Legotastic AT LEGOLAND This delightful theme park gets family and friends riding, dancing, driving and trading. ® By Amy Nance ©LEGOLAND Florida, Daytona International Speedway in MINILAND USA Since it opened in 2011, I’ve been dying to go to LEGOLAND® Florida—a modern park themed around the beloved interlocking blocks. I waited until the moment my six-year-old son Jude had o icially fallen in love with LEGOs, invited my husband Nick and two of my friends and their kids to join. We were a party of nine—including a trio of eight-year-old girls and the two boys, besties. LEGOLAND is perfectly scaled for kids under 10 and easily covered in a day. We grabbed a map and headed to the Big Shop, where we bought hats. Then we admired DUPLO Valley from the path, an adorable area for preschoolers. First up was the slow-going Royal Joust, where the kids rode horses around a medieval-themed track and got a gentle integration into a day of rides. “ That made me just dizzy enough, ” said my daughter, Willa. Of course, the girls made a beeline for the Dragon roller coaster. The boys wanted foam swords, which they used for jousts while waiting in lines (their battles were short-lived—we never waited more than 15 minutes). The 90-second-long Dragon was a smash, as was Coastersaurus, a wooden roller coaster. Feeling bold, the girls rode on their own. Lost Kingdom Adventure was more the boys' speed. The premise—saving the LEGO princess from Sinister Sam—was fun, and each car tooled through the indoor track equipped with lasers to shoot the bad guys. The biggest win was Driving School. A er a video demo, the kids got into cars and navigated a street block complete with real signs and markings. “ This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! ” declared Shana, as her daughter Emma expertly rounded a corner. (Fair warning: the optional “ drivers license ” will cost you). The Fried Chicken Company is just across the way, so we lunched and sunscreened. Next up was The Quest for CHI where we got drenched shooting water guns at each other and a passerby (sorry ‘bout that) from our boats. Amber rented a dryer station outside and then, just damp, we wandered over to girly Heartlake City. The girls danced on the Stepping Tones Fountain, and we le with ice cream cones to explore MINILAND USA, an enormous landscape of places built to scale from LEGOs. I gravitated to the NYC installations, Jude and Nick to the Star Wars area, and Shana to San Francisco. Nearby, A Pirate’s Cove Ski Adventure show was starting and we settled in to watch LEGO navy soldiers defeat Captain Brickbeard. The major players water-skied right up onto stage and the kids were utterly captivated. A er, we went to the Big Shop again. While Nick gazed longingly at LEGO’s Architecture line, the girls grabbed LEGO-themed stu ies and the boys picked their kits. We le with delicious cinnamon-dusted Granny’s Apple Fries, a fitting end to a treat of a day! 18 Kissimmee Destination Magazine
Experience Kissimmee Experience Kissimmee 2017: Page 18
