Legoland Florida to build new Sea Life aquarium in Polk, add Ferrari ride in 2024
Legoland Florida Resort has announced plans for a major expansion next year by building a Sea Life aquarium in Polk County.
The Winter Haven attraction announced that Sea Life Florida Resort will be a newly constructed, stand-alone aquarium. It will become the fourth theme park on site and the second Sea Life location in Florida.
"Don't worry, Sea Life Orlando is not going anywhere," Legoland spokeswoman Kelly Hornick told The Ledger. "Both aquariums will exist and be different."
Sea Life Orlando is known for its 360-degree ocean tunnel where visitors can watch fish, sharks and other creatures swim by. Hornick said the new site in Winter Haven will not have that same feature. Orlando's famous resident, Ted the Turtle, will also keep his residential address off International Drive.
Sea Life Florida will have a diverse array of marine life (not made of Legos) and interactive exhibits and will invite families to embark on an oceanic voyage. Hornick said the showcase will be a final seascape tank titled "Theme Park Under the Sea."
"Imagine what it would be like if fish were to create a theme park for themselves with rides and a rollercoaster fashioned out of coral," she said. "It will pay homage to Central Florida and our roots being on Cypress Gardens, now Legoland."
The aquarium is tentatively slated to open in fall 2024 and will be the 50th aquarium for its corporate parent company, Merlin Entertainments, based in England. Only one other Legoland site in California has an adjacent Sea Life aquarium.
"We'll be very cautious before sharing a true opening date to give acclimation time to allow our team and the animals to feel safe in the new environment," Hornick said. Visitors should expect that the entrance to Legoland will be "reimagined and reconfigured" ahead of the aquarium's opening date, she said.
Build and race a Ferrari
LegoLand Florida Resort has also announced a new attraction coming this spring, the Lego Ferrari Build & Race Experience. Visitors will be able to see a life-sized Lego Ferrari while building their own Ferrari race car in interactive play zones before testing it on three extreme tracks. Younger guests will have the option to design their own Ferrari with Lego Duplo bricks.
"We haven't announced which Ferrari model we are getting yet," Hornick said.
Merlin Entertainments has built a corporate relationship with Ferrari, which has a similar attraction at the LegoLands in California and Windsor. Each of the sites has a different Ferrari car model, according to Hornick, and the one in Winter Haven will be no exception with an all-new model.
Legoland's Gold and Elite, previously Platinum, passholders will gain access to the new attraction and aquarium once it opens, Hornick said.
Black Eyed Peas to Oliver Anthony Strawberry Festival announces star-studded music lineup
In 2024, passholders will also gain the perk of the theme park's new "make-and-take' workshop series where they can sign-up in advance to build a complimentary Lego model out of bricks to take home with them, Hornick said.
The popular Lego Ninjago weekend will be returning on select Saturdays and Sundays, starting Jan. 20 to Feb. 19, including Presidents' Day.Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on X @SaraWalshFl.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Legoland Florida building new Sea Life aquarium in Winter Haven
