Lefoland: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I took the kids to Legoland this last week. We had a field trip scheduled with our homeschool group. It was a beautiful day out, and we enjoyed spending time together. Legoland had its pros and cons.

Legoland bills itself as being geared to the 2-12 year olds. That seems to be pretty accurate. The had plenty of rides for kids that would be ideal for that age range. There were four roller coasters, but none went upside down, did crazy twists or were in the dark. There were plenty of other rides that would greatly appeal to those ages. There were also several shows in multiple venues offered throughout the day. These all looked to be aimed at entertaining the target audience; although, we were impressed with the atheletes who were water skiing while wearing the big Lego heads. Our favorite area was Miniland where several US cities are represented in miniature in Legos. Food in Legoland was abundant and varied. Yes, there are burgers and fries, but you can also opt for asian fusion, paninis, all-you-can-eat pizza, and more. Kids meals run about $5.50 and adult combos seemed to be in the $10 range. The pizza buffet ran a little higher.

The day we went the park was only open from 10-5. If we had paid the full price for our tickets ($75 for adults and $65 for kids), we would have felt cheated. With all of the shows and lines for rides the two day ticket may be an option for some ($90 for adults). Even though we went on a lot of the rides, there really wasn't much that appealed to my thrill junkies. We did take a walk through Cypress Gardens, but that disappointed. Almost nothing was in bloom, but being winter we expected there wouldn't be much. The creek was bright green with algae and there were two large areas where grass had been dug up in one open area. Signs gave the names of various plants but no other information, and there were no workers or guides around to answer questions.

The cost, target age, and two hour drive all combine to make this a one time trip for our family. If you have children that are 2-12 or are die hard Lego fans, you might want to plan a trip to the newest of the Florida theme parks. If I had younger children and lived closer, I would look in to the cost of an annual pass.