park, southern California's $130 million LegoLand, will make you think again. Not that it will blow you away with the traditional excesses of the park business. Located in Carlsbad, 30 miles north of San Diego, LegoLand has only nine major "rides," and a family can reasonably expect to hit all of them, plus most of the other hands-on attractions (there are nearly 30), in a single day. And while LegoLand's size of 128 acres is about the same as other nearby parks, its efficient layout is easy on the feet and eliminates the need for marathon cross-park hikes.But you can't help being impressed with LegoLand. For starters, there are the fantastically detailed lego models to gawk at--2,000 of them, in fact, and 525 of those are animated. (It took 30 million lego pieces to build them all.) There is a 19-foot-tall tyrannosaurus rex and a 12-foot-long submarine, as well as famous cities that have been meticulously reproduced in 1/20 scale and populated with moving vehicles and people. For a lego-maniac--a common breed of child who lives and breathes for the tiny plastic building blocks--the place is a paradise. For everybody else, it's merely astounding.
Which is not surprising, really. Although LegoLand is a new idea in the United States, the company has 30 years experience with similar parks in Europe. What sets these LegoLands apart from other theme parks is the same thing that sets legos apart from other toys: interactivity. By themselves, lego blocks are nothing more than a pile of plastic bricks. It's only after adding a kid's mind and hands that they take shape.
The California LegoLand plays this factor for all it's worth. At most other theme parks, kids wait in line only to have things done to them, be it spun, shaken or stirred. Here, far more often than not, kids get the chance to do things to themselves (or their parents!), at their own pace and of their own volition. That's why the free-fall ride here doesn't just hoist kids up and drop them; in LegoLand's version, kids use a rope and pulley to hoist themselves (and a brave mom or dad) up, at a speed they determine, and decide when to let themselves fall back down. And at Driving School, the kid-size driving course, you won't find any rails guiding the tires or disconnected steering wheels. Instead, kids drive their own cars and must not only steer but also obey the rules of the road.
There's another difference between LegoLand and most other parks that is especially attractive for young families--there is not a whole lot here that consciously appeals to kids over the age of 12. Rides are strictly of the gentle variety ("pink-knuckle," in park parlance), and the entire park's sensibilities, from the decor to the activities to the child-size drinking fountains and cafeteria counters, are aimed at lego's loyal customers: kids ages two to 12. And the pace is somehow different at LegoLand, too; the park's immersive displays and languorous landscaping encourage visitors to stroll and linger rather than race the crowds to the next big ride.
As a park purely for kids, LegoLand is all the more attractive to parents in search of a friendly, family-oriented oasis. The Lego company is so confident it already plans to open a new LegoLand somewhere in the world every three years well into the next millennium. Not bad for a children's construction toy.
LegoLand in Carlsbad, California, operates year-round. Admission is $46.95 for adults, $38.95 for kids ages 3 to 16 and free for kids 2 and under. Call 877-LEGO-LAND.
Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.
