Temple Building Fun LEGO® NINJAGO® World (©LEGOLAND Deutschland Resort)
Denmark’s LEGO® company has been making toys since 1932. Their beloved LEGO® (yes the plural for LEGO® is LEGO®) have been around since 1948, with the interlocking design patented in 1958. Their popularity grew by the 1960s so much that more than 20,000 people visited the LEGO® factory in Billund, Denmark, annually. This inspired the company to build LEGOLAND® theme parks. Now, there are 10 LEGOLAND® Parks worldwide, three right here in Europe and a special LEGOLAND® water park in Italy.
Some families are Disney park families. My family is LEGOLAND® all the way. We enjoy the details of the LEGO® decor, admire the hard work that goes into building the impressive structures and find the parks thoughtfully designed.
Parent and two children looking at Miniland in Germany (Caroline Torres)
Located just west of London in southeast England, LEGOLAND® Windsor caters to younger guests with a special Duplo-themed area. Our family visited with a 2 and 5 year old and didn’t have trouble finding rides and activities. However, older kids might feel limited ride-wise.
LEGOLAND® Deutschland is just southeast of Stuttgart, Germany. It is aimed at larger children and adults with plenty of roller coasters and faster rides. We have visited three years now, my taller 8-year-old has always had plenty of rides to choose from, whereas my soon-to-be 5-year-old (only 108 cm tall) has been a bit more limited in her options.
For true LEGO® enthusiasts, LEGO® House and LEGOLAND® Billund in Denmark are akin to pilgrimages. It is free for ages 0-2, and features lots of hands-on experiences, museum-like viewing of LEGO® creations in the Masterpiece Gallery, the official history of LEGO® Museum and opportunities to learn tricks from Master Builders.
You can visit the Experience Zones without a ticket, which is helpful if you’re part of a larger group and only some want to view the museum portions. Visitors can also book one of the tours to get a behind-the-scenes understanding of the inner workings of LEGO®. As for the LEGOLAND® Billund Park, if your ticket includes admission and you have the time, go ahead and visit, but the newer House tends to overshadow the older park.
Finally, not a proper LEGOLAND®, but still on theme, is the LEGOLAND® Water Park located inside Italy’s Gardaland Park, just west of Verona. Here, LEGO® aesthetics are incorporated into a water park format. This is not a stand-alone LEGOLAND® park. To visit, you will need to buy a pass to Gardaland Park (a combo Gardaland and water park ticket). Once inside, you will find something for everyone: water slides, interactive water games, a lazy river, restaurants and a mini LEGO® village complete with a replica of the Roman Colosseum. Being a park within the larger park, it’s worth spending at least two full days here: one in the LEGOLAND® water park and one in the traditional theme park. This is also a great option if half your family are LEGO® fans and the others just want fun theme park rides.
Two small children looking at Miniland in Windsor (Caroline Torres)
One of the reasons our family loves LEGOLAND® is how thoughtfully designed the parks are, as well as the LEGO® details hiding in every corner. More practically, we never have to look far for a restroom or water fountain to refill our bottles. We always download the park’s app before the trip. This gives you a map, queue times and allows you to search rides based on height and type of ride.
Spend some time admiring the Miniland. These are incredible constructions that showcase the local area’s culture and points of interest. They also have “Can you find?” placards to keep children engaged as well as fun automations triggered by buttons. What kid doesn’t love to push a button?
If your kids want to earn their driver’s license at the driver’s school, look up the process beforehand. LEGOLAND® Deutschland and Billund require pre-paid reservations (about six euros) and time slots. The driving school also takes about 45 minutes. LEGOLAND® Windsor is a regular line and takes less time to complete. Windsor also has a separate booth to buy licenses, so you can opt out of an extra price or purchase licenses for kids who can’t do the ride (under seven years old).
If you’re visiting during peak season, consider Reserve & Ride for an additional cost. It lets you virtually wait in long lines while you explore other parts of the park. You can also pay more for Express, which cuts down your virtual wait time.
LEGOLAND® features themed on-site hotel rooms and also partners with nearby hotels to offer kid-friendly perks. It’s worth checking out if you want to save some money and don’t need to be within walking distance of the park.
Play around with extras like VIP or pre-paying for meals if you’re staying at the resort. If the trip is for a birthday, check out the birthday perks (usually, a child gets free admission to the park, but this offer cannot be combined with accommodations).
Budget-conscious travelers can pack a lunch for the first day and snacks for the duration of the visit. Be aware that if your room includes a mini fridge, it will often be small and not very cold, so plan to consume refrigerated items on the first day of your visit.
Finally, if you want to commemorate your visit with a purchase from the LEGOLAND® store, remember that they sell exclusive sets not found in regular stores. Perhaps aim to purchase those items you can’t readily find at home.
Small child standing next to a large Ninjago® statue in Windsor (Carlone Torres)
Editor’s Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of Defense.
