Legoland Florida holds its grand opening ceremony – Florida’s newest theme park now open to all
The first major theme park to open in the United States in a decade, Legoland Florida got off to a busy start with thousands of visitors lining up near the park’s entrance before dawn for the 10 a.m. opening ceremony.
Families began arriving at 5:30 a.m. and the crowd grew as the countdown continued. At 9:58 a.m., General Manager Adrian Jones flipped the ceremonial switch to “power up” the park. As the crowds burst through the stanchions and raced to the turnstiles, the Brunner family from Lake Mary, Fla. became the first official guests and received Legoland Florida annual passes.
About 50 minutes from both Orlando and Tampa, the park celebrates the world’s love-affair with all things Lego by delivering a park that includes more than 50 million bricks. Its 50 rides, shows and attractions put kids in the center of the action by giving them the opportunity to drive, fly, build and climb their way through 150 acres of fun. Legoland Florida is the fifth in Merlin Entertainments Group’s Legoland portfolio.
“In essence, we’re establishing an entirely new visitation category in this market because every ride, show and attraction within Legoland Florida has been designed exclusively with kids ages 2 to 12 in mind,” said Nick Varney, CEO for Merlin Entertainments Group. “It’s a real game-changer for Central Florida because young families can finally plan that first theme park vacation assured that even their youngest child will enjoy a memorable experience, and that they’ll be able to optimize their vacation budget.”
Like other Legoland Parks, the Florida destination is divided into 10 zones. Four junior coasters stand ready to offer many young theme park-goers their first thrill experience, including Coastersaurus, a wooden roller coaster that anchors Land of Adventure, and Lego Technic Test Track coaster which joins the splash-tastic Aquazone Wave Racers in the Lego Technic Zone.
Other zones include Lego Kingdoms, which features knights, princesses and dragons – as well as the newest “castle” in Central Florida – and the interactive Lego City where kids freely drive cars and boats by themselves. Miniland USA is the heart of Legoland and features landmarks from Washington D.C., New York City, Las Vegas, and major points of interest across Florida including Kennedy Space Center and the Daytona Motor Speedway, all built at 1:20 scale.
Located on the site of the former Cypress Gardens, Florida’s first theme park which opened in 1936, Legoland has reclaimed the exquisite botanical gardens that made its predecessor famous. Park designers maximized the setting along the shores of Lake Eloise to offer breath-taking site lines and positioned each zone to take full advantage of the ample shade offered by hundreds of moss-draped oak trees.
Legoland tickets cost $75 for adults and $65 for children 3-12, $10 less than other major Central Florida attractions. Annual passes may be purchased for $129 for adults and $99 for children and seniors over 60. For more information visit Legoland.com.
Click Here for our look at Legoland Florida’s attractions, restaurants and shops.
This is so exciting! I really wish I could have been there, but I can’t wait to check it out with my family next weekend!!!
If everything there except the original gardens is meant only those from 2-12, it sounds like a real must to avoid if you’re over 20 which I gladly will but it still seems much better than those last two brief incarnations of Cypress Gardens.
RWB, Although the park is marketed to kids, I really enjoyed it. There are a bunch f great Lego models to check out and the gardens are really pretty. Some of the rides are fun for adults as well.