My 8-year-old is a LEGO Friends fanatic.
My dishwasher is not.
I know this because of the horrible sounds it’s been making since swallowing one of the tiny plastic bricks meant to stabilize the slide on my daughter’s Heartlake City Pool set.
I’m this close to tossing out the rest of the set and booking a trip to New York City. That’s where Nathan Sawaya’s massive LEGO display is being showcased for kids of all ages to enjoy. Perhaps, immersing my child in another LEGO lover’s colorful brick designs will take her mind off her mother’s moratorium on LEGO play.
Sawaya’s show dubbed “The Art of the Brick” just opened in Times Square after successful runs in Singapore, Taiwan and Australia. The exhibit is being billed as the largest display of LEGO art ever assembled in one place and features more than 100 sculptures constructed from millions of LEGO pieces.
If you can’t make it out to the Big Apple to catch the show this summer, don’t sweat it. The showcase will be up through January 5, 2014. Tickets are $19.50 adult; $14.50 ages 4-12.
For families whose kids can’t get enough of the tiny bricks consider a trip to Carlsbad, California, home of the new Legoland hotel.
The property, which opened earlier this month, is offering a two-day package that includes admission to Legoland theme park, located a few steps from the hotel’s entrance. The package deal also includes early VIP admission to the park and babysitting services that allow mom and dad to get in some R&R while the kids are being entertained by costumed pirates, princesses and other characters featured in popular LEGO kits.
The hotel is also home to a pint-sized front desk built specifically for children. That’s where mini LEGO fans will receive a welcome packet that comes with treasure hunt instructions. In addition, guests will find LEGO sets sitting throughout the hotel which they can use to play with or bring to the lobby where LEGO building competitions are held each afternoon.