LEGOLAND Florida Resort in Winter Haven, FL is one of 10 LEGOLAND resorts around the world. While LEGO toys bill themselves as being made for kids of all ages, LEGOLAND theme parks are built primarily for kids ages 12 and under — so it’s one of the best things to do with kids in Central Florida. The height requirements for most rides aren’t out of reach for younger kids and there are attractions and play areas specially designed for toddlers and preschoolers. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting LEGOLAND Florida Resort.
LEGOLAND Florida Resort Parks
LEGOLAND Florida Resort has two fun-filled parks – LEGOLAND Florida Theme Park and LEGOLAND Water Park. The water park is accessible from inside the theme park, therefore is only available as an add-on to your theme park tickets. LEGOLAND Theme Park is split into 13 lands, including LEGO NINJAGO WORLD, DUPLO Valley, The LEGO MOVIE World, and LEGO City. Each land has attractions that fit the theme, along with dining, shopping, and fun play areas for kids who need to burn off some energy or aren’t quite tall enough for certain rides. Don’t forget to bring a few minifigures so you can trade them with LEGOLAND’s Model Citizens (what LEGOLAND calls their employees). At LEGOLAND Water Park, you won’t find the monster waves or super-tall slides that you can find at other water parks. LEGOLAND Water Park prides itself on having splashy attractions that are accessible to kids of all ages (and heights). The waves in the wave pool are just big enough not to knock over younger kids, the lazy river features oversized floating LEGO bricks you can build with on your raft, and there are two separate water play areas – one for big kids and one for toddlers.
LEGOLAND Florida Hotels
There are three hotels at LEGOLAND Florida – two that are just outside the park gates and one right across the street. The original onsite hotel is the aptly named LEGOLAND Hotel, with rooms themed to either LEGO Kingdom, LEGO Adventure, LEGO Pirate, LEGO Friends, or The LEGO MOVIE. This hotel is connected to the Pirate Island Hotel, which is similar in most ways, except that the guest rooms and public areas of the hotel all have a LEGO Pirate theme. The check-in area for both hotels is through the main entrance to the LEGOLAND Hotel, but there is a hallway that connects to the Pirate Island Hotel. On the LEGOLAND Hotel side, you’ll find BRICKS Restaurant, Skyline Lounge, a large LEGO castle play area, and the main pool and waterslide (and even more floating bricks to play with). On the Pirate Island Hotel side, there’s the Shipwreck Restaurant, Smuggler’s Bar, and a smaller pool. Both hotels have daily activities, a complimentary family-style breakfast, daily in-room treasure hunts with LEGO prizes, and a separate sleeping area with bunk beds, a trundle bed, TV, and LEGO bricks for kids. Either of these hotels make for a great getaway in Central Florida. Across the street, the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat offers spacious family bungalows, outdoor play areas, daily activities, a resort-style pool, and onsite dining. Like the other hotels, breakfast is also included at the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat and a shuttle is available throughout the day to take you to LEGOLAND’s theme parks.
Buying Tickets for LEGOLAND Florida
LEGOLAND offers four basic ticket types and all of them are cheaper if you purchase online in advance instead of at the front gate. You can choose from one-day or two-day tickets to just the theme park or you can purchase one-day or two-day tickets that grant you access to the theme park and the water park. If you only buy a one-day ticket and decide you want to come back the next day, you can visit guest services to upgrade your ticket to a two-day ticket for a small fee.
Add-Ons at LEGOLAND Florida
In lieu of a base ticket, you can opt for one of LEGOLAND’s VIP Experiences. There are three tiers to choose from, but each gets you admission to the park, a personal VIP tour guide, skip-the-line access for rides, and other exciting perks. The annual passes are surprisingly affordable and may be a good choice if you think you’ll visit LEGOLAND Florida or other LEGOLAND destinations within a year of purchasing your pass. Other add-ons include all-day digital photo access, cabana rentals at the water park, Fastrack skip-the-line access, refillable Coca-Cola Freestyle cups, and stroller, wheelchair, and ECV rentals. Most of these can be done when you arrive at the park, but you’ll save time by reserving them online before your visit.
Dining at LEGOLAND Florida
There’s plenty of dining options in every land inside LEGOLAND Florida, including the water park, but there are a few standout food items you should add to your list before you visit. When it comes to treats, LEGOLAND is best known for its sweet and crispy apple fries. You can get them served with whipped cream for dipping or as a sundae with vanilla soft serve and caramel sauce. At Kingdom Cones, you can get soft serve with colorful “flavor bursts” swirled throughout and Dragon’s Den serves savory smoked turkey legs and brews from local brewery, Grove Roots.
Must-Dos at LEGOLAND Florida
LEGOLAND Florida’s newest land is THE LEGO MOVIE World, so it’s no surprise that some of the park’s best rides are located here. Unikitty’s Disco Drop is a kid-friendly drop ride, THE LEGO MOVIE Masters of Flight is a gentle flying theater ride (that smells like cotton candy), and the Battle of Bricksburg is a water ride where kids can shoot water at evil DUPLO blocks. And, yes, you will get very wet. The historical Cypress Gardens botanical garden once stood where LEGOLAND was built and a portion of it remains within LEGOLAND. It’s definitely worth your time to walk through and see the exotic trees and flowers. Of LEGOLAND’s four coasters, The Dragon is the most well-themed and thrilling and as far as interactive shooting rides go, you can’t beat LEGO NINJAGO The Ride. While not a ride, MINILAND USA is a must-see during your visit. This walk-through attraction features recreations of famous U.S. cities and landmarks made from thousands upon thousands of LEGO bricks.
Special Events at LEGOLAND Florida
LEGOLAND Florida holds various events throughout the year, but two that you can count on are Brick or Treat and Holidays at LEGOLAND. Brick or Treat is a family-friendly Halloween celebration with trick-or-treating, costumed characters, and more. Holidays at LEGOLAND has a gigantic LEGO Christmas tree, holiday characters and treats, and lots of twinkling lights. Both are included with general admission. LEGOLAND Florida Resort: Official Website
