5 Reasons Why Big Kids Love LEGOLAND Florida Too

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(Last Updated On: July 3, 2019)

If you have older kids you may wonder if there are still things for them to do at LEGOLAND Florida, well, read on to see why my big kids love LEGOLAND Florida too. Check out their favorite LEGOLAND rides, the Beach Retreat and more! While this post is sponsored, all opinions are 100% mine (and my big kids’) own.

5 Reasons Why Big Kids Love LEGOLAND Florida Too

LEGOLAND Florida Resort is nestled within Cypress Gardens, so not only will you experience the awesomeness of everything LEGO, but you will be in awe of the beautiful gardens. Summer started here in Florida a few weeks ago and to start it off with a BANG I took the kids and their friends to LEGOLAND.

We started our little stayaction at the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat Hotel. I don’t know about your kids, but mine LOVE staying at hotels and LEGOLAND Beach Retreat did not disappoint. From the moment you enter the property you are greeted by LEGO characters, friendly staff and bright colors that just leave you smiling.

What makes the Beach Retreat unique is that this isn’t your traditional hotel, 83 beach-themed bungalows offering 166 separate rooms, each with whimsical LEGO® décor in a village-style layout. You actually feel like you are actually part of a “village”, the sidewalk leads you through the town and right up to your semi-private porch that is complete with a table and chairs that you can sit at, enjoy a glass of wine from the Bricks Beach Bar and watch the kids play on the playground.

Each village (there are 13, each named after a popular LEGO Minifigure including Shark Suit Guy, Ocean King and Sea Captain) centers around an outdoor play area, all within view of the bungalows’ shaded patios and offer beautiful views of Lake Dexter.

Once we checked out our room we headed over Sandy’s Castle Restaurant in the Lighthouse Building for dinner, then played several games of corn hole by the Beach Retreat Pool, and finally finished out the night watching LEGO NINAJGO in the room.

We woke up and grabbed our FREE breakfast…that’s right parents…breakfast is FREE and it’s GOOD! There are hot and cold options, our favorites was the biscuits and gravy and fresh fruit options. Oh, and the kids were thrilled with the fact they could have endless chocolate milk.

After breakfast we enjoyed the Beach Retreat Pool, played a little soccer, then headed off to the park! Parking was breeze because that is also INCLUDED with your hotel stay! That’s right parents…you can park for FREE in the priority parking area!

My kiddos are a bit older, and while they were super excited to hit the park, I was a little nervous that there would still be lots of them to do and enjoy. The last time I was at LEGOLAND was for my son’s field trip a few years ago.

The kids loved every minute! They rode every single ride, and while they didn’t scream in fear they laughed and had all sorts of fun making silly faces at the cameras. In fact, they actually rode the Coastersaurus three times 🙂 I loved that the lines weren’t all 45 minutes – 2 hours long, because let’s be honest, we totally experience that at some of the Orlando theme parks.

We spent a LOT of in MINILAND. The kids (and me!) were absolutely amazed that everything (and everyone) was actually built from LEGO. The kids had lengthy discussion on how many people must have been hired to build them, how they came up with the ideas for the scuba divers that actually look like they are swimming, that the St. Augustine Fort looked just like it (we were just there for Spring Break so they really liked that one) and the Star Wars MINILAND…WOW! There are actual scenes from the movies made out of LEGO! Then the kids guessed how many LEGOs were actually used in and around the park…I won’t tell you, you will have to Google it too 😉 Hint…there are a LOT.

Here are 5 reasons why my “big” (ages 10-13) kids love LEGOLAND Florida:

Unique LEGO Stores – They are all avid builders, so seeing the different themed stores with products that you can’t find anywhere else. All of the kids built their own mini-figures 🙂
MINILAND – Like I said, we spent a LOT of time here. They were seriously in awe.
Learning to fly, drive and boat – The different “schools” were fun to walk through and experience. And that built-to-scale Mustang (the Brick Pony) was just too cool.
The Variety – There were shows, rides, stores and fun places to eat. There was always something to do and look at.
The Rides – Their favorites were: Coastersaurus, the new VR ride ‎The Great LEGO Race, AQUAZONE® Wave Racers, and two of the interactive adventures: LEGO® NINJAGO® The Ride and Lost Kingdom Adventure. Interestingly enough, they all had a different favorite one!

There is also a new Waterpark, we unfortunately got rained out of visiting (darn tropical storms!). Since the Florida heat can be a bit much, I definitely recommend getting the pass that allows you to visit both parks, the theme park and the waterpark. And if you are a Florida resident, the most awesome deal is the AWESOME PASS where you get Unlimited LEGOLAND® Florida Admission and Unlimited LEGOLAND Water Park Admission for one low price! Talk about AWESOME.

You can actually choose from several affordable options, including some with discounts on dining, retail purchases and overnight stays. Best of all, every pass type has no blackout dates! For more information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com/passes.

My kids have already asked to go back, in fact one of my favorite things about our visit was when my son’s friend said “This (visit) really made me love LEGOs again, what should we build when we get home?”. So, when they are done building their new sets, maybe we will get the chance to go back to the park. They have their sights on staying at the LEGOLAND Hotel this time because according to the sign we saw it has a 5 Gazillion Star restaurant inside that they have decided we have to check out 🙂