It’s out with the old and in with the new in Winter Haven, Florida. Merlin Entertainments, the owner and operator of Legoland, recently announced that it plans to open another park on the site of the old Cypress Gardens attraction in 2011.
The former Cypress Gardens theme park (complete with water-skiing shows, botanical gardens and Southern belles in hoop dresses) closed last fall after years of declining attendance. The property is now being cleared to make way for a huge Legoland Florida, complete with a hotel, more than 50 thrill rides, shows and other attractions, including Lego models and interactive programs.
Currently, the company operates four Legolands—-one in Carlsbad, California, and three more in Denmark, Germany, and near London. Merlin executives say the Florida Legoland will be its largest ever, and it plans to open a sixth park in Malaysia.
Company execs say the new Legoland Florida theme park will be geared to families with children ages 2 to 12. It will include the same awe-inspiring plastic brick creations found in its other Legolands, but the Florida location will also include more interactive exhibits and on-site accommodations, so families can spend a couple days exploring the park at their own pace.
In addition to the Legoland Florida attraction, the company plans to debut two Legoland Discovery Centers in the United States later this year-—one in Texas and the other in New Jersey. The centers are billed as indoor attractions, not theme parks, though kids can still play with millions of Legos and interact with entertaining Lego exhibits.
If you can’t make it to Legoland or one of the Legoland Discovery Centers, the next best thing is to visit a Lego Imagination Center. There are two Imagination Centers located in the United States—-one at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and the other at Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
The massive centers are loaded with the brightly colored building bricks. In addition, kids can interact with giant flying machines, dragons and spaceships constructed from Lego pieces. The 4,000 square foot space also boasts building areas where kids can construct their own pirate ships, dollhouses or medieval castles. The Imagination Centers also house outdoor play areas that feature jungle gyms, life-size space-aliens and countless Lego blocks.
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