Legoland (trademark in uppercase as LEGOLAND) is a chain of family theme parks. They are not fully owned by the Lego Group itself; rather they are owned and operated by the British theme park company Merlin Entertainments.
The Legoland Billund Resort opened in Billund, Denmark in 1968, followed by the Legoland Windsor Resort in Windsor, England in 1996. Further parks opened in California, Germany, Florida, Malaysia, Dubai and Japan. Parks in South Korea and Shanghai are currently under construction, with a future Legoland planned in Orange County, New York. Legoland in Windsor, England is now among the most visited attractions in the UK, according to The Guardian.
Attractions
The parks are marketed to families with younger children (11 and under), and although the attractions include a number of roller coasters, the roller coasters are not as numerous or as extreme as those in other parks, and there is a greater emphasis on rides suitable for younger children. Legoland parks are split into various areas, which are consistent among the chain's parks. For example, all six of the parks include a Lego miniland, a model village which includes models of landmarks and scenes from around the world, made from millions of genuine Lego bricks.
Educational elements
An important aspect of Legoland is education and learning.
Examples include:
- Water flow channels in which participants can construct dams from Lego blocks to understand laminar and turbulent fluid flows
- Interactive musical instruments, such as musical fountains, and the Aquatune hydraulophone, which is an underwater pipe organ in the shape of a giant Lego block
- A Lego Mindstorms centre for fun-based learning
- Duplo Gardens (for smaller children)
- Driving area (including attractions such as Driving school, Boating school, Ballooning school, Flying school, and Fire Academy)
- My Town
- Wild Woods
- Knights' Kingdom
The parks' rides are all Lego themed; many are made to appear as if they are built out of Lego bricks. They tend to be based on one particular line of Lego: for example, a popular ride at all six parks is the Dragon Coaster, which is loosely based on the Knights' Kingdom Lego sets. Another popular ride is the Driving school, in which children can drive small electric cars made to look like Lego cars around a small road network, after which they gain a mock driving license.
Despite the commonality of the above-mentioned attractions, the exact set of rides varies between parks, although as with the Disney parks there is some overlap.
Parks
Future parks
Former parks
Europe
Legoland Sierksdorf
There was an earlier Legoland Park in Germany, from 1973 to 1976. It was located in the city of Sierksdorf in northern Germany. In 1976 the park was sold; the former Legoland Sierksdorf is now Hansa Park.
See also
- Legoland Discovery Centre
References
External links
- Legoland