Legoland California is an amusement park located in Carlsbad in southern California, about 90 minutes south of Los Angeles and half an hour north of San Diego.
The amusement park was the third Legoland amusement park to be opened back in 1999 and the only one outside Europe. It is co-owned between the Lego Group itself and Merlin Entertainments who own about 70%.
There are just over 20 rides at the amusement park and this includes 6 water rides in addition to 3 rollercoasters and the amusement park is divided up into 9 distinct sessions.
Explore Village is a section of the amusement park which really appeals to the younger children. It contains the ‘Water Works’ attraction which has plenty of interactive water activities to enjoy. There is also Fairy Tale Brook where you gently take a boat down the river lined with models made out of Lego which all depict famous fairy tales.
In Fun Town at the amusement park, there are two separate driving schools for children aged up to 5 and the other for those aged between 6 and 13. In this section of the amusement park, you also have the opportunity to see how Lego bricks are made. You can even try your hand at fire fighting at the Fire Academy where families compete against each other to see who can put the fire out first – all done in complete safety, of course.
Dino Island opened in 2004 and features a mini roller coaster which weaves its way around model dinosaurs and the amusement park’s latest attraction is the area known as the Land of Adventure. The amusement park’s latest ride ‘Lost Kingdom Adventure’ is the highlight here where you take a ride to discover lost treasure, firing laser guns at targets on route. In the summer of 2009, the latest ride, a slide called Dune Raiders will be unveiled in this section of the amusement park.
In addition to the above areas, the amusement park also contains Pirate Shores where most of the main water rides are featured, the Imagination Zone which includes a 4D film of Bob the Builder and Miniland USA which features scaled down cities in the USA constructed of Lego bricks which are fascinating to look at. These include replicas of New York, Washington, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
The Beginning, which is an area located at the front of the amusement park contains a restaurant and shops where you can buy boxes of Lego, T-shirts and other souvenirs of your visit.
See also:
Amusement Parks: Sonoma Traintown - a Potted History
Amusement Parks: Six Flags Magic Mountain - a Potted History
Amusement Parks: Universal Studios Hollywood - a Potted History
Amusement Parks: SeaWorld San Diego - a Potted History