Thursday, January 30, 2014

Why I love Legoland Florida, even more than Disney


No offense to "the happiest place on earth," but Legoland Florida is at the top of my Florida attractions list. 



Here's why:

The theme park is extremely homeschool-friendly. If you attend on a special homeschool day, tickets are only $8 per child and $25 per adult chaperone. If you have a large family or another homeschool family to join you, call them about special school group pricing for groups of 15 or more (the same or better than the homeschool day admission rates). The best pricing for children on their website is $62 and adult tickets are $69, so this savings is significant! It's worth taking the time to explore their website and make advance reservations (required for homeschool rates). 







It reminds me of Florida days gone by, when attractions like Marineland, Weeki Wachee and Cypress Gardens were frequented by many. Legoland Florida was built at the lakefront site of the former Cypress Gardens, and visitors benefit from the beautiful horticultural past. What a beautiful park this is, almost on caliber with Disney. Take a look at these gorgeous photos from the Legoland website: 




On homeschool days you'll avoid the large crowds and have time for even more rides. This is a big perk of homeschooling in general! 

There's a reasonably-priced-for-a-theme-park pizza buffet with indoor and outdoor seating.




Duplo Village has both a covered playground and an outdoor playground, so your big kids can take a break while your little kids enjoy some free play. There's a comfortable indoor Baby Care Center with rocking chairs for nursing and changing stations. The first time we went our one-year-old was more interested in the tot-size rocking chairs next to the adult rocking chairs, I thought we would never leave to enjoy the park's many rides!
(I just read on the Legoland site that the Duplo Village is closed, but the Baby Care Center is still open during construction and I'm sure the new Duplo Valley will be just as lovely when it opens later in 2014.) 

The rides range from tame to thrilling. 




Free activities. We each built a Lego ornament that they added to a giant Lego Christmas tree, for example, during a December visit.




You aren't bombarded with kiosks and peddlers; all the shopping is in specific shopping areas and stores. 




Our Lego-loving sons enjoy the park's attractions, and I enjoy it for the reasons I listed above. What do you like about Legoland? What are your other favorite homeschooling outings in Florida? 





8 comments:

  1. I remember visiting Cypress Gardens back in the 80's with my grandparents. Absolutely beautiful. We were just at Legoland in California. For my older kids one of the top things was the Lego Mindstorms classes.

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    1. Thanks for coming by, Chris! It's still beautiful! One day I'll try to take the kiddos to the one in California!

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  2. I went to Cypress Gardens on my honeymoon in 1984! We've never been to Lego Land but it looks like fun! My grandson would probably enjoy it!

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    1. Thanks for coming by. I think you'd love it with your grandson! I find it to be a very manageable park (not massive like Disney, though I also enjoy Disney of course!

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  3. Wow Legoland Florida looks amazing. We've been to Legoland Windsor near London but it wasn't all that great!

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  4. We visited Legoland and the older kids were just ok with it. I liked the price and the easy crowds but in my opinion it's not a go back several times kind of park. I would never pay their regular price to get in. We live 20 mins away from it. It was a great use for the old Cypress Gardens.

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    1. Hi Penny - thanks for reading and for your comment! I agree that it was a great use for the old Cypress Gardens!

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