Considering a visit to LEGOLAND Florida? Here are all of the best tips for visiting LEGOLAND Florida, from what to pack, what to wear, where to stay, and more!
LEGOLAND Florida is located in Winter Haven, Florida. As theme park people we tend to lump a lot of areas in central Florida together and call them “Orlando” when they are not, in fact, located in Orlando.
LEGOLAND is about a 30-45 minute drive from Walt Disney World and 45-an hour drive from Universal Orlando Resort. It is about an hour from Orlando International Airport.
If you’re planning to visit LEGOLAND along with other theme parks in the Orlando area during your vacation I would be mindful to plan for those travel times.
For our trip we planed a “down day” where we were visiting any theme parks and used that day to travel to LEGOLAND and for checking into our room at LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel. We then drove back to the Disney World area following our day at the LEGOLAND theme park.
I do think if you’re staying in the Disney World or Universal Studios area and want to make LEGOLAND a one day experience that it’s very doable! Especially depending on the current operating schedule. And these tips for visiting LEGOLAND Florida will help you make the most of your visit!
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links.
Best Ages for LEGOLAND Florida
A common theme I’ve heard about LEGOLAND in the past is that it’s geared towards the younger crowd. The typical recommended ages for the park are ages 2-12.
For our first visit my kids were ages: 11, 8, 5 and 2. They ALL loved it and I truly believe the 11 year old will still enjoy visiting even when he’s over age 12.
There are lots of attractions that appeal to all ages and even adults enjoy and appreciate LEGOS and the park has countless well-done LEGO creations on display.
I was very impressed with the number of attractions our two year old was able to experience and enjoy. There were even attractions that all four of our kids could ride together without adults riding which was SUCH a special experience to watch them together from the sidelines!
The Duplo Fun Town area was especially a HUGE hit with our toddler and I loved that the theme park put energy into making this area well-themed and truly geared towards the younger ages.
So often at theme parks toddlers seem forgotten and the most you’ll find is a random slide somewhere! This was a true experience for our two year old and out of all the things we did that week he talked about riding the Choo Choo with his grandmother the most 🙂
If you have younger kids I would highly recommend LEGOLAND over Universal Orlando. For our family with our kids ages LEGOLAND was more of a FAMILY experience and there were more things we could ALL enjoy than Universal was!
We have two sons and two daughters and all four of our kids loved LEGOLAND. Our five year old daughter said it was her favorite trip ever 🙂 So with that said, here is our first time at Legoland Florida review!
Accommodations at LEGOLAND Florida
We stayed at LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel during our visit to LEGOLAND Florida and were BLOWN AWAY impressed with the accommodations and entire experience.
Along with the Pirate Island Hotel, LEGOLAND Florida Resort also has two other on-property hotel options: LEGOLAND Hotel and LEGOLAND Beach Retreat. You can learn about all the accommodation options and price your vacation here!
Dining at LEGOLAND Florida
The food at LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel is straight up phenomenal. We frequent theme park dining and agreed that it was THE BEST dinner we’ve had anywhere! Probably are all time favorite family meal. Truly. SO GOOD.
We had dinner and breakfast at Shipwreck Restaurant and loved BOTH meals. Currently they are only taking reservations for guests staying on property at LEGOLAND Orlando Resort, but if they begin to take outside reservations I cannot recommend it enough!
We filled up on breakfast to avoid spending a lot on actual food inside the LEGOLAND parks. We brought snacks and did buy the refillable cups (a GREAT bargain…there are refill stations throughout the park and ICEE is included as a free refill option!).
When we visited the park had modified operating hours so we chose to eat at a Ruby Tuesday’s located right outside the parking lot of the theme park for dinner as they had a kids night.
Since visiting I’ve heard a ton of things about these apparently famous apple fries at LEGOLAND and I wish we’d known about them prior to so we could have tried them! Def something on the list for next visit 😉
There are a plethora of dining options on the main road where LEGOLAND is located so it’s worth exploring to help cut costs during your stay!
Health and Safety Measures at LEGOLAND Florida
At publishing time of this post there are special health and safety guidelines in place at LEGOLAND Florida to help keep guests healthy and safe during the pandemic.
We visited three major theme parks during our stay (Disney World, Universal and LEGOLAND).
Of the three, LEGOLAND did the best job of incorporating their health and safety guidelines in a fun way and had all of the signage go along with the LEGO theming throughout the resort and theme parks.
I also felt that the guidelines were the most practical and filled with common sense at LEGOLAND. Masks are required in all indoor locations across the Resort and on all rides in the Theme Park for all guests ages 8 and up.
Facial coverings aren’t required when walking around the outdoor theme park. They also aren’t required for young children. Encouraged, but not required.
This makes it SUCH a more enjoyable theme park experience as a parent with children. No stressing over masks all day long and we didn’t notice any guests having any issues with the guidelines in place.
Employees would gentle remind anyone who failed to wear their face covering on a ride or indoors. There were also health and safety screenings upon entering the park which were quick and easy!
LEGOLAND has gone completely cashless so be sure to have a credit card or debit card with you during your trip. They also do not currently have park maps so be sure to download the LEGOLAND app prior to travel too!
In our experience, the park was not crowded and we rarely had to wait in a line our entire day at LEGOLAND theme park. We visited on a Tuesday during July! If you’re planning a visit, a weekday visit to ANY theme park will always be less crowded.
You can read more about the most up-to-date health and safety guidelines at LEGOLAND Florida here
What to Pack for LEGOLAND Florida: Tips for Visiting
Figuring out what to bring to LEGOLAND Florida is much like packing for any other family theme park experience. Book bags are allowed into the park as well as refillable water bottles and outside food and drinks.
It is important to wear proper shoes as the park does require a lot of walking. If you plan to visit the Water Park area be sure to bring your bathing suits, towels, and other such items in with you upon your arrival to the theme park.
The water park is located at the very BACK of the theme park so it’s wise to carry your water park items with you as to not have to backtrack to get them from your car.
A stroller is highly recommended for younger kids. We had our double stroller and both our two year old and five year old did opt to ride in it most of the day between attractions.
When we visited wait times were a minimum and there were PLENTY of distractions and things to do to keep the two year old happily entertained during times when the older kids rode attractions he wasn’t quite yet tall enough to ride.
I love the layout of LEGOLAND as there has been a lot of thought put into the location of attractions, wherever there are height restriction attractions there are also toddler play areas and rides that little ones can enjoy nearby.
Families come first at LEGOLAND and it’s clear by the design of the park that it was all planned with families in mind!
There is not a lot of shade at LEGOLAND and while many of the attractions are indoors, still anticipate a good bit of time outdoors.
Be sure to bring sunscreen, hats, cooling towels, fans, etc to help everyone in your party stay cool during the warm Florida weather (which is the majority of the year!).
Also be sure to bring along your LEGO Mini Figures as they allow trading of the mini-figures with their employees as well as at the gift shops!
Attractions at LEGOLAND Florida
LEGO fans are loyal fans. Once you love LEGO bricks, you love it for life. Even as a non-LEGO kid, I still really appreciate them as an adult and especially love the way LEGO sets bond my kids together and provide a way for my husband to connect with them too!
From Star Wars scenes to a replica of real-life cities we all know and love (like New York City, Washington DC, San Diego, and others) there are incredible master builder LEGO designs everywhere you look at LEGOLAND Florida.
You do not have to be huge LEGO fans or have seen any of the LEGO movies in order to appreciate the parks and attractions.
Our family hasn’t yet watched any of the films in the LEGO Movie franchise and we still even enjoyed the LEGO Movie and LEGO Ninjago elements in the parks.
There are several shows and even a 4D movie you can enjoy. Fun music plays throughout the park, reminding you that “Everything is Awesome!” and there are tons of attractions for younger kids and older kids alike.
Truly, there is literally an attraction for everyone at LEGOLAND Florida. I was beyond impressed with the amount of rides (more than 50!) but also the layout of the park.
It’s done in a way where there isn’t a TON of walking and each area has multiple attractions with a variety of height allowances to make sure everyone in your party has SOMETHING they can enjoy!
Tips for Visiting LEGOLAND Florida – Theme Park
When the park first opens, after you scan your Legoland tickets, you will be directed to signage with various height markers.
This is a really genius idea on LEGOLAND’s part! You can go ahead and get your child measured and handed a specific wrist band that alerts the employees at the rides of their height.
Before you make your LEGOLAND Florida itinerary, you will also see a list of the rides, roller coasters, and attractions listed under each height marker that will allow you to know upfront which rides your child can and cannot ride.
This will prevent any potential disappointment if they were to try to ride something they won’t be allowed to ride.
Also be sure to alert the employees at the gate of any celebrations. Everyone in our party was given a really cute “first visit button.” The cool thing about the button too is that it is NOT a pin!
Doesn’t go through the fabric or mess up any clothes or cause any pricks. It is a really unique design that sort of snaps to their top and truly stays put too!
LEGOLAND is a park you can do in one day and are able to fit in the majority of the attractions, even with our visit being shortened hours we still got everything done and didn’t feel rushed!
We saved our shopping for the end of the day. The largest gift shop is located at the park exit and stays open an hour or so later than the theme park.
They have TONS of great gift ideas as well as really cute merchandise.
I do not think the theme park itself requires a lot of pre-planning. The layout of the park is very easy to follow and the rides and attractions are all easily accessible and along a clear-to-follow path.
Tips for Visiting LEGOLAND Florida – Water Park
The LEGOLAND water park is located within the theme park but requires additional admission and separate tickets.
If you’re planning to do BOTH the theme park and the water park AND plan to stay on property at LEGOLAND resort then I would plan for a 2-3 night stay in order to allow you to fully enjoy all of the experiences!
The water park has a lot to do, including a wave pool and lazy river. Like the theme park, there are activities geared towards every age (The Build-A-Boat was my FAVORITE moment of the entire day).
Be sure to bring along swim diapers for any younger ones who aren’t quite potty trained as well as deodorant for when you change back into your clothing!
I’ve heard lots of people say they wear bathing suits under their clothes so it’s easy to change when transitioning from the theme park to water park but we had no issues using the changing areas at the water park entrance and were more comfortable wearing regular clothes rather than swimsuits during the theme park portion of our day.
LEGOLAND Florida Tips and Travel Guide: Final Thoughts
I feel like LEGOLAND is the secret gem of theme parks in the Orlando area. We are avid Orlando visitors and had NEVER been before and ALL of our group LOVED it.
We had such a good time and plan to go back again in the future. If you’re considering a theme park visit during your Florida travels, be sure to give LEGOLAND a shot because it’s a great place for the entire family!
It’s less intimating than many of the other theme park options and would be an excellent first theme park experience to help ease young kids (and husbands!) into the larger, more involved theme parks!
If you’re visiting the west coast be sure to look into LEGOLAND California as well, including the new Sea Life LEGOLAND Aquarium! I hope these tips for visiting LEGOLAND Florida have helped you in your planning, help you save money and have encouraged you to check out LEGOLAND the next time you’re planning a family vacation!
You can read about our day at LEGOLAND in this post and all the details about our stay at LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel here 🙂
You can learn more about LEGOLAND and see special offers here.
Check out our other family travel guides:
- Tips for Visiting SeaWorld Orlando
- Things to do in St Augustine with Kids: St. Augustine Family Travel Guide
- Key West With Kids: Florida Keys Family Travel Guide
- Family Travel Guide: ICON Park Orlando Tips
Do you think fast pass are necessary for lego land?
Author
It would depend on WHEN you are visiting. On a Saturday? During a holiday? Then I’d probably get them! My crew dreads lines and I do just about everything I can to avoid ’em when possible. We went during the week and during a time when they had a very low capacity so we had NO waits!
We have never taken a vacation, EVER. Our kids are 9, 6, 2 and we’d like to do Legoland. We want to stay at a resort hotel. When I looked it over, 1 option was (216/night) and the other was (74/night), but that first option, gave you breakfast & dinner at the hotel and lunch at the theme parks. What is your opinion on including those meal passes? Also, should I find a travel agent to help me or just do it myself? I have so many questions, I need lots of help. Lol.
Author
Hey Joyce! SO awesome that yall are planning a trip!!! You will have SO MUCH FUN! I would totally go for the package that includes the meals since this is a big trip for yall. You need to ENJOY it and the food at the Legoland hotel was truly phenomenal. We were blown away impressed! Legoland is pretty easy to plan for as it’s not nearly as overwhelming as Disney or Universal. I’d recommend two park days if you want to spread it out and not feel rushed and have plenty of time to enjoy the resort as well as the park too and depending the time of year the water park is a great break too 🙂
Hi Emily, loved it. Most helpful post about Legoland I’ve found!! I have an 8 and 5 year old for first visit but we are staying in Orlando, do you think 1 day for both regular and water park is doable?
Thanks!!
Author
Ahhh I’m so happy that it’s been helpful to you!!! We only did 1 day and I felt like it was plenty to be able to do the park AND water park. If you don’t take a nap break and as long as the hours are pretty long for opening I think you could for sure do it all in one full day. The water park is small and located in the back of the park so it’s really perfect to beat the afternoon heat for a couple hours! Have a BLAST!!!