Legoland California
Encyclopedia
Legoland California is a theme park located in Carlsbad, California
, focused on Lego
bricks. It opened on March 20, 1999. It is the third Legoland
park to open, and the first Legoland outside of Europe. The park is split into nine major sections which are: The Beginning, Dino Island, Duplo, Village Green, Fun Town, Castle Hill, Miniland USA, Pirate Shores, Imagination Zone, and Land of Adventure. The theme park features a water park and is the only Legoland to feature a water park. The water park was built during 2009 and opened in 2010.
, a brand of the Blackstone Group
of New York
, an investment and advisory firm. The company is the operator of the Sea Life Centres
. On Aug. 11, 2008, the Sea Life aquarium opened on the grounds of Legoland California, the first in North America.
-themed area. Its main attraction is the "Dragon", a roller coaster that slowly tours a castle, until a lego wizard casts a spell to open the doors to the outside, at which point the coaster speeds up and the ride functions as a regular coaster. Another ride is the "Knights' Tournament", in which guests ride around on a very large robotic arm, selecting levels from one to five - one and two do not go upside down, and five rarely has guests right side-up. The "Hideaways" is designed for younger children, and is a large multi-level wooden play structure with slides, rope ladders, and bridges. Small horses at the "Royal Joust" take guests ages 4–12 through a mock medieval joust. Recently added was a miniature golf course that replaced the popular "rock band" or "singing rock garden". The rock's original recording can still be heard on holes 12-18 on the course. Llamas are featured on the hill.
and took 3 years to finish. The major cities are viewable from various areas in the park. From the Coast Cruise ride, one can see some mini models otherwise hidden from view, such as the Taj Mahal
and Eiffel Tower
. Miniland is also home to the Model Shop, the main design and build office for LEGOLAND California's two Master Model Builders. A large viewing window at the front allows guests to watch the builders at work, usually on new models for the park.
The Empire State Building
is also a model in miniland.
Cities replicated in Miniland:
Other areas of the United States replicated in Miniland:
" movies called "Bob the Builder", "Spellbreaker", and "Clutch Powers" (a racing movie). Kids can also race Lego cars that they build themselves in Build 'n Test, play the "Maniac Challenge" in which guests play LEGO PC games, and program robots in "Mindstorms". Guests can also ride on "Bionicle Blaster", which is a version of the teacup ride, or the "Aquazone Wave Racers", the first ever duel water carousel. In that you get use a steering wheel to control a rudder that makes you either come in closer to the center or fly out through the waves, all the while being squirted with water by the bystanders.
Expanded seating and locker facilities for Pirate Shores were added on Summer 2007.
A legoland hotel will open summer 2013
Carlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...
, focused on Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
bricks. It opened on March 20, 1999. It is the third Legoland
Legoland
Legoland is a chain of Lego-themed theme parks. They are not fully owned by Lego Group itself; rather they are owned and operated by the British theme park company Merlin Entertainment.The chain currently consists of:* Legoland Billund...
park to open, and the first Legoland outside of Europe. The park is split into nine major sections which are: The Beginning, Dino Island, Duplo, Village Green, Fun Town, Castle Hill, Miniland USA, Pirate Shores, Imagination Zone, and Land of Adventure. The theme park features a water park and is the only Legoland to feature a water park. The water park was built during 2009 and opened in 2010.
Park History
The park opened on March 20, 1999. The Legoland parks were put up for sale in 2004, then a controlling interest sold in 2005. The new controlling company is Merlin EntertainmentsMerlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd is a British operator of amusement parks and other attractions. It is the largest such company in Europe, and globally the second largest after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
, a brand of the Blackstone Group
Blackstone Group
The Blackstone Group L.P. is an American-based alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate, and credit and marketable alternative investment strategies, as well as financial advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions ,...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, an investment and advisory firm. The company is the operator of the Sea Life Centres
Sea Life Centres
Sea Life Centres are a chain of commercial sealife-themed attractions. There are twenty-six centres located in Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom , and the United States...
. On Aug. 11, 2008, the Sea Life aquarium opened on the grounds of Legoland California, the first in North America.
Dino Island
In Dino Island, a mini steel roller coaster called the "Coastersaurus" curves and dips around giant models of Lego dinosaurs. Visitors can dig for imitation dinosaur bones in the "Dig Those Dinos" attraction.Duplo
Duplo includes the "Water Works" attraction, which has dozens of interactive water activities and is directly beside "Musical Fountain" where visitors hop up and down to make music play and water blow. A water ride called "Fairy Tale Brook" lets visitors ride a boat down a river lined with Lego models based on fairy tales. Playtown is a play area complete with Lego buildings, slides, and activities. There is a playground, pizza parlor, and a ride called "Safari Trek" which allows the rider to see many life sized Lego models of animals. There are two attractions on the top of a hill. First is the "Kid Power Towers", in which a pair of people pull themselves to the top of a rotating tower to enjoy the slow ride down. Guests can go up and down as many or as few times as per their whim before the ride ends. When visitors board another attraction- the "Sky Cruiser"- two people pedal in tandem around a track to see a large portion of the park. If riders cease pedaling, the vehicle slows down to a crawl.Fun Town
Fun Town features two "driving schools" where children can learn to drive electric Lego cars on a closed course. There are two courses; one is a simple circuit - 3 to 5 year olds can enjoy there. The other one can allow from 6 to 13 year old children, features working traffic lights. Visitors can also take a tour of a Lego factory to learn how Lego bricks are made. At the "Fire Academy", families battle other families in a race down a street to douse a small "fire" and drive back in the fire truck- all using hand pumps. Guests who board "Flight Squadron" are raised into the air by Lego airplanes and those who visit "Sky Patrol" will experience the same feeling as "Flight Squadron" with the exception of being in a Lego helicopter, as they are moved up and down to see the extensive view of Legoland. It is also the location of Legoland Water Park which opened on May 28, 2010.Castle Hill
Castle Hill is a medieval castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
-themed area. Its main attraction is the "Dragon", a roller coaster that slowly tours a castle, until a lego wizard casts a spell to open the doors to the outside, at which point the coaster speeds up and the ride functions as a regular coaster. Another ride is the "Knights' Tournament", in which guests ride around on a very large robotic arm, selecting levels from one to five - one and two do not go upside down, and five rarely has guests right side-up. The "Hideaways" is designed for younger children, and is a large multi-level wooden play structure with slides, rope ladders, and bridges. Small horses at the "Royal Joust" take guests ages 4–12 through a mock medieval joust. Recently added was a miniature golf course that replaced the popular "rock band" or "singing rock garden". The rock's original recording can still be heard on holes 12-18 on the course. Llamas are featured on the hill.
Miniland USA
Miniland USA includes miniature dioramas of seven areas of the United States, altogether built with over 40 million LEGO bricks in 1:20 scaleScale (ratio)
The scale ratio of some sort of model which represents an original proportionally is the ratio of a linear dimension of the model to the same dimension of the original. Examples include a 3-dimensional scale model of a building or the scale drawings of the elevations or plans of a building. In such...
and took 3 years to finish. The major cities are viewable from various areas in the park. From the Coast Cruise ride, one can see some mini models otherwise hidden from view, such as the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
and Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
. Miniland is also home to the Model Shop, the main design and build office for LEGOLAND California's two Master Model Builders. A large viewing window at the front allows guests to watch the builders at work, usually on new models for the park.
The Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
is also a model in miniland.
Cities replicated in Miniland:
- New York City, New York
- Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
- San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
- New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
- Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
- Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
Other areas of the United States replicated in Miniland:
- Southern CaliforniaSouthern CaliforniaSouthern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
- Ferndale, CaliforniaFerndale, CaliforniaFerndale is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Known for its well-preserved Victorian buildings, the city's population was 1,371 at the 2010 census, down from 1,382 at the 2000 census...
Imagination Zone
In the Imagination Zone, visitors can ride a Wild Mouse-style roller coaster called the "Technic Coaster-Test Track"(formally Project X), choose from three different "4-D4-D film
4-D film is a marketing term that describes an entertainment presentation system combining a 3-D film with physical effects in the theatre, which occur in synchronization with the film...
" movies called "Bob the Builder", "Spellbreaker", and "Clutch Powers" (a racing movie). Kids can also race Lego cars that they build themselves in Build 'n Test, play the "Maniac Challenge" in which guests play LEGO PC games, and program robots in "Mindstorms". Guests can also ride on "Bionicle Blaster", which is a version of the teacup ride, or the "Aquazone Wave Racers", the first ever duel water carousel. In that you get use a steering wheel to control a rudder that makes you either come in closer to the center or fly out through the waves, all the while being squirted with water by the bystanders.
Pirate Shores
Pirate Shores has 6 rides and attractions. "Splash Battle" is a ride where guests enter their very own pirate ships to do battle with other guests on the ride and on land also while trying to avoid on-ride blasts of water. "Soak 'N Sail" is an interactive two-story water playground. Children and adults play with water pouring down all around them, for example, there are two buckets filled with 500 gallons of water that pour water on unsuspecting people. "Treasure Falls"; the mini-log flume, is a great training ride for little riders that aren't quite ready for the bigger log rides at other parks. "Swabbie's Deck" is the little kids water area, for little kids from infant all the way up to 7 or 8 to get their feet wet, before attempting Soak and Sail. "Captain Cranky's Challenge" is the newest ride for Pirate Shores that opened on May 24, 2007. Pirate Shores also has a "Skipper School" where parents and kids can pilot Lego boats.Expanded seating and locker facilities for Pirate Shores were added on Summer 2007.
Land of Adventure
This is the newest section of the theme park (opened in May 2008), which is designed to replicate the 1920s in Egypt. "Pharaoh's Revenge" involves guests firing foam balls at targets and at each other. On "Beetle Bounce" guests bounce nearly 15 feet (4.6 m) to nearly touch the enormous beetles above. "Cargo Ace", lets guests board one of eight planes to fly six feet into the air. "Lost Kingdom Adventure" is Legoland California's most recent attraction. Guests board and ride a roadster to recover stolen treasure by blasting targets with laser guns along their journey. Another recently opened attraction is "Dune Raiders", which is a slide.Legoland Water Park
This is a water park area in Legoland California. Construction began in September 2009. It opened on May 28, 2010. It is located next to the buildings in Fun Town. It is the only Legoland which features a waterpark. It is not possible to buy a separate admission ticket solely for the water park.A legoland hotel will open summer 2013