I have written here before about why we love LEGOLAND California over any other amusement park, but I wanted to restate it. Because we just went to celebrate Firstborn’s 9th birthday with two buddies of his, and it was honestly the best birthday time ever.
Why?
(Full disclosure: I’m not getting paid to say any of this. I paid for this trip like every other haggard parent who kept trying to decide the whole time if the trip was worth it. Conclusion: yeah. Totally.)
1. LEGOLAND Hotel
Yes, it’s pricey, but your room includes a fantastic and varied breakfast buffet that rivals the best buffets of Las Vegas which I remember from my childhood. They even cater to vegan and gluten-free allergies. Delicious. Great grown up food, great kids’ food. Healthy options. And your kid can trade LEGO minifigures with anyone who works there, since their name tags have minifigures on them and they can’t say no. Genius.
Here’s the vegan mango sorbet we had both nights we were there. Yes, I had mine with fresh strawberries and sprinkles.
Also, everything is kid-friendly in this hotel. The decor, the bathrooms (with tiny toilet inserts and a little stool for them to stand on to brush teeth), the free prizes kids get when they check in; it’s all perfect.
Here’s a wall hanging from the “Adventure” themed room we chose, which had Egyptian-inspired art and Indiana Jones-type stuff, including the below LEGO hat hanging on a LEGO hook in the bathroom.
There are free magic shows and fireworks and basically the hotel entertains your kids while you sit on comfy couches and have a beer. There is disco music in the elevators, and we shook our booties literally every time we were in the elevator–with each other, with strangers, whatever. I was dancing along to “Turn The Beat Around” at 7:30 a.m. in the LEGOLAND Hotel elevator. Just try to un-know that fact.
2. The Park
I’d say the park works exceptionally well for 2 to 12-year-olds. It’s a manageable size; you can’t really get lost; there are literally snack stands and bathrooms every 10 steps; it’s a wonderfully designed park.
The MiniLand section which features all of the Star Wars movies in LEGO–including all of the characters from Episodes 4, 5, and 6–is a real highlight. The rides are not too scary for bigger kids who are cautious, and there is plenty to choose from for littler (or more cautious than cautious) little ones. There are more adventurous rides, too, but it’s the kind of place that if you don’t want to go on big rides, there’s still a ton to do that’s fun. In my experience at LEGOLAND, everyone feels part of the fun.
3. Out of Your Comfort Zone-ness
Fireworks are hard for Little Man. Handled that. (He won that one.)
That my son and his buddies wanted to stay up playing “Magic the Gathering” later than the adults could even stay up? Handled that. (The adults won that one.)
My kid volunteered and was picked to be in the Fun Town show, and it made me panic that he’s going to want to be an actor like his mama. (I hope I win that one!)
We had a really fun time at LEGOLAND, and I recommend it so highly. Good times!
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