Five Things to Know Before Visiting Legoland California
Photo courtesy of Legoland
“Get Out There” is a column for itchy footed humans written by long-time Paste contributor Blake Snow. Although different now, travel is better than ever. Today we visit Legoland California.
If you don’t love Legos, don’t go to Legoland. That probably goes without saying. But unlike other amusement parks that arguably appeal to a wider audience than whatever company owns them, Legoland California might be the most niche and age-specific of America’s major theme parks.
That said, if you adore Legos and can spend hours with them like my 10 year old son routinely does, Legoland comes highly recommended. But non-Lego parents beware—things can get pretty stale pretty fast here, unless you can live vicariously through the focused determination of your Lego-loving child.
After a recent visit to Legoland in Carlsbad, here are five things you should know before visiting.
1. You can do the main park in one day.
Legoland is not big. First-opened in 1999, it includes three separate Lego-themed parks: the main original park, a small water park, and an aquarium. My advice: skip the aquarium. It was tiny and not worth the extra cash to get in. My wife didn’t even get her 7,500 steps until late afternoon (whereas at Disney she can do that for breakfast). Similarly, the water park is also small and geared even more towards small children than the main park.