Legoland California

Legoland California Resort
Legoland California main entrance
Map
LocationLegoland California Resort, Carlsbad, California, United States
Coordinates33°7′36″N 117°18′40″W / 33.12667°N 117.31111°W / 33.12667; -117.31111
StatusOperating
OpenedMarch 20, 1999; 25 years ago (1999-03-20)[1][2]
OwnerMerlin Entertainments
General managerKurt Stocks
ThemeLego toys and childhood amusement
Operating seasonYear-round
Attendance1.4 million (2004)[3][needs update]
Area128 acres (52 ha)
Attractions
Totalmore than 60 rides
Roller coasters4
Water rides8
WebsiteOfficial website

Legoland California Resort is a theme park, miniature park, and aquarium[4] in Carlsbad, California, based on the Lego toy brand. Opening on March 20, 1999, it was the first Legoland park to open outside of Europe.[1] The park is currently owned by Merlin Entertainments, which took a controlling interest in 2005.[5] The second park in the United States is Legoland Florida, which opened in 2011. A third park, Legoland New York, opened in May 2021.

Resort

The Legoland California Resort currently encompasses:

  • The original park (opened in March 1999)[1]
  • A Lego-themed Sea Life Aquarium (opened in August 2008),[6] the first Sea Life in the United States[7]
  • A Lego-themed water park (opened in May 2010)[8]
    • A Lego Chima expansion to the water park (opened in 2014)[9]

The resort site includes two hotels:

  • Legoland Resort Hotel (250 rooms, opened in April 2013)[10]
  • Legoland Castle Hotel (250 rooms, opened in April 2018)[11]

History

Lego opened the first Legoland theme park in Billund, Denmark in 1968, followed by a second park in Windsor, England in 1996. The Carlsbad park was the third to open, in March 1999.[1][12] At the time, Lego was considering an additional United States Legoland to be located somewhere on the east coast.[13] When the park opened, there were eight themed areas. Starting at the entrance (at the central southern part of the park) and proceeding clockwise, they were:[14]

Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
75m
80yds
Legoland Hotel
Ninjago World
Imagination Zone
Imagination Zone
Lego pharaoh sculpture in Land of Adventure
Land of Adventure
San Francisco at Miniland USA
Miniland USA
Castle Hill
Castle Hill
Splash Battle
Pirate Shores
Legoland California Water Park
Water Park
Volvo Driving School
LEGO/DUPLO Fun Town
LEGO Movie set
The LEGO Movie World
Sea Life Aquarium tank
Sea Life Aquarium
Fairy Tale Brook
Dino Valley
Main entrance sign
Main entrance
Themed areas and key locations within Legoland California Resort
  • The Beginning (park entrance and gift shop)[15]
  • Village Green (including Playtown for toddlers)[16]
  • The Ridge[17]
  • Fun Town[18]
  • The Garden[19]
  • Miniland[20] (including The Lake[21] in the center of the park)
  • Castle Hill[22]
  • Imagination Zone[23]

By 2002, Village Green and The Ridge had been combined into an area called Explore Village[24] and the Aquazone and LEGO Technic Test Track rides had been installed at Imagination Zone.[25] The fourth Legoland, built in Germany, opened in 2002. Dino Island and Coastersaurus opened in April 2004;[26] the park also added Fun Town Fire Academy, a Florida-themed Miniland area, and the Block of Fame for its fifth anniversary.[27]

Legoland California installed the first KUKA RoboCoaster in the United States in 2005.[28] However, the weak retail toy market led to the sale of the four Legoland theme parks in July 2005 for $456 million[29] to Blackstone Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in the United States. Blackstone had previously purchased Merlin in May 2005, which owned the Sea Life Centres and London Dungeon;[30] the two assets were combined as Merlin Entertainments, with Lego taking a 30% ownership share in the combined Merlin Entertainments.[31] Collectively, the four theme parks had approximately 5 million visitors per year at the time.[32]

Under Merlin, Legoland California would add Pirate Shores (2006),[33] a Las Vegas-themed Miniland area (2007),[34] the Egyptian explorer-themed Land of Adventure (2008),[35] and the 5.5-acre (2.2 ha) Legoland Water Park (2010).[36] In 2009, Merlin requested permission to develop an onsite Lego-themed hotel in the existing parking lot;[37] permission was granted in October[38] and plans for the 250-room hotel were announced in 2011, making the site a resort in 2013.[39] The first fictional Miniland area, themed with scenes from the six (at the time) Star Wars movies and the Clone Wars television series,[40] opened in March 2011.[41] The water park was expanded in 2014 with a Chima-themed area.[42] A second 250-room hotel with a castle theme was added in 2018.[43]

Attendance at Legoland California reached 2.5 million visitors in 2013 and nearly 3 million by 2015, nearly double the attendance of Legoland Florida. More than $20 million was spent per year on sales tax on food and merchandise. The park employed more than 2200 workers in total: 600 full-time, nearly 500 part-time, and more than 1100 seasonal.[44]

In mid-March 2020, in line with other Legoland parks, the park was indefinitely shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened on April 1, 2021.

Theme park

Dino Valley (formerly Explorer Island)

Dino Valley is a section[45] with themes of dinosaurs and exploration. It contains a large sand area where children may dig for "fossils" and the Gerstlauer-built Coastersaurus[46] mini steel roller coaster, a close copy of the Legoland Germany junior coaster Drachenjagd, with a ride duration of approximately 2 minutes. It was installed in 2004[47] by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere.[48][49]

Explorer Island was previously named Dino Island.[50] When the Village Green/Explore Village area was taken over by Heartlake City, the Fairy Tale Brook boat ride and Safari Trek on-rail driving ride (originally a walking trail showing life-size African animals built with LEGO bricks) were counted as part of the renamed Explorer Island. These rides date back to the opening of the park.[51][52][53]

Explorer Island was rethemed and renamed "Dino Valley" and opened on March 22nd, 2024.[54]

Attraction Added Manufacturer Image Description
Coastersaurus 2004 Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Junior Coaster, installed in 2004.[26]
Explorer River Quest 2024 Boat ride featuring large-scale LEGO models of various Dinosaurs.
DUPLO® Little Dino Trail 2024 On-rail driving ride featuring life-size DUPLO dinosaurs.

The LEGO Movie World (formerly LEGO Friends Heartlake City and DUPLO Village)

The Heartlake City section, which opened on May 21, 2015,[50] is based on the Lego Friends brand marketed to girls. The area features Heartlake Fountain, a water play area; Friends Forever Stage, where musical performances occur; Heartlake Stables, a play area and building zone; and Mia's Riding Camp, a carousel.

Heartlake City replaced Duplo Village, which included a set of musical fountains and water features collectively called the "Water Works".[16] A temporary installation of the sets from The Lego Movie opened in 2014 at Duplo Village.[55]

"DUPLO Playtown", a play area for little kids, and "LEGOLAND Express", a mini locomotive ride through the Playtown used to be in the Duplo Village/Heartlake City area. When Heartlake City opened, "DUPLO Playtown" and "LEGOLAND Express" became part of the nearby area, Fun Town. On May 9, 2019, DUPLO Playtown reopened in the queue of the Kid Power Tower. In that same year, Heartlake City was removed and replaced with a Lego Movie themed area in 2021.

Entrance to Emmet's Flying Adventure

In spring 2020, LEGOLAND California Resort was scheduled to open their biggest addition in the history of the park, The Lego Movie World. The opening was delayed until May 27, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The area features Emmet's Flying Adventure – Masters of Flight, a flying theatre attraction (similar to Soarin' at EPCOT and Disney California Adventure). Unlike Florida and Billund, this version will include two theatres rather than one. This area will also feature Unikitty's Disco Drop, a drop attraction where riders seated in four pairs raise, drop, and spin around a pole. It features two towers. There is also a carousel called Queen Watevra's Carousel, from LEGO Friends Heartlake City. Additionally, there is also a build area, Build Watevra You Wa'Na Build, and small playground, Benny's Playship, with two tall twisty slides that look like a rocket. There is also a splash pad with fountains, a convenience store, three dining locations, Everything is Ramen (a ramen quick service location), Cloud Cuckoo Crêpes (a crêpe stand), and Benny's Rocket Fuel (basic food stand with popcorn and pretzels).

Attractions:

  • Emmet's Flying Adventure
  • Unikitty's Disco Drop!
  • Queen Waterva's Carousel
  • Emmet's Super Suite
  • Benny's Playship
  • Build Waterva You Wa'Na Build

Fun Town

Fun Town is a role-playing amusement area where guests simulate adult skills or professional identities, such as driving cars, steering boats, or fighting fires.[18][56]

Fun town is soon to house the upcoming new area "Lego Galaxy" which will feature a new indoor roller coaster.[57]

Attraction Added Manufacturer Image Description
DUPLO Playtown 1999 Playground for young children
Legoland Express 1999 Small train ride within Playtown
Driving School 1999 SB International Children aged 6 to 13 years drive self-propelled Lego cars on a closed circuit featuring multiple intersections, two way traffic and traffic signals. It is designed to promote safe driving and skills.[58] Volvo became the sponsor shortly after the park's 5th anniversary in 2004.[27]
Junior Driving School 1999 SB International Children aged 3 to 5 years drive similar self-propelled Lego cars on a simple oval.
Sky Patrol 1999 Lego helicopter-themed ride that moves up and down and can spin in place
Skipper School 1999 SB International Self-propelled boat-ride that travels a winding water course
Kid Power Towers 1999 Heege Tower ride where riders pull themselves up the ride with a rope
Adventurer's Club 1999 Walk-through attraction with scenes such as ancient Egypt, a rainforest, and the arctic
LEGO Factory Tour 1999 Walk-through attraction that teaches young children how LEGO models are made
LEGO Life Zone 1999 A room where you can build your own LEGO models with occasional classes teaching children techniques on building LEGO models
A Lego man using the toilet at Grand Central Station
A Lego man using the toilet in Legoland California's Grand Central Station model.

Miniland USA

Miniland USA is a 1:20 scale model miniature park featuring prominent architecture and symbols from seven areas in the United States.[59] Certain models are visible throughout the Legoland park. It was constructed over the course of three years using more than 20 million LEGO bricks.[60] The Coast Cruise ride, which departs from Miniland USA, travels through the lake in the center of Legoland. The lake covers 1.73 acres (0.70 ha).[21]

Miniland includes the Model Shop, the main design and building office for Legoland's US parks. A large viewing window allows guests to watch master model builders working on new models. Repairs and refurbishment of existing models are also conducted in the Model Shop.[61]

Certain model builders have inserted incongruous scenes into the Miniland vignettes, including a businessman mooning the presidential motorcade and a man using the toilet in the Grand Central Station model. Miniland officials insist all such scenes are incorporated with full management knowledge and approval.[62]

The Star Wars-themed Miniland was expanded with a life-size model of an X-wing starfighter, on display in 2013.[63] A large-scale model of the Death Star was added in 2015, along with a recreation of the trench run scene from the climax of Episode IV.[64] Scenes from The Force Awakens were added in 2017,[65] including what was billed as the longest LEGO model for Star Wars Miniland, a 16 ft (4.9 m) long Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Finalizer.[66]

On January 6, 2020, Star Wars Miniland closed permanently.[67]

Attraction Added Manufacturer Image Description
Coast Cruise 1999 Morgan Manufacturing 8-minute-long boat ride where guests can view many monuments such as the Sydney Opera House, Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, London Eye, and Mount Rushmore, as well as a few other interesting models such as the depiction of a scene from Gulliver's Travels
New England 1999 Depicts a New England harbor and local architecture
Las Vegas 2007 Depicts the Las Vegas Strip with its famous hotels such as Tropicana Las Vegas, Mirage Las Vegas, and the Stratosphere Tower.[33][34]
Washington, DC 1999 Depicts the National Mall with monuments such as the U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian Castle
Block of Fame 2004 Park walkway with LEGO busts of famous individuals such as George Washington, Marilyn Monroe, and Winston Churchill. Installed in 2004.[27]
Ferndale 1999 Depicts the Ferndale Main Street Historic District in Ferndale, California
Model Shop 1999 A view into the Model Shop Viewing area for the park's model shop, where many of Legoland California's models are built
New Orleans 1999–2023 Depicts New Orleans and its many waterways. Replaced by San Diego in 2023.
New York 1999 Depicts Manhattan Island of New York City with models of places like Central Park and Times Square. The model of Downtown Manhattan included the 2002 design of One World Trade Center; the model has since been updated to match the finished skyscraper.
San Francisco 1999 Depicts San Francisco with models including Pier 39, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Transamerica Pyramid
Southern California 1999 Depicts Southern California with models including the TCL Chinese Theatre, Oceanside Pier, and Mission San Luis Rey. In 2018, the entire area aside from the Hollywood Sign and the Griffith Observatory was taken down to be replaced.
Star Wars Miniland 2011–2020 Depicted seven Star Wars movies, including the Clone Wars movie[60] Opened in 2011,[68] replacing a Florida-themed Miniland whose models were moved to the Winter Haven park.[69][70]
San Diego 2023 Depicts San Diego landmarks such as Petco Park, Santa Fe Depot, San Diego Convention Center, Coronado Island (including Hotel del Coronado) There is also a LEGO MTS trolley that runs around the area.

Castle Hill

Castle Hill is a medieval castle-themed area.[22] The area includes one roller coaster and a wooden playground for little kids.

In 2005, Legoland opened the Wild Woods Golf putting course decorated with off-green LEGO models on the west side of Castle Hill.[71] Wild Woods Golf and the neighboring Enchanted Walk were replaced by the submarine ride LEGO City: Deep Sea Adventure, which opened in July 2018.[72]

Attraction Added Manufacturer Image Description
The Dragon 1999 Vekoma Family steel roller coaster with the first segment of the ride acting like a dark ride through a castle. 20 riders per 10-car train.[73]
The Hideaways 1999 Large multi-level wooden playground designed for younger children, structure with slides, rope ladders, and bridges.
LEGO City: Deep Sea Adventure 2018 Mack Rides 12 riders per submarine on a voyage through a 350,000 US gal (1,300,000 L) aquarium populated with LEGO-themed decorations and 2,000 live animals.[74] Similar to submarine rides at Legoland Dubai and Windsor; costliest single upgrade to any Legoland park at the time it opened.[75]
The Royal Joust 1999 Metallbau Emmeln Rocking horse ride where guests ages 4 to 12 ride fiberglass horses that rock back and forth above a track.

Imagination Zone

In the Imagination Zone, visitors can ride a Wild Mouse-style roller coaster called the Technic Coaster-Test Track (formerly named Project X), Bionicle Blaster (a variant of a teacup ride). Kids can also build and race Lego cars down a ramp at Build 'n Test (younger children have a similar build and play area in the same building, named Duplo Play), play LEGO PC games at the Maniac Challenge (later converted to consoles and renamed the Xbox Family Gamespace after its corporate sponsor),[76] and program robots in Mindstorms. At the park's opening in 1999, the Imagination Zone only referred to the Maniac Challenge/Mindstorms and Build & Test/Duplo Play buildings; the other rides had not yet been built. The Maniac Challenge/Mindstorms building was distinguished by large LEGO models of Albert Einstein's head, a submarine, and a Technic Tyrannosaurus rex.[23]

The LEGO Show Place theater screens 4-D films. In the initial incarnation, the movie was interactive and the audience could decide the ending.[23] Later, more movies were added, including Bob the Builder and Clutch Powers (a racing movie). Racers 4-D began alternating with the new Spellbreaker 4-D film in May 2006.[77] Bob the Builder in 4-D: Bob the Builder and the Roller Coaster was added in March 2009.[78] The Legends of Chima debuted on March 7, 2014.[42] The LEGO Movie™ 4D A New Adventure was added to Legoland California on February 6, 2016.[79] LEGO NINJAGO – Master of the 4th Dimension opened on January 12, 2018.[80] LEGO City 4D – Officer in Pursuit! was added on April 12, 2019.[81]

In February 2019, sets from The Lego Movie 2 were installed in the Imagination Zone.[82]

Attraction Added Manufacturer Image Description
Technic Coaster 2001 Mack Rides Wild mouse roller coaster; single-car ride with four riders per car.[83]
Bionicle Blaster 2003 Mack Bionicle-themed tea cups ride.
LEGO Show Place 1999 4D theater that shows seasonal movies.
LEGO City Space Area where guests can build either a rocket or a moon rover that could help with NASA's Artemis mission. A LEGO model of the Space Shuttle Discovery is on display at the entrance of the room.[84]
LEGO Mindstorms Classes that teach children how to operate Mindstorms robots
Ferrari Build & Race 2022 A Ferrari themed room where guests can either build LEGO models of Ferrari vehicles, or build their own creation. A life-sized LEGO model of a Ferrari F40 can also be seen there.[85]

Pirate Shores

Pirate Shores is a splash park with water-oriented rides and attractions.[86] This area was added in 2006, and Captain Cranky's Challenge was added in May 2007.[33]

Attraction Added Manufacturer Image Description
Captain Cranky's Challenge 2007 Zamperla A ride with a mock pirate ship that sways in an u-shaped track and rotates bi-directionally
Pirate Reef 2012 Hopkins Rides A "shoot the chutes" attraction with interactive components including a splash bridge, water cannons and brick building play area. This attraction is accessible from both Pirate Shores and the Legoland Water Park and only operates seasonally.[87]
Soak n' Sail 2006 Whitewater West The larger of the two water playgrounds.[88][77]
Splash Battle 2006 Preston & Barbieri A water ride where guests spray each other with water on-ride and off-ride; up to four passengers per boat and each seat is equipped with a water cannon.[88]
Swabbie's Deck 2006 A small water play area for small children, developed as "Squabbies Deck".[77]

Land of Adventure

This section is designed to replicate the 1920s in Egypt, drawing inspiration from the LEGO Adventurers line (Egypt sub-theme).[89] Land of Adventure opened in March 2008.[90][35]

Attraction Added Manufacturer Image Description
Beetle Bounce 2008 S&S Worldwide Guests bounce nearly 15 feet (4.6 m) to nearly touch the enormous beetles above
Cargo Ace 2008 Zamperla Guests board one of eight planes to fly six feet into the air
Dune Raiders 2009 A tall slide in which guests race each other to the bottom.
Lost Kingdom Adventure 2008 Sally Guests board and ride a roadster to recover stolen treasure by blasting targets with laser guns along their journey. First interactive dark ride at Legoland California, designed by Bill Vollbrecht.[89]
Pharaoh's Revenge 2008 Guests fire foam balls at targets and at each other

LEGO Ninjago World

The Lego Ninjago World opened in May 2016.[91] The area features Ninjago: The Ride along with new retail and dining options. Ninjago: The Ride is controlled by hand motions using "Maestro" technology developed by Triotech,[92] who had previously developed the interactive Voyage to the Iron Reef dark ride at Knott's Berry Farm.[93][94] This area also features Ninjago Training Camp, a playground that opened in December 2022.[95]

Retired rides and attractions

Attraction Years Area Image Description
Aquazone Wave Racers 2000–2020 Imagination Zone Dual water carousel. Replaced by Ninjago Training Camp in 2022.
Enchanted Walk 2005–2018 Castle Hill Woodland animal models built from LEGO bricks.[96] Replaced by LEGO City: Deep Sea Adventure in 2018.
Flight Squadron 1999–2017 Fun Town LEGO airplane-themed ride that move up and down while moving in a circle
Knight's Tournament 2005–2019 Castle Hill Robotic arm-like ride where guests can select their level of intensity, with level one being the least intense and level five being the most intense. First Kuka RoboCoaster in the United States.[28]
Miniland Florida 2004–11 Miniland Florida-themed section of Miniland, including a model of the Daytona International Speedway.[27] Replaced by Star Wars Miniland in 2011.
Sky Cruiser 1999–2018 The Ridge
(Fun Town) 		Pedal-powered track ride with panoramic views of the park.
Spellbreaker 2000–03 Castle Hill Single-car with tandem riders suspended roller coaster; steel Batflyer model manufactured by Caripro. Dual tracks, maximum 5 cars per track at one time.[97][98] Legoland California's shortest lived attraction
Water Works 1999–2015 Village Green
(Heartlake City) 		Pressure-activated musical fountain and interactive water features. Replaced by "Heartlake Fountain"
Treasure Falls 2006–16 Pirate Shores A small log flume ride that showed "what pirates do on their vacation".[77] Closed in 2016.[99]
Wild Woods Golf 2005–18 Castle Hill Miniature golf-sized course using putting greens with off-green LEGO-themed decorations.[71] Replaced by LEGO City: Deep Sea Adventure in 2018.
Safari Trek 1999–2023 Explorer Island Safari attraction where you see Lego Created Animals. Removed Permanently For Dino Valley in 2023
Fairy Tale Brook 1999–2023 Explorer Island Boating track guests enter that shows Lego their favorite Fairy Tales. Removed Permanently for Dino Valley in 2023
Police and Fire Academy 2004 Metallbau Emmeln Competitive team attraction where groups propel a hand pumped truck in a race down a street, accomplish a task, and return. In the original incarnation named Fun Town Fire Academy, all vehicles were fire trucks rushing to douse a simulated building "fire".[27] A police theme was added in 2011, and the task for the police trucks was to knock down robbers.[100]

Sea Life Aquarium

The lost city of Atlantis in the Sea Life Aquarium in Carlsbad, California

The first Sea Life Aquarium in North America opened at Legoland California in August 2008. It has 36,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) of floor area on two stories, featuring a 35 ft (11 m) long acrylic walk-through tunnel and LEGO models in the tanks.[101]

Water Park

The first feature that users encounter when entering the Legoland Water Park is the Aquatune hydraulophone, an underwater pipe organ. The hydraulophone is the centerpiece of a series of interactive exhibits on either side of it that teach other elements of flow, such as water tables, and small water laboratory-like spaces where participants can explore hydraulophonic-like action (blocking water jets to create head, pressure, etc.), and also construct dams from Lego bricks.

This is a water park area in Legoland California. Planning for the water park began in September 2009,[90] and it opened on May 28, 2010. It is located next to the buildings in Fun Town, meaning admission to the water park is an extra cost ticket in addition to regular park admission.[36]

It is the first Legoland to feature a water park; a Legoland Water Park opened in Florida in 2012.[102] At Legoland California, a Legends of Chima-themed expansion to the water park opened in early July 2014.[42]

Attraction Added Area Description
Build-A-Raft River 2010 LEGOLAND Water Park Lazy river where guests can build foam LEGO bricks on their inner tube[36]
DUPLO Splash Safari 2010 Kids area with small water slides
Imagination Station 2010 Interactive play area
Joker Soaker 2010 Tower that releases water onto the guests below
Orange Rush 2010 Large raft water slide
Splash Out 2010 Body slide
Splash Zoo 2011 Kids area
Twin Chasers 2010 Two body slides
Pirate Reef 2012 Shoot-the-chutes ride that has entrances in LEGOLAND Water Park.
Cragger's Swamp 2014 LEGO CHIMA Water Park Interactive water playground
Eglor's Build-A-Boat 2014 LEGO building area where guests build small boats that they can place in a small artificial creek
Lion Temple Wave Pool 2014 Wave pool with a 30' Mount Cavora "floating" in the middle
Speedorz Arena 2014–2016 Interactive play area where guests can race their Speedorz

References

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