Everything You Need to Know About Visiting LEGOLAND Florida

Welcome to a theme park where everything is awesome.

The LEGOLAND Florida Resort is a theme park designed with kids in mind, with plenty of rides, shows, and activities to keep the youngsters entertained. It wouldn’t be LEGOLAND without an opportunity to play with those famed bricks, and you can do so in the lobby of the LEGOLAND Hotel, atop inner tubes on LEGOLAND Water Park’s not-so-lazy river, and at activity centers dispersed throughout LEGOLAND Park.

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With two hotel resorts where rooms are themed to the max — and a third on the way for 2020 — LEGOLAND Resort Florida makes for an easy family-friendly getaway. To see its 30-acre protected botanical reserve, separately ticketed water park, and dozens of attractions, we recommend taking two full days, making LEGOLAND the ideal long weekend destination. From mini figure trading to the high-flying triple-decker “couch” attraction in the new LEGO MOVIE WORLD, there’s plenty to look forward to at this Winter Haven, Florida family resort.

Read on for more information about LEGOLAND Florida hours, attractions, and dining, plus details about what rides and shows you absolutely must experience.

Getting There

The LEGOLAND Florida Resort is located approximately one hour from Orlando in Winter Haven, Florida. Guests arriving by plane can fly into Orlando International Airport. Tampa International Airport is another nearby option.

Hoping to visit the parks while on vacation at Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando? The LEGOLAND Florida Resort offers round-trip bus transportation from ICON Orlando on International Drive for $5 per person. There is one pick-up per day, at 9am, and shuttles return at park closing. Reservations, which must be booked in advance, can be made here.

If you decide to drive, parking costs $23, and preferred parking costs $33. Save a couple of bucks by purchasing a LEGOLAND preferred parking voucher online in advance. Hotel guests and annual pass holders park for free.

Renting a car may be the best and most flexible choice if you're flying into the Orlando area. LEGOLAND Florida offers up to 25% off of Budget rentals with code (BCD) R533100, as well as additional discounts, including $20 off weekly rentals and free upgrades.

Related: The Perfect Three-Day Weekend in Orlando

LEGOLAND Hours

LEGOLAND Florida typically opens at 10 a.m. and stays open until early evening throughout the year, closing around dinner time (5 p.m. - 7 p.m.) most days. Be sure to check the website for the exact opening and closing times.

LEGOLAND Water Park is open throughout the summer. In fall and spring months, LEGOLAND Water Park is closed on weekdays and remains open on the weekends, and it closes completely in the winter.

At this time, guests at LEGOLAND Florida hotels no longer gain Bonus Brick Time early entry into the theme park.

Buying LEGOLAND Florida Resort Tickets

If you’re looking to save money on LEGOLAND tickets, buy them online at least seven days in advance to save $15 off gate admission, and be sure you’ve squared away your hotel plans. Guests at LEGOLAND’s onsite hotels who book a tickets-and-room package receive a second day of admission completely free. Children under 3 can enjoy the park for free.

LEGOLAND Florida offers multiple tiers of tickets for both of its parks. If you’re buying Super Save or Standard Admission tickets to LEGOLAND Florida and LEGOLAND Water Park in advance, you’ll be required to select which date you will be visiting on. For $15 extra, upgrade to a Flexi ticket, which does not require you to choose a day in advance. All-inclusive tickets to LEGOLAND Florida come with one pre-paid meal, redeemable at Fun Town Pizza & Pasta buffet.

LEGOLAND Water Park, which is located inside LEGOLAND Florida, requires additional admission, and it is only available to LEGOLAND Florida guests. (In other words: you must have admission to both LEGOLAND Florida and LEGOLAND Water Park to enter the water park.) If not purchased in tandem, water park admission can be added to LEGOLAND tickets for $25.

Related: 10 Free Things to Do in Orlando

LEGOLAND Florida Resort also sells annual “Awesomer” passes priced just slightly higher than two days of admission — a great choice for families planning to return. Awesomer passes also include 12 months of admission to SEA LIFE Aquarium, Madame Tussauds, and LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta, as well as complimentary parking.

LEGOLAND Florida offers a Rainy Day Guarantee on all tickets. If weather causes ride delays or closures for over 120 minutes, guests can visit Guest Services to pick up complimentary return tickets, valid for a year from the date of issue.

Related: These Are the Best Theme Parks in the U.S. to Visit This Summer

Getting Around LEGOLAND Florida

Upon entering LEGOLAND, guests will pass through The Beginning and Fun Zone to reach a crossroads; turn left for Heartlake City or right to reach DUPLO Valley, THE LEGO MOVIE WORLD, and LEGO Kingdoms. All paths lead back towards MINILAND USA, an enticing homage to American cities and sights filled with “minifigure” residents, and guests can go on to explore Land of Adventure, LEGO Technic, and LEGO NINJAGO World. Once you arrive at Lake Eloise, you’ve hit Pirates Cove and its enticing waterfront entertainment. From here, guests can explore the Cypress Garden botanical gardens (a lush 30-acre expanse of trees, gardens and plants), visit the indoor Imagination Zone, or take a path past LEGO City to LEGOLAND Water Park.

The Best LEGOLAND Florida Rides

With more than four dozen rides, LEGOLAND Florida specializes in kid-friendly experiences and attractions rooted in real-life adventures. Trek through a safari of LEGO animals, board cartoonish horses on the two-tier Grand Carousel, or glide past LEGO dinosaurs on the aptly named Coastersaurus — there are plenty of experiences perfect for guests of all ages.

The park's latest expansion, THE LEGO MOVIE WORLD, brings the blockbuster animated film to life. Ride THE LEGO MOVIE Masters of Flight (an innovative attraction that’s hands-down LEGOLAND’s best ride) or Unikitty’s Disco Drop, and face-off against DUPLO invaders on the Battle of Bricksburg. (You’ll get completely soaked, making this ride perfect for a hot day.) The movie-themed area also offers experiences straight from the films, including meet-and-greets with Emmet, Wyldstyle, and even Rainbow Unikitty.

Though LEGOLAND is intended for kids, there are still proper thrill rides that everyone in the family will enjoy. Travel past dinos on Coastersaurus, take a ride on the suspended Flight School coaster, or enjoy the park's best offering, The Dragon, a hybrid indoor-outdoor ride with some serious turns. The Great LEGO Race multi-directional coaster offers an optional virtual reality experience, making this one of the most unique rides in the park.

On LEGO NINJAGO The Ride, riders wield virtual fireballs within a blazingly fun, interactive “shooting gallery”, while the Lost Kingdom Adventure offers a "shoot-em-up" target game with mummies and skeletons that react to your every move.

Child-friendly rides put the little ones behind the wheel piloting boats and driving cars on attractions like Boating School, AQUAZONE Wave Racers, and DUPLO Tractor. There’s even a full-blown driving school within a makeshift city sponsored by Ford. Whether you’re working together to put out a three-story fire in Rescue Academy or watching the kids ride a LEGO horse on the adorable Royal Joust, there’s something for everybody.

Related: The 19 Most Exciting Theme Park Rides Opening This Summer

The Best LEGOLAND Florida Attractions

Meet characters and catch a rotating selection of films at the Fun Town 4D Theatre, or enjoy the high-flying antics of LEGO City Brick Builders — there are plenty of shows and performances at this theme park. Perhaps most popular show is Battle for Brickbeard’s Bounty Ski Show, which takes perfect advantage of LEGOLAND Florida’s waterfront location with life-sized Lego characters waterskiing through Pirates Cove.

Many of the park’s areas, like the indoor Imagination Zone, provide plenty of LEGO entertainment, but perhaps the best display of LEGO prowess is within the ornately detailed MINILAND USA. This expansive display features recreations of New York City and the Las Vegas Strip enhanced with delightful touches, like tiny launches of the Kennedy Space Center and window washers on a mini Mirage hotel. Don’t miss the LEGO Star Wars section for photo ops with a life-size Chewbacca, R2-D2, and Darth Maul made from the toy bricks, as well as models of famed film scenes from The Force Awakens and interactive switches that allow guests to make the Millennium Falcon fly.

Cypress Gardens provides calm respite from energetic attractions and crowds. Whatever you do, make time to walk over and experience the enveloping canopies of its signature banyan tree, planted 80 years ago.

LEGOLAND Water Park

Maximize your vacation time by visiting the whimsical water park located inside LEGOLAND Florida, featuring activities for all, including a Build-a-Raft River for relaxing fun, a Build-A-Boat activity center for hands-on creativity in the shade, and the Joker Soaker slide tower with water activities, splash zones and dunk buckets.

The large LEGO Wave Pool is the highlight of the park, but with a double-occupancy raft slide, a trio of slides with 60-foot drops, and a DUPLO Splash Safari exclusively for kids 6 and younger, the whole family can find their own aquatic fun, and walk right back to LEGOLAND’s attractions when done.

(Note: as previously mentioned, additional admission is required to visit LEGOLAND Water Park.)

The Best Restaurants At LEGOLAND Florida Resort

Fun Town Pizza & Pasta Buffet is one of the most popular on-site restaurant options, as meals can be pre-purchased in tandem with LEGOLAND Florida admission, but Panini Grill and Pepper & Roni’s Pizza Stop draw crowds as well. (Don’t miss the LEGO figures outside Pepper & Roni’s — kids love them!)

Taco Everyday in THE LEGO MOVIE WORLD has brought fun options to the new theme park land as well, including kid’s tacos served on colorful tortillas and a Cholula hot sauce bar.

Firehouse Ice Cream, Kingdom Cones, and Heartlake Ice Cream Parlour are hot spots for sweet scoops, but there is one signature dessert that takes the cake. Granny’s Apple Fries, a mainstay from the park’s Cypress Gardens days, remains a popular, deep-fried favorite.

Drinking Alcohol at LEGOLAND Florida

For nearly 10 years, LEGOLAND Florida was a dry park — meaning it did not serve beer, wine, or cocktails inside its grounds — but that changed in 2018. Now, the Florida park sells beer (including craft beers from local breweries) and wine inside both LEGOLAND Florida Resort parks, and it offers beer, wine, and a full liquor bar at its hotels.

Special Events

LEGOLAND Florida offers special events year-round, all of which are included with theme park admission. "Awe-Summer" brings special celebrations, including LEGO MOVIE DAYS on select weekends during the summer months, while Brick or Treat offers candy treat trails, character meets, scavenger hunts, and themed fireworks shows every weekend in October. Holidays at LEGOLAND boasts live entertainment, LEGO Santa, a Christmas Tree, and more during weekends in late November and early December, and daily from December 20th through the end of the year.

LEGOLAND Florida Resort Hotels

The LEGOLAND Florida Resort offers three hotels — LEGOLAND Hotel, LEGOLAND Beach Retreat, and LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel — all of which come with an included breakfast buffet, nighttime entertainment, pools, in-room activities, and meet-and-greets. For these reasons, we recommend staying on-property at LEGOLAND Florida.

LEGOLAND Hotel, which is conveniently located steps from the theme park entrance, serves as an extension of all the fun you’ll find inside.

Unlike other theme park hotels, the rooms are designed with families in mind, with delightful decor from floor to ceiling and kid’s bunk beds separated from the adult’s quarters. Choose between Pirate, Adventure, Kingdom, and LEGO Friends-themed retreats upon booking, or opt for one of the new LEGO MOVIE rooms, with Bricksburg city decor and a Unikitty rainbow bathroom.

For more of a traditional vacation getaway there’s LEGOLAND Beach Retreat, which offers lakeside bungalows with outdoor patios, separate children’s sleeping areas, and colorful decor themed to LEGO minifigure characters. Though not walking distance from the parks, LEGOLAND Beach Retreat offers a free shuttle service to and from LEGOLAND Florida and LEGOLAND Water Park, as well as free parking.

A third hotel, LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel, will debut in 2020 adjacent to LEGOLAND Hotel. Its 150 pirate-themed rooms will offer even more capacity at the theme park resort, while its on-site pirate restaurant will please young buccaneers.

Related: The Top 10 Resort Hotels in Florida (Outside of Miami Beach)