEGO Race, Coastersaurus Roller Coaster and LEGO NINJAGO The Ride), the rides meant for younger children are also great.
My 4-year-olds waved as they chugged along on the DUPLO Train and DUPLO Tractor, and we all adored the fast-moving wooden train ride Merlin’s Challenge. The Royal Joust ride was a favorite, as was the Safari Trek ride.
The best surprise of our trip was the low wait time for rides; we hardly waited at all. At most, we may have waited 20 minutes for a ride. Five minutes was more likely.
She Buys Travel tip: LEGOLAND Florida is huge, and if rides are a priority, rent a stroller. Even kids who haven’t used strollers in years may need one. We rented a double stroller for our twins and a single for our oldest.
Visit Peppa Pig Theme Park
First off: Peppa Pig Theme Park is adorable. It’s a colorful, sweet theme park that is meant for preschoolers (perfect for 2 to 5 year olds), though I saw plenty of older siblings enjoying themselves, too. It’s manageable and magical for the whole family.
My son adored riding a dinosaur with his dad on Grampy Rabbit’s Dinosaur Adventure, and he and his sister climbed into a boat for Grandad Dog’s Pirate Boat Ride and pedaled fiercely on tricycles for Peppa’s Pedal Bike Tour and George’s Tricycle Trail. We soared over the park on Peppa Pig’s Balloon Ride and flew on the drop ride Mr. Bull’s High Striker. We even took the twins on their very first roller coaster: Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster, which was thrilling for all of us.
Another notable feature of Peppa Pig Theme Park is its accommodations for young children. In the bathrooms, there are tiny toilets and small sinks for little ones. The Muddy Puddles Splash Pad is one of the nicest kids’ waterplay areas I’ve seen, and the Cinema provides an air-conditioned space to decompress on giant beanbags and watch Peppa Pig episodes on a big screen.
Cool Off with Water Rides and the Water Park
With the Florida heat, LEGOLAND Florida’s water rides are fun and a great way to cool off.
My children and husband loved boarding a ship and defending it during the Battle of Bricksburg, a water ride that left them all soaked. The AQUAZONE Wave Racers ride is another where riders may get wet.
And of course: the LEGOLAND Florida Water Park is perfect for water lovers, including the Twin Chasers and Splash Out slides, a LEGO Wave Pool, the interactive play area Joker Soaker and Build-A-Raft Lazy River.
Due to one of our kids being treated for an ear infection, we didn’t make it to the water park on this trip — but we can’t wait to visit next time!
Marvel at Miniature Worlds at MINILAND USA
Beneath a giant shaded canopy in the center of LEGOLAND® Florida, MINILAND USA is incredible for all ages. Built from over 32 million LEGO bricks, this expansive outdoor display offers the chance to walk among elaborately built miniature scenes from Florida, California, Las Vegas, New York City and Washington, D.C.
My kids particularly liked the imaginative Pirate Shores display (complete with sailing ships, a quiet village and a lagoon), and we counted down and cheered as a realistic spaceship “lifted off” at the miniature Kennedy Space Center.
Indulge in Sweet Treats Unique to LEGOLAND
LEGOLAND Florida is filled with indulgent treats that can’t be found anywhere else.
Adjacent to the carousel is a must-stop shop for anyone craving a truly original dessert: Granny’s Apple Fries, or delicious “fries” made from Granny Smith apples, dusted with cinnamon sugar and served with whipped cream for dipping. My kids devoured a large order in minutes.
At Kingdom Cones, we ate Watermelon Bliss Cones: a seasonal treat of Dole watermelon soft serve atop a green matcha waffle cone with chocolate sprinkles.
And back at the LEGOLAND Hotel, my kids especially enjoyed the daily breakfast’s LEGO-shaped waffles with real maple syrup (rare in Florida!) at Bricks Family Restaurant.
Stroll Through Old Florida at Cypress Gardens
LEGOLAND Florida is built on the site of Florida’s first theme park: Cypress Gardens, which opened in 1936 as a botanical garden and grew to become one of the state’s biggest attractions, known for its gardens, water ski shows and Southern Belles.
Today, the botanical gardens of Cypress Gardens have been meticulously preserved, and we were able to walk throughout the 30-acre historic gardens and stand beneath the shade of an enormous Banyan tree planted in 1939.
We loved the chance to take a break from rides and step back in time to wander the nature trails for a bit.
Go on an Epic Boat Ride Journey and Catch a Water Sport Stunt Show
We journeyed through uncharted waters on Pirate River Quest, a free-floating boat ride that took us on an adventure through the canals of Cypress Gardens to find Captain Redbeard’s lost treasure. My son loved the ride’s storyline, while I loved venturing out onto the open water at the end of the ride.
Nearby, catch Brickbeard’s Watersport Stunt Show, a thrilling water stunt show on Lake Eloise that features original music and spectacular water stunts including wakeboarding, barefoot skiing, jump acts and a water ski pyramid.
SheBuysTravel tip: Check the weather and schedule ahead of time if you’re looking to catch either of these; both are dependent on weather, and the watersport stunt show takes place on select dates.
Learn about LEGOLAND’s History at The LEGOLAND Story
At The LEGOLAND Story, we learned about the history of the LEGO toy brand and its subsequent LEGOLAND parks around the world.
We watched an animated short film about Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen and his evolution from building wooden toys during the Great Depression to forming the LEGO company and its now-famous interlocking bricks. It’s an incredible story about resilience.
The space also contains a fascinating exhibit about the LEGOLAND theme parks around the world, including the original park that opened in Denmark in 1968. We learned that six identical 2×4 LEGO bricks can create more than 915 million unique combinations, and we built our own masterpieces to display.
And of course: The LEGOLAND Story houses the park’s best spot for LEGO Minifigure trading, with an entire wall of Minifigures available to trade. We didn’t know about Minifigure trading until our trip (if you don’t know, it’s a big deal), but by the third day, my kids were trading in their tiny Minifigures for others like pros.
Let Kids Play! Chances to Play and Create are Everywhere
One of the best features of LEGOLAND Florida is its spaces meant for play.
In the park’s Land of Adventure, my kids spent hours climbing, crawling, sliding and playing in Pharaoh’s Revenge Land of Adventure, an outdoor play structure filled with soft foam balls and mazes. In THE LEGO MOVIE World, they climbed into a vertical spaceship and slid down a winding slide.
But our favorite play area of all was Imagination Zone, an indoor space filled with hands-on LEGO building activities. Our kids built LEGO buildings and then tested them on an earthquake table, built rockets and rovers for NASA and sent LEGO vehicles zooming down timed racing ramps.
LEGOLAND Florida Details
LEGOLAND Florida Resort is located southwest of Orlando at One LEGOLAND Way in Winter Haven, Florida, 33884.
The park is an hour by car from either the Orlando International Airport, Orlando Brightline Station or Tampa International Airport; its closest train station is the Lakeland Amtrak station. Parking is included for guests of LEGOLAND Resort hotels (and select annual passholders); all other vehicles will pay a daily parking fee that starts at $35 per day.
SheBuysTravel Tip: If you’re not staying at a LEGOLAND Resort, save money by purchasing parking online in advance (parking starts at $32). There are also frequent deals to be found, such as LEGOLAND’s Family Vacation Packages or admission discounts through CityPass.
Leave a Reply