Legoland park in Carlsbad California is located between San Diego and Anaheim. Although not a major destination for most families, many parents find the park to be in a good location when they are planning trips to Disneyland (Anaheim) or the San Diego region (SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, etc). Legoland is located just off of I-5, take the Cannon Road East exit and follow the signs to the Legoland entrance. There is a general map of the Legoland location down below. The theme park is a great place for a family (of all ages) to spend the entire day. The original Legoland opened in 1968 in Billund, Denmark and a 2nd park was introduced in 1996 outside of London, England in Windsor. The Legoland in Carlsbad opened in 1999 and soon after the Legoland Deutschland in Germany opened in 2002. The parks cater to kids 2 to 12 years of age with rides, shows and attractions.
Often referred to as Legoland San Diego (since it's so close to the city), you can stay near San Diego and drive up towards the park for the day. Many families make a homebase in either the Disneyland area or San Diego and make a day trip up or down to Legoland. Once inside the park you will be amazed at the things they have made from lego bricks - including the new Las vegas Strip. There are hands on lego building areas where your kids can make whatever their imagination allows them. The rides are designed for children of all ages (actually setup by height requirements). I was able to spend an entire day at Legoland with my 4 year old daughter recently (we drove up from San Diego) and she loved the place. Not all the rides were suitable of course, but there are plenty of fun activities to keep younger children busy. I must say the admission was rather steep for an adult ($57) but it does compare in price to other amusement parks around the country. For a good map of Legoland, go HERE. You can get a good idea of how the park is layed out and where each attraction is located. At the main entrance, you can get a detailed map as well. The park is separated into various sections - The Beginning, Dino Island, Explore village, Fun Town, Pirate Shores, Knights' Kingdom, and Miniland USA. There are 6 restaurants to choose from within the park - Upper Deck Sports Cafe, Knights' Table BBQ, Fun Town Market, Garden Restaurant, Pizza Mania, and Ristorante Brickolini. Be sure to check the hours and days of operation down below since the park does have strange schedules in the off-season. The day I went a school group had come up from San Diego and one of the main lego building areas was closed off for most of the day which really was disappointed to my daughter (and myself).
Legoland Discount Tickets and Park Hours:
As we mentioned above, the ticket prices for Legoland are rather high - Adults are $57 and kids are $44. Children 2 and under do get in free which may save you some money if you have really small ones. There are 2-day admission passes, but the park is pretty easy to see in 1 day so those passes aren't necessary. On the main Legoland.com website, you can buy and print your tickets out saving you time later (no standing in line at the park entrance). Parking for cars is $10. As for the daily schedule and hours of operation, we suggest going HERE. Throughout much of the off-season Legoland is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (be sure to check their schedule before planning your trip). From June-August they are open daily with hours between 10 AM and 5-8PM (closing time varies on day and month). Discount tickets to Legoland are available from many sources including Costco and you can print out your own coupon in PDF format HERE. The coupon is good through March 31, 2008 and gives you $8 off a one-day admission ticket. For up to date coupons and discounts at Legoland, we found the best source online to be HERE. Mousesavers.com consistently updates their website with the latest deals and offers for discounted tickets into Legoland.
Best Hotels near Legoland:
The map up above gives you a good idea of where Legoland is located. Which hotels are located near Legoland? There are plenty to choose from in the immediate area. We have tried to include the best hotels in Carlsbad that are near the Legoland park(below):
Hilton Garden Inn Carlsbad Beach - 6450 Carlsbad Blvd, Carlsbad, CA 92009, Phone # (760)476-0800, $170/night. Website is HERE
Grand Pacific Palisades Resort & Hotel - 5805 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008, Phone # (800)725-4723, This place is located right across the street from Legoland. $150+/night. Website is HERE
Quality Inn & Suites of Carlsbad - 751 Raintree Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92011, Phone # (760)931-118. $100/night. 3 Miles to Legoland. Website located HERE
Courtyard by Marriott Carlsbad - 5835 Owens Avenue, Carlsbad, CA 92008, Phone # (760)431-9399. $120/night. Minutes from Legoland Theme Park. Website located HERE
La Costa Resort & Spa - 2100 Costa Del Mar Road, Carlsbad, CA 92009, Phone # (800)854-5000. $300/night. Website located HERE
Legoland Rides:
There are over 50 rides and attractions at Legoland and the best are listed below (in no particular order). The rides are broken into categories based on the riders height. Rides/Attractions With NO Height Requirements
Swabbies Deck (Pirate Shores)
Dig Those Dinos (Explore Village)
Fairy Tale Brook (Explore Village)
Legoland Express (Explore Village)
Playtown (Explore Village)
Water Works (Expore Village)
Musical Fountain (Explore Village)
Miniland USA
The Model Shop (Miniland USA)
Block Fame (Miniland USA)
Coast Cruise (Miniland USA)
The Lake (Miniland USA)
Adventurer's Club (Fun Town)
Lego Club House (Fun Town)
Lego Factory Tour (Fun Town)
The Hideaways (Knights' Kingdom)
Enchanted Walk (Knights' Kingdom)
Bionicle Evolution (Imagination Zone)
Maniac Challenge (Imagination Zone)
Duplo Play (Imagination Zone)
Rides/Attractions With 34" Height Requirements
Fun Town Fire Academy (Fun Town)
Safari Trek (Explore Village)
Flight Squadron (Fun Town)
Skipper School (Fun Town)
Sky Patrol (Fun Town)
Rides/Attractions With 36" Height Requirements
Splash Battle (Pirates Shore)
Soak n Sail (Pirates Shore)
Coastersaurus (Dino Island)
Royal Joust (Knights' Kingdom)
Sky Cruiser (Fun Town)
Rides/Attractions With 40" Height Requirements
The Dragon (Knights' Kingdom)
Knights' Tournament (Knights' Kingdom)
Kids Power Towers (Fun Town)
Aquazone Wave Racers (Imagination Zone)
Rides/Attractions With 42" Height Requirements
Bionicle Blaster (Imagination Zone)
Lego Technic Coaster (Imagination Zone)
Rides/Attractions Age Requirements
Volvo Driving School (Fun Town) - Minimum Age 6, Maximum Age 13
Volvo Junior Driving School (Fun Town) - Min: 3 Years, Max: 5 Years
Lego Mindstorms Robotics (Imagination Zone) - Min: 10 years old
Do you have a quality site or product that belongs in this guide? We are always happy to evaluate or review new products and websites. Feel free to contact us at the email address below and let us know about you. If you have a demo product you'd like us to look at, please contact us before sending anything. Thank you.
