Legoland

This article is about the theme park. For the PC game, see Legoland (video game). For the Lego theme previously called Legoland, see Lego City.

Legoland (trademark in uppercase as 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 (Billund, Denmark)
• Legoland Windsor (Windsor, England, United Kingdom)
• Legoland Deutschland (Günzburg, Germany)
• Legoland California (Carlsbad, San Diego County, California, USA)
• Legoland Florida (Winter Haven, Florida, USA)

The entrance of Legoland Deutschland.

Attractions

Replica of the New York City skyline at Legoland California

The parks are marketed to young families, and although they have a number of roller coasters, they are not as numerous or as extreme as those in other parks, and there is a greater emphasis on rides suitable for younger children.

The parks are split into various areas, which are common between the parks. For example, all four 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. Other features include a Lego Mindstorms centre (fun-based learning), Duplo Gardens (for smaller children), Driving area (including attractions such as Driving school, Boating school, Ballooning school and Fire Academy), My Town, Wild Woods, and Knight's 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 four 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. The exact set of rides varies between parks, although as with the Disney parks there is some overlap.

Parks

Legoland Billund

Main article: Legoland Billund

Legoland in Billund, Denmark, is the oldest. It is divided into nine different worlds: Duplo Land, Imagination Zone, LEGOREDO Town, Adventure Land, Miniland, Pirate Land, Lego City, Knights Kingdom and Viking land. The park opened in 1968 and has 1.7 million visitors annually, making it the largest tourist attraction in Denmark outside Copenhagen.

Legoland Windsor

Main article: Legoland Windsor

Legoland Windsor was built on the site of the previous Windsor Safari Park in Windsor, Berkshire, and opened in 1996. As of 2010, there are twelve areas in the park, including: The Beginning, Imagination Centre, Miniland, Duplo Land, Traffic, LEGO City, Land of the Vikings, Kingdom of the Pharaohs, Pirates Landing, Knights Kingdom, and Adventure Land.

Legoland California

Main article: Legoland California

Legoland California is located in Carlsbad, in North San Diego County. The park opened March 20, 1999, and is split into nine sections which are The Beginning, Dino Island, Explore Village, Fun Town, Castle Hill, Miniland USA, Imagination Zone, Pirate Shores, and Land of Adventures. A Sea Life aquarium is adjacent to the theme park. In 2010, a water park opened on grounds as the only Legoland to feature a water park.

Legoland Deutschland

Main article: Legoland Deutschland

Legoland Deutschland is located in Günzburg, Germany, and opened in 2002. As of 2009, there are seven areas in the park, including: Imagination Center, Miniland, LEGO X-treme, LEGO City, Knights Kingdom, Adventure Land, and Land of the Pirates.

There was an earlier Legoland Park in Germany, from 1973 to 1976. It was located in the city of Sierksdorf in northern Germany. This park is now called Hansa-Park.

Legoland Florida

Main article: Legoland Florida

Legoland Florida opened on October 15, 2011 as the second Legoland park in the United States, as well as the world's largest Legoland park. The park was built on the former site of Cypress Gardens, a historically famous Florida theme park.

Future Legoland parks

Currently three further Legoland parks are being developed. Legoland Malaysia is planned to open in Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia in 2012, and would be the first Legoland in Asia. Legoland Dubailand is planned to open in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was originally scheduled to open in 2011, but has since been delayed. Furthermore, Legoland Japan is planned to open in Nagoya, Japan in 2015.

Financial and visitor information

The Californian, Danish and German [1] parks all receive approximately 1.4 million visitors per year. The British park received approximately 1.65 million visitors in 2007, making it the 15th most visited park in Europe.

In June 2005, a 70 percent stake in the four theme parks was sold to Blackstone Group of New York, an investment and advisory firm, under its Merlin Entertainments brand. Lego Group retains a 30 percent stake.

See also

• Legoland Discovery Centre

External links

• Legoland
• LEGOLAND Travel The Official LEGOLAND Billund Accommodation Provider
• Hotel Legoland
• Legoland California Visitor Guide
• Satellite image of Legoland California from Google maps
• Satellite image of Legoland Deutschland from Google maps
• Satellite image of Legoland Billund from Google maps
• Satellite image of Legoland Windsor from Google maps