Legoland Florida
| Legoland Florida | |
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| Location | Winter Haven, Florida, United States |
| Coordinates | 27°59′21.02″N 81°41′23.77″W / 27.9891722°N 81.6899361°WCoordinates: 27°59′21.02″N 81°41′23.77″W / 27.9891722°N 81.6899361°W |
| Website | Official website |
| Owner | Merlin Entertainments |
| General Manager | Adrian Jones [1] |
| Opened | October 15, 2011 |
| Previous names | Cypress Gardens |
| Area | 145 acres (0.59 km2)[2] |
| Rides | More than 50[3] total |
Legoland Florida is a theme park in Winter Haven, Florida. It opened on Saturday, October 15, 2011.[5] Merlin Entertainments Group operates the park which encompasses 145 acres (0.59 km2) of the former Cypress Gardens amusement park, making Legoland Florida the world's largest Legoland park.[6]
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[edit] History
A press release was published by Merlin Entertainments on January 15, 2010, stating the company's intention to build a Legoland theme park on the former site of Cypress Gardens.[2] Six days later, a news conference was held with Florida Governor Charlie Crist and park officials.[7] It has been estimated that approximately 1000 new jobs were created by Legoland Florida.[2]
After a relatively short construction period (as compared to parks which were built from scratch), Legoland Florida opened on Saturday, October 15, 2011.[5]
In January 2012, just 3 months after opening, Legoland Florida announced the addition of a water park by May 2012.[8] The former Splash Island water park which was part of Cypress Gardens is currently in the process of being refurbished with all existing rides being rethemed to the Legoland theme.[9]
[edit] Park layout & attractions
More than 50 rides, shows and attractions are featured in the park based on those at other Legoland parks. The Jungle Coaster ride from Legoland Windsor was transferred and relocated to the park and was renamed Test Track.[citation needed] Additionally, the historic gardens which Cypress Gardens was known for are maintained as part of the park.[10] The Splash Island Waterpark was kept and will be a separately ticketed admission. In addition, 4 attractions originally from Cypress Gardens were renovated, renamed and incorporated into the park including The Triple Hurricane wooden rollercoaster, the Okeechobee Rampage family coaster and Swamp Thing a Vekoma family inverted coaster. The Starliner coaster, formerly of the Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City, FL was dismantled for sale. The Island in the Sky ride was also kept and updated for 2011.[7] The park is divided into 11 sections:
[edit] The Beginning
- Island in the Sky– A 150-foot rotating platform ride that provides a 360° view of the park.
[edit] LEGO Kingdoms
- Dragon-A steel family coaster which features an indoor dark ride portion. Originally called Okeechobee Rampage.
- The Royal JOUST-A simulated 'joust' attraction where childen ride LEGO-themed horses through medieval scenes.
- Merlin's Challenge-A mini himalaya flat ride.
- The Forestmen's Hideout-A multi-level tree and rope climb.
[edit] Duplo Village
- Big Rig Rally–A 'semi truck' ride.
- Junior Fire Academy–A 'firetruck' ride.
- Granny’s Jalopies–A 'vintage car' ride.
- DUPLO Farm –A children's play area.
[edit] Fun Town
- Factory Tour-A firsthand look at how LEGO bricks are made from factory to finish.
- Grand Carousel– A two level carousel.
- Wells Fargo Fun Town 4D Theater-A 4D theater with 700 seats.
- Granny's Apple Fries-A Restaurant selling warm Granny Smith apple fries, dusted with cinnamon and sugar and served with a vanilla cream dipping sauce.
- LEGO Studio Store- store selling LEGO licensed products, such as Clutch Powers, SpongeBob™, Harry Potter™ and Star Wars™.
[edit] Imagination Zone
- LEGO Heroes-An immersive interactive play area based on LEGO’s Hero Factory line.
- Built & Test– An exhibit where guests can build a LEGO car and test it on the digitally timed track.
- Kid Power Towers-A set of towers where guests can hoist themselves up to the top then enjoy a “free-fall” to the bottom.
- LEGO MINDSTORMS-An exhibit where guests can build and program computerized LEGO MINDSTORMS™ robots.
- Lego Clubhouse[4] Seven of the world's most exciting Lego models on display[4]
[edit] Land of Adventure
- Beetle Bounce-A 'bouncing frog' flat ride.
- Coastersaurus-A wooden rollercoaster. Originally called Triple Hurricane.
- Lost Kingdom Adventure-An interactive dark ride.
- Pharaoh's Revenge[4]-An interactive play area.
- Safari Trek-A jeep ride featuring life-sized LEGO animal models.
[edit] Lego City
- The Big Test-An interactive show using acrobatics, music and play to teach fire safety.
- FORD Driving School-A “real-life” driving experience for children ages 6 through 13, where children receive their official LEGOLAND driver’s license.
- FORD Jr. Driving School[4]–a pint-size version driving school course for children ages 3 through 5.
- Flying School- A Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster, formerly called Swamp Thing.
- Boating School–A boat ride where guests can captain their own mini-vessels.
- Rescue Academy-An interactive game where families compete with one another in fire and police vehicles to be the first to put out a simulated “blaze”.
[edit] Miniland USA
An area of the park which features miniature LEGO replicas of American Cities:
- Florida- includes sections replicating the Florida Keys, the Everglades, Miami, Tampa, Central Florida, Daytona, The Kennedy Space Center, St. Augustine and the Panhandle.
- Las Vegas- features the world-famous Las Vegas Strip including the Luxor, New York, New York Hotel and Casino, Excalibur, Mirage, Treasure Island, Tropicana, MGM Grand, Venetian, Stratosphere tower and Paris Las Vegas.
- New York City- Features Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, Grand Central Station, The Empire State Building, the Guggenheim Museum and the Bronx Zoo.
- Washington, D.C. re-created areas like: of the White House, the U.S. Capitol building, The Smithsonian Museum, WWII Memorial, Washington and Jefferson monuments and parts of Georgetown.
- Pirates- A pirate themed area featuring miniature LEGO pirate ships.
[edit] Pirates' Cove
- The Battle For Brickbeard's Bounty Water Ski Show- A live water action stunt show on Eloise Lake.
[edit] Lego Technic
- AQUAZONE Wave Racers- A dual water carousel ride.
- LEGO TECHNIC Test Track[4]- A wild mouse rollercoaster. Originally was located at LEGOLAND Windsor as the Jungle Coaster.
- Technicycle- A pedal-powered spinning machine that shoot riders into the air.
[edit] Cypress Gardens
- Cypress Gardens Botanical Gardens- The original gardens from the former Cypress Gardens park. The gardens are owned by Polk county.
[edit] Legoland Water Park
- Lego Wave Pool – a gentle wave pool[11]
- Twin Chasers – two, 375-foot (114 m) long water slides[11]
- Splash Out – three slides each with a 60-foot (18 m) drop[11]
- Joker Soaker - childrens water play area[11]
- Build-A-Raft River - a 1,000-foot (300 m) long lazy river[11]
- Duplo Splash Safari – toddlers water play area[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "General Manager Announced for LEGOLAND® Florida". Legoland Florida. 2 August 2010. http://florida.legoland.com/Documents/press/releases/JonesAnnouncementRelease8.2.10.doc. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ^ a b c "Merlin Entertainments Group to open LEGOLAND® Florida". Legoland Florida. 15 January 2010. http://florida.legoland.com/Documents/press/releases/Merlin_Entertainments_Group_LEGOLAND_Florida.pdf. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ^ Duffy, Cathrine (22 January 2010). "Legoland Florida set for 2011". Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/travel/direct-flight-1.1394325/legoland-florida-set-for-2011-1.1719269. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "LEGOLAND". Florida Bricks. http://www.floridabricks.com/.
- ^ a b "It's a date: Legoland Florida to open Oct. 15". 23 May 2011. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/legoland/os-legoland-florida-opening-date,0,2696580.story. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
- ^ "World’s Largest Legoland Park ‘Legoland Florida’ Will Open Saturday, October 15, 2011". Net News Publisher. 23 May 2011. http://www.netnewspublisher.com/world%E2%80%99s-largest-legoland-park-legoland-florida-will-open-saturday-october-15-2011/. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
- ^ a b Garcia, Jason; Sara K. Clarke (21 January 2010). "Legoland Florida: Merlin Entertainments reveals details of new Winter Haven park". Orlando Sentinel. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/os-legoland-florida-park-20100121,0,1659229.story. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
- ^ Driver, Wendy (2 January 2012). "The best events of 2012: Launch yourself into a thrilling New Year!". Mail Online. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2081352/The-best-events-2012-Launch-thrilling-New-Year.html#ixzz1igRnskxf. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
- ^ Bevil, Dewayne (26 January 2012). "Legoland: Just add water (park)". Orlando Sentinel. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/legoland/os-bevil-legoland-florida-water-park-20120126,0,4007572.column. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
- ^ "LEGOLAND Park Information". Florida Bricks. http://www.floridabricks.com/legoland/. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "Legoland Water Park". Legoland Florida. http://florida.legoland.com/en/Park-Map/LEGOLAND-Water-Park1/. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
[edit] External links
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