THEME PARK - 5 Suitcases

Everything You Need to Know About Wild Adventures Theme Park

Elle MacRae — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 11:25:52 +0000

Wild Adventures is a theme park in Valdosta, Georgia. The quaint park has it all; rides, animals, and a water park! The park has been on our radar for a while so we were thrilled when we partnered with the park for a day full of fun! Let me tell you, the park did NOT disappoint!

Wild Adventures is less than two hours from our home base in Jacksonville, Florida which makes for a perfect day trip!

Here are 10 essential tips to maximize your visit to Wild Adventures!

10 Tips for Visiting Wild Adventures Theme Park

1. Buy Tickets Online for Discounts

Why: Buying online in advance is cheaper than at the gate.

Tip: Look for season passes if you plan to visit more than once—they often include free parking and discounts.

2. Arrive Early to Beat the Crowds

Why: Mornings have shorter ride lines and cooler temperatures.

Tip: The park typically opens at 10:00 AM—arrive 30 minutes early to get through security quickly.

3. Plan Your Must-Do Rides & Shows

Why: Popular rides and animal shows can have long wait times later in the day.

Top Rides:

Boomerang (thrill-seekers)
Twisted Typhoon (roller coaster)
Swamp Thing (hanging coaster)
Safari Train (great for kids & animal lovers)

Animal Shows & Encounters:

Tiger Tales (educational tiger show)
Gator Feeding Experience
Parakeet Landing (interactive bird aviary)

Tip: Grab a daily schedule at the entrance or use the park app to check showtimes.

4. Dress Comfortably & Wear Sunscreen

Why: South Georgia’s heat and humidity can be intense.

Tip: Wear breathable clothing, comfortable walking shoes, sunglasses, and a hat. Apply sunscreen frequently!

5. Take Advantage of the Splash Island Water Park

Why: Admission includes the water park, a great way to cool off!

Top Attractions:

Hakini Rapids (water coaster)
Wahee Cyclone (family raft ride)
Catchawave Bay (wave pool)
Bonzai Pipelines (thrill slides)

Tip: Bring swimsuits, towels, and water shoes (required in some areas). Use lockers to store valuables.

6. Use the Wild Adventures Mobile App

Why: Get real-time ride wait times, show schedules, and dining options.

Tip: Enable notifications for updates on weather alerts, show start times, and special offers.

7. Pack a Small Bag with Essentials

What to Bring:

Reusable water bottle (free refills at stations)
Poncho (for water rides or rain)
Snacks (allowed in limited quantities)
Sunglasses & hat for sun protection

8. Save on Food with Meal Plans or Outside Dining

Why: Park food can be expensive, but there are ways to save.

Tips:

Buy the All-Day Dining Pass if you plan to eat multiple meals.
Eat at off-peak times (before 11:30 AM or after 2:00 PM) to avoid long lines.
Exit for a picnic—there are nearby fast-food options if you want to save money.

9. Visit on a Weekday for Fewer Crowds

Why: Saturdays and holidays get very busy, with long wait times.

Best Days to Visit:

Tuesday–Thursday (shorter lines, more relaxed experience).
Sunday afternoons (many guests leave early).

10. Check for Seasonal Events & Concerts

Why: Wild Adventures hosts concerts, holiday events, and festivals throughout the year.

Popular Events:

Summer Splash Nights (extended water park hours)
Great Pumpkin LumiNights (fall festival)
Wild Adventures Christmas (holiday lights & winter fun)

Tip: Some concerts are included with park admission, but reserved seating costs extra—buy early for the best spots.

By following these tips, you’ll save money, avoid crowds, and have an unforgettable experience at Wild Adventures Theme Park!

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The Best-Kept Secret About Hersheypark!

Elle MacRae — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 23:16:53 +0000

You may know about our quest to visit all 50 states and our goal to see all of the National Parks, but did you know we’re also on a mission to visit as many theme parks as possible? Yeah, we didn’t either lol However, while we were on our Mason-Dixon Road Trip, I realized we’ve hit up a TON of theme parks. Over the last few years, we’ve hit up Disney World, Universal Orlando, Wild Adventures, SeaWorld, Legoland, and Peppa Pig Theme Park. On this trip, we added a new theme park to our list: Hersheypark.

Hersheypark is a candy-themed park in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Yes, that Hershey. Believe it or not, the park opened in 1906! The founder of the Hershey, Milton S. Hershey, opened the park to create a green space for factory workers to unwind with their families. In 1908, a merry-go-round was installed. Shortly after, a carousel, roller coaster, and other rides were added. Soon, the park became a full-on theme park.

I first visited Hersheypark in the mid-90s (It blows my kid’s minds that I was alive in the 1900s) with my family. I remember loving it as a kid, so when I began mapping out our Mason-Dixon Road Trip, I knew we had to take the kids.

The Best Kept Secret About Hersheypark!

While researching the park, I came across a juicy little tidbit of info that blew my mind! Believe it or not, when you purchase a regular ticket to Hersheypark, you get instant access to preview the park the evening before. Whaaaaaatttt!?!?! Extra time in the park? Yes, please!

The hours of this preview window vary, so you’ll want to check out the official website near the time of your visit to confirm what they will be. Typically, you’ll get 1.5 to 2 hours to explore Hersheypark.

Once I found this out, I switched up our itinerary a little bit to make sure we were in Hershey in time to take advantage of this. We hit up Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site and high-tailed it to the land of chocolatey goodness.

After checking in to our hotel, we told the kids we were going out to eat and surprised them by taking them to Hersheypark for our preview. Our preview night was December 23rd, so it was during the holiday season. I expected it to be crowded, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The park was dead. We walked up to each ride and had 0 wait times! During our 90-minute preview, we rode at least a dozen rides. Anyone who visits theme parks will tell you, that’s quite impressive!

Our Hersheypark Experience

The next day, we got up to hit the park again. With the preview under our belt, we had a pretty good grasp of the park’s layout. The kids mapped out what rides they wanted to conquer again and couldn’t have been more excited about visiting the park.

Since we were visiting the park on Christmas Eve, the park had limited hours. The park opened at noon, but Hershey’s Chocolate World opened at 10 so we headed to the theme park to check that out. Hershey’s Chocolate World has shops, eateries, and add-on features. There is a free ride that takes you through the process of making chocolate, which we all enjoyed. We ended up doing it twice just to kill time. At the end of the ride, they give you a sample of Hershey’s chocolate, which my kids thought was pretty cool.

We spent some time in the shops before waiting at the park’s entrance for the park to open. In our experience, many parks will open a few minutes early… although there was an announcement that the park was ready for visitors, they didn’t open the gates until noon on the dot.

The park closed at 4 on the day of our visit, so we had 4 hours in the park. Despite this, we didn’t feel robbed of our time since we had the preview. Plus, we had another day of 0 lines, so we walked directly onto every ride, which was pretty amazing! If you visit any of the Florida theme parks around the holidays you’ll experience longer than normal wait times, so to have virtually no wait was remarkable.

One bummer was that several rides were not open due to the temperatures. Since it was so cold out, there were no roller coasters open (which is something we’ve experienced at other parks). As far as thrill rides are concerned, there were only 2 available: an indoor roller coaster, and a “baby roller coaster” as my kids called it. All the open rides were the type of rides you’d find at the fair, which was a bummer.

What to Pack with You for Hersheypark

Sunscreen
Water bottle
Towels/bathing suit (if visiting during the warm months when the waterpark is open)

What We Loved/Hated About the Park

The Sweet Stuff

We loved that the park had short wait times.
The park was decorated for the holidays and had the most incredible Santa. He even had his reindeer available for kids to visit (from a distance).
The park was clean and easy to navigate.
The park has an app that you can use to check wait times, order food, view maps, etc.
There are storage lockers available to rent for the day. This is handy if you don’t feel like toting around a backpack or bag of towels (if you’re hitting up the waterpark).
Rider swaps are available if needed. This is super handy if there isn’t one adult per child. You can ride the attraction with one kid while the other(s) stay with the operator. When you finish, you can swap out the kids and go on the ride again without having to wait in line.

The Bittersweet Stuff

The prices for adding on things like making your bar of chocolate were pretty expensive, especially when you have a larger family.
There were a lot of rides that our boys could ride, but our daughter couldn’t, and vice versa. There were very few rides that all 3 kids could ride together, which meant we often had to split up. It would have been nice if there were more rides that everyone could enjoy.
There were not a lot of rides that adults could ride on. The kids had to ride alone on most rides, which wasn’t an issue for our kids but I could see it being a problem for others.
Speaking of rides, there were some rides that the kids were permitted to ride during our preview, but not permitted to ride the next day. Although the kids were measured before each ride (which I totally get), not everyone was on the same page with who could ride.
There weren’t many food options when we visited. We saw evidence of several eateries around the park, but they were not open during our visit.

Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventure

For future reference, be sure to save our “Epic Guide to Hersheypark.” Pin one of the images below to Pinterest. Go ahead and follow 5 Suitcases on Pinterest while you’re at it!

While we were in Pennsylvania, we also visited Gettysburg National Military Park and the Eisenhower National Historic Site. Check out our YouTube Channel to watch more videos from our Mason-Dixon Road Trip or other theme parks.

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16 Things to Know Before Visiting Universal Orlando

Elle MacRae — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 11:48:00 +0000

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16 Things to Know Before Visiting Universal Orlando

1. It's Not Called Universal Studios

Despite nearly everyone calling the park in its entirety Universal Studios, the park is actually called Universal Orlando Resort. The new name is way less catchy, but it was changed to show off the fact that the park now includes 3 parks (Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay), hotels, and an entertainment complex known as City Walk.

2. The Park is Brilliantly Laid Out

These people knew what they were doing when they designed the park! You must walk through City Walk to access Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure. That means you’ll be passing by a butt-ton of shops, bars, restaurants, and entertainment spaces on your way in and out of the park.

3. Staying Onsite Has Its Perks.

Dude, the perks you get for staying onsite are BOMB! We’re talking about benefits like:

Early park admission
Express Passes
Water taxis
Priority seating at select restaurants
Anything you buy can be sent to your hotel

4. Pay Close Attention to Park Hours

The park hours fluctuate based on the day and season. Be sure to check the official site for the hours on the day(s) of your visit.

You may also get early access to the park if you stay on-site. (See above).

5. It's TOTALLY Busy!

Universal Orlando is BUSY! Like, most of the time. As you are planning out your trip, you should reference the Orlando Crowd Calendar to see what the anticipated crowds are like during your visit.

Without an Express Pass, it will be difficult to get to all of the rides in just one day.

Visiting during the off-season is the best way to avoid the crowds. If you can help it, avoid summer, major holidays, and school breaks, if at all possible.

Historically, the park isn’t as busy on weekdays. And September, January, and February are typically the best months to visit.

6. Download the App

Like most theme parks, Universal has its own app, and it’s actually pretty freaking great. You should download the app before you leave for your trip so you can check out all of the features.

My favorite features were:

A spot to record where you parked
Maps that you could sort by distance and wait times
A spot to order ahead food

The app also gives a super vague description of what the rides are. I wish these were a little more descriptive because you could literally be standing in a line for a ride that you are terrified of and not even know it.

7. There Are Actually TWO Wizarding Worlds (What the What!???!)

Remember how I said the park designers were brilliant? I wasn’t kidding. If they aren’t members of MENSA, they probably should look into it!

Oh wait…maybe they’re wizards themselves??

These brainiacs were smart and split the Harry Potter attractions across 2 different parks- Universal Studios AND Islands of Adventure! That means in order to get the full experience you have to have a Park-to-Park ticket.

Hogsmede is in Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley is in Univeral Studios. Both sides of the HP stuff is connected by the Hogwarts Express, which is a train that you can only ride if you have a Park-to-Park ticket.

8. You Better Drink Up!

The Florida heat and humidity is no joke, yo. Even if you visit during a cooler day, it’s important to stay hydrated. Pack your own water bottle and refill it at the free water fountain points all over the park. We travel with this one and it’s a total game changer!

Shoot, while you’re at it pack a fan, cooling towel, sunscreen, and your patience. Florida is miserable, trust me- I’m from here.

9. You're Packing for a Day- not a Week. Don't Overpack Your Day Bag!

Unless you pay to rent a locker, you’ll be carrying your day bag for all or most of the day. Even if you do rent a locker, this involves going back and forth. Who wants to do that?

Do yourself a favor and don’t overpack your day bag.

For my last visit, I used this fanny pack as my day bag. We had an 80% chance of rain that day so I tossed in a raincoat. I added my driver’s license and debit card, which was it! Smiley brought along a drawstring bag where she kept a water bottle, raincoat, phone, retainer case, and Chapstick.

Other ideas:

Portable Battery charger
Cooling towel
Collapsible water bottle
Neck Fan
Sunscreen

10. Oh...but DO Pack Snacks!

You’re allowed to bring your snacks into the park. You’ll probably want to avoid packing anything with chocolate though, because the Florida heat is a BEAST!

Some ideas:

Goldfish
Chips
Granola Bars
Pretzels
KIND Bars
Fruit Snacks
Dried Fruit

11. We Ain't the Lightning Capital For Nothin', Ya'll.

Here in Florida, it rains almost every day in the summer. We’re talking torrential downpours with violent lightning.

When there is lightning within 5 miles, all of the outdoor rollercoasters will shut down along with the hotel pools and Volcano Bay.

If you see a storming rolling in, be prepared to pivot your plans.

12. Be Single, at Least for a Day!

The Single Rider lines will pretty much always be shorter than the regular standby line. If you don’t mind getting split from your party and don’t want to shell out money for the Express Pass, this is your best bet for maximizing your time.

We found it easier for me to ride the ride first and then have my daughter hop on the next ride. That way, I could wait for her at the exit.

13. ....or at Least Be a VIP For a Day!

Hear me out, booking a VIP Tour might just be the best way to experience the theme park.

Here is what is included with every Universal VIP Tour:

Dedicated tour guide
Behind-the-scenes tours and experiences
Front-of-the-line access to attractions
Valet parking
Reserved seating at in-park shows
Universal Express Unlimited passes for the rest of the day
Discounts on merchandise and food
Free admission to some clubs at CityWalk
At least one complimentary meal (all 2-Park Tours)

Group tours start at $249 per person + the cost of your theme park ticket. Prices vary depending on the time of year and the crowds.

14. Parents, This One's For YOU!

Alright grown-ups with offspring, this one’s for you! All of the rides at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure now have a special Child Swap area.

If you have a kiddo that doesn’t meet the height requirement (or is scared to death of a certain ride)… that doesn’t mean you have to miss out!

Here’s how it works. You line up for the ride as a family. Once you get to the front of the line, one adult takes the kiddo(s) to the Child Swap area, while the other gets a mental health break and rides the ride. Once the ride/break is over, the adults swap places! This way, there’s always someone watching the kids and the adults don’t have to miss out on the fun.

15. Oh, and if You Hate Lines and Have Extra Cash, This One is For YOU!

Everyone hates lines. Especially when it’s hot as hell out. If you shell out some extra money, you can purchase an Express Pass which lets you skip the line.

The unlimited pass will set you back $100/per person/day. There are limited passes that start at just $20.

If you’re staying at an official Universal Studios Hotel, you get one of these badass passes for free! Totally worth it, right?

It’s estimated that an Express Pass shaves about 70% off of your wait time.

16. You Should Probably Have a Game Plan

The general rule of thumb for theme parks is to start at the back and work your way toward the front. This rule definitely applies to Universal Studios but is less relevant for Islands of Adventure.

When you walk into Univeral Studios, fight the urge to hop on the Minion rides and head straight to the back of the park. Instead, zoom on back to the furthest part of the park- which just so happens to be the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

This plan works 2-fold- 1) You don’t have to retrace your footsteps at the end of the day to exit the park. 2) The wait times are a little shorter the earlier you get back to the HP stuff.

Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventures!

For future reference, be sure to save our post “16 Things to Know Before Visting Univeral Orlando”! Pin one of the images below to Pinterest. Go ahead and follow 5 Suitcases on Pinterest while you’re at it!

Be sure to also check out our other posts on Orlando theme parks.

Be sure to give us a like on Facebook or follow us on Instagram for more travel tips and tricks. See you next time!

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Totally Awesome Guide to Legoland Florida Rides

Elle MacRae — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 12:42:00 +0000

Legoland Florida is one of the best theme parks for little kids and big kids to visit. There is so much to see and do at the park, including thrill rides, chill rides, character meet and greets, and spectacular shows. It is one of my kiddos’ favorite theme parks in Florida.

Let’s dive in and take a look at all of the totally awesome Legoland Florida rides! The Legoland Florida theme park has ten sections, each with its own unique Lego theme.

In this post, the rides are organized by thematic section.

Legoland Florida Rides by Section

Fun Town

Fun Town is where you’ll find the first attractions. A two-level carousel called Grand Carousel and the Wells Fargo Fun Town Theater, which features 4D films.

Grand Carousel

Grand Carousel is a double-decker slow-moving carousel ride that your kids will absolutely love. The ride is outfitted with animal statues and benches. The second floor tends to fill up pretty quickly.

Pro-Tip: Save the carousel for last! Head to the back of the park instead to take advantage of shorter lines. Many visitors are tempted to hit up the carousel first thing since it is the first ride in the park.

Ride Requirements: Riders below 48″ must be accompanied by an adult or a responsible person 14 years or older.

Heartlake City

Heartlake City opened in 2015 and centers around the LEGO Friends series. It has 1 ride- Mia’s Riding Adventure, a theater, and a heart-shaped fountain with Lego brick instruments.

Mia's Riding Adventure

If your little one is a thrill seeker, you won’t want to miss this one! Saddle up and join Mia for a riding adventure! On this spinning ride, you’ll travel forward and backward on a circular platform that sits on a U-shaped track.

Ride Requirements: Riders must be 48″ or higher.

Duplo Valley

This area was designed with toddlers in mind. It hosts two rides, Duplo Train and Duplo Tractor, an air-conditioned playground called Duplo Farm, an outdoor playground, and a toddler splash pad.

Duplo Train

A slow moving train coasts along gentle bends on this toddler friendly ride.

Ride Requirements: Riders below 34″ must be accompanied by an adult.

Duplo Tractor

Cruise around the Duplo farm in this slow-moving tractor ride. The tractor moves along a track, going around smooth turns.

This was one of the first Legoland Florida rides that our family enjoyed together. The boys are obsessed with vehicles these days, so it was perfect for them!

Ride Requirements: Riders below 42″ must be accompanied by an adult or a responsible person 14 years or older.

Lego Kingdoms

Journey back into medieval times at Lego Kingdoms. The Dragon is a remodeled roller coaster from the park’s Cypress Garden days. Here, you’ll also find a toddler-friendly ride called The Royal Joust, a small circular rollercoaster called Merlin’s Challenge, and a playground known as The Forestmen’s Hideout.

This was our family’s favorite of all the Legoland Florida rides!

The Dragon

This super awesome (and totally hilarious) indoor/outdoor roller coaster offers a look into the life within the enchanted Legoland castle.

The Royal Joust

This ride is perfect for little ones. Mount a Lego horse and travel across medieval Legoland.

Merlin's Challenge

This was our family’s favorite Legoland Florida ride! Climb aboard a Lego train and cruise around this fast, spinning circular rollercoaster.

Land of Adventure

You’ll find a treasure chest of fun in this Ancient Egyptian-themed section. Don’t miss Beetle Bounce, Coastersaurus, Lost Kingdom Adventure, Safari Trek, and Pharaoh’s Revenge- a super fun playground.

Beetle Bounce

The line for the Legoland Florida ride moves super fast! The Beetle Bounce takes riders on a bouncy flight on an obelisk. Riders are lifted 15 feet into the air and dropped quickly down. Our oldest (7) and our youngest (4) loved this ride!

Coastersaurus

Travel through a prehistoric jungle filled with life-sized LEGO dinosaurs on this classic Legoland Florida ride. This junior coaster is perfect for kids who aren’t quite tall enough or old enough for the more intense thrill rides.

Since the coaster is designed for young riders, grown-ups might find the carts a little cramped.

Lost Kingdom Adventure

This is another one of our favorite Legoland Florida rides! Riders travel back to ancient Egypt in search of treasure on this dark, indoor ride. As you’re coasting through Egypt, you’re equipped with a laser blaster for protection. Shoot at targets to see how many points you can acquire!

Safari Trek

Board a slow-moving off-road vehicle and travel through the African plains. See if you can spot giraffes, elephants, lions, and more!

The Lego Movie World

This section is centered around The Lego Movie. There are three main attractions here, including Masters of Flight, a flying theater attraction, Unikitty’s Discodrop, and Battle of Bricksburg, a super wet family-fun ride.

Masters of Flight

Climb aboard Emmet’s Triple Decker Couch and magically get transported into the LEGO MOVIE Universe. You’ll soar to Cloud Cuckoo Land, Middle Zealand, Pirate’s Cove, and more in this flying theatre. Be prepared to experience mist, wind, and smells on this super fun Legoland Florida ride!

Unikitty's Discodrop

This ride is very similar to Beetle Bounce. Riders are taken on a bouncy flight that spins around in circles as it bounces you up and down.

Battle of Bricksburg

You’re almost guaranteed to get wet on this family-fun water ride! Hope on our boat and coast around the town of Bricksburg, defending it against evil Duplo alien invaders.

Lego City

Cruise into the heart of Lego City for trunkloads of fun! Kids can act like grown-ups and drive almost every vehicle imaginable! Here you’ll find Ford Driving School, Ford Jr. Driving School, Flying School, Boating School, and Rescue Academy.

Ford Driving School

Kids 6-13 climb into cars for this “real-life” driving experience. After navigating around the other absolutely insane drivers, kids receive their official LEGOLAND driver’s license.

Ford Jr. Driving School

This scaled-down version of the driving school is for kids 3-5. They get to cruise around a smaller, less chaotic road course. At the end of their driving test, they will receive their very own driver’s license.

Flying School

This ride is perfect for thrill seekers! Take flight and soar on this iconic Legoland Florida ride. You’ll twist, turn, and glide through the air on a steel coaster.

Boating School

This is the quintessential Legoland Florida ride! Visitors get to captain their very own speedboat. Using the gas pedal and steering wheel, you’ll be in total control of our boat.

Kids love this ride! There are Legoland employees guiding captains so they can safely navigate the water. The rides duration depends on the rider’s control, but it usually lasts between 4 and 7 minutes.

There are several boats, however, so the line moves rather quickly.

Rescue Academy

Ring the alarm! There’s a fire! It is up to your family to rush to the fire, put it out, and make your way back to the station. This ride is very hands-on. It requires quite a bit of energy, strength, and teamwork to make the firetruck move. This was our family’s least favorite Legoland Florida ride.

Lego Technic

In this section, you’ll find Technicycle, a pedal-powered spinning machine that propels you into the air, The Great Lego Race coaster, and AQUAZONE Wave Racers.

Technicycle

The faster you pedal, the higher your paraglider will travel on this wild and crazy pedal-powered spinning machine.

The Great Lego Race

Lego masters! Start your engines! The Great Lego Race puts riders in the center of an action-filled road race on this super thrilling rollercoaster.

AQUAZONE Wave Racers

It wouldn’t be a Legoland Florida ride without a bit of water! Cruise over the water in your own watercraft! As soon as the racers start moving, you have the ability to control your Wave Racer. Steering the wave racer can help you avoid blasts of water- otherwise, prepare to get wet!

Pro-Tip: There are two different platforms on the Aquazone Wave Ravers, so the line moves faster than you may think.

Imagination Zone

This zone features 2 spaces where kids can get creative! At Build & Test, kids can build race cars and zip lines, and Lego Mindstorms is an exhibit where they can build robots. At WB Games Zone, kids can play video games. There is one ride, Kid Power Towers, where guests hoist themselves to the top and free-fall to the bottom.

Kid Power Towers

On this unique ride, passengers hoist themselves to the top of a Lego tower for sweeping views of Lake Eloise and the entire park.

Checking Out the Legoland Florida Rides

Many people think Legoland Florida is in Orlando however, it is actually in the town of Winter Haven, just southwest of Orlando. It’s about 36 miles, or an hour away from Disney World.

Address: 1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884

If you’re driving, Legoland Florida is easily accessible via I-4 (via Orlando or I-75 (via Tampa).

Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventure!

For future reference, be sure to save our post “Totally Awesome Guide to Legoland Florida Rides”! Pin one of the images below to Pinterest. Go ahead and follow 5 Suitcases on Pinterest while you’re at it!

Be sure to also check out our Legoland Secrets and our review of the Legoland Hotel.

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Updated: 4/29/25

Ultimate Guide to the 2024 Seven Seas Food Festival at SeaWorld

Elle MacRae — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 12:28:12 +0000

Foods and families alike will love the annual Seven Seas Food Festival at SeaWorld Orlando! The event takes place each year and features global cuisine and drink pairings that will blow your mind. The Seven Seas Food Festival includes rock, country, Latin, and throwback concerts at special times such as Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo. The event is included in your ticket price, however, there are upgrades available to help you enjoy the total experience.

Seven Seas Food Festival 2024

The event takes place on select dates between February 2, 2024 and May 19, 2024. It overlaps some of the biggest party holidays including, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo.

Visitors can choose from over 200 food and drink options including 50+ unique food choices, 75+ craft beers, and 75+ wine and cocktail selections. These flavors are expertly paired to offer your palate a tantalizing experience.

Culinary Marketplace Hours

Thursdays and Fridays: 11:00 a.m. – Park Close
Saturdays and Sundays: 11:00 a.m. – Park Close

The Seven Seas Food Festival is set up going around the lagoon. 28 different stops wrap around the lagoon from the entrance way to the Glacier Bar. If you work your way around the lagoon, you’ll end your visit near the performance space.

Seven Seas Food Festival Food and Drink Menu- 2024

The below menu is in number order starting at #1 and ending at #24. The foods in bold are the ones we tried and have rated.

1. Flamecraft Bar

Features 13 rotating draught beers.

Specialty Cocktails:
Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri (Flor de Cana Rum, Strawberry)
Frozen Pina Colada (Flor de Cana Rum, Coconut
Frozen) Orlando Vice (Piña Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri)

2. Smugglers

Craft Brews:
Cloud Chaser by Crooked Can Brewery (Winter Garden, Florida)
Two Hearted IPA by Bells (Kalamazoo, Michigan)

Wines:
Moscato (Ca Montebello, Italy)
Riesling (Fulkerson Winery, New York)

3. Caribbean Moonshine Tasting

Specialty Cocktails:
Marmalade Mayhem
Cat 5 Coconut
Passionfruit Prohibition
Banana Breeze
PB&C Cannonball

4. Café De Mar

Food:
Whiskey Maple Hog- Cinnamon roll with bacon and a whiskey glaze

Specialty Cocktails:
Frozen Orlando Vice (Piña Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri)
Strawberry Daiquiri
Piña Colada

Wines:
Peach Moscato (New Jersey)
Sangue di Giuda (Italy)

5. French Market

Food:

Duck Confit- served with Tabais Bean
Escargot- Garlic butter, Crostini

Dessert:
Mini Creme Brulee- Rich Vanilla Custard, Caramelized Sugar

Wines:
Bordeaux Rouge-Comtesse de Malet Roquefort, France
Sparkling Wine Cremant de Loire Brut- J. de Villebois, France

6. All-American Market

Food:
Cannonball Chicken Wings- Tossed in Cannonball BBQ Sauce
Lobster Mac & Cheese- Sharp cheddar mac and cheese, lobster, crispy shallot, green onion
Fried Pickles- Served with a Texas Petal Sauce

Craft Brews:
Veteran’s Pride APA- Wop’s Hops Brewing
Yuengling Lager

Specialty Cocktails:
Strawberry Whiskey Smash (Jim Beam, Strawberry)

7. Polynesian Market

Food:
Lamb Ribs- roasted lamb served with Hawaiian Slaw, sesame seeds, pickle red onion and a BBQ sweet & sour sauce (GF)
Ahi Tuna Poke Nachos- Tortilla chips, wakame, furikake, spicy aioli, toasted sesame oil

Craft Brews:
Big Wave Golden Ale (Kona Brewing Co., Kailuna-Kona, Hawaii)

Specialty Cocktails:
Frozen Polynesian Summer (Captain Morgan Pineapple Rum, coconut cream, mango, pineapple)

8. North Atlantic Market

Food:
Classic Lobster Roll- Brioche, tender butter lettuce, garnished with micro celery
Prince Edwards Island Shrimp Fritters- PEI shrimp, succotash, fermented spicy aioli
Fish & Chips- fried cod, sidewinder fries, tartar sauce
Boston Cream Pie- Vanilla Pastry Creme, Chocolate

Craft Brews:
Liberty Limeade

Specialty Cocktail:
Moose Juice (Canadian Club whisky, raspberry, cranberry, lemonade)

9. Coaster Cocktails

Specialty Drinks:

Pipeline (Henricks gin, Tito’s vodka, Bacardi rum, peach schnapps, orange juice, pineapple, grenadine)
Kraken (Tito’s vodka, Midori, green apple, pineapple juice) Mako (Milagro tequila, pineapple, blueberry, lime sour)
Ice Breaker (Spiced rum, passion fruit, lemonade, Sprite)
Penguin Trek (Non-Alcoholic) (Sprite, Blue Raspberry, Garnish with Silver Edible Glitter)

10. Sweet Sips

Food:
Raz Dazzle Cupcake- Vanilla cupcake, raspberry filling, vanilla frosting, raspberry
Coco Loco Cupcake- Chocolate cupcake, chocolate filling, chocolate frosting, chocolate hard shell
Island Dream Cupcake- Pineapple cupcake, Malibu frosting
Orange Bliss Cupcake- Orange cupcake, Grand Marnier frosting
Passionate Cupcake– Passionfruit Cupcake, Passion Liqueur, Peach Schnapps Mousse, White Chocolate Straw)

Wines:

Riesling White Wine (Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, Washington)
Peach Moscato Fruit Wine (Tomasello Winery, Hammonton, New Jersey)
Moscato d’Asti Sparkling Wine (Risata Wines, Piedmont, Italy)
Sangue di Giuda (Ca Montebello, Oltrepò Pavese, Italy)

11. Italian Market

Food:
Palermo Fontina Cheese Meatballs- Homemade meatballs with Fontina cheese and fresh herbs in Pomodoro sauce garnished with Garlic panzito
Mini Calzone- Ricotta, mozzarella, house made marinara sauce
Italian Cannoli- Mascarpone vanilla cream, cherry and pistachio crumbs

Craft Brews:
Va Bene Italian Pilsner (Ivanhoe Park Brewing)

Wine:
Pinot Grigio- Gabbiano, Italy
Chianti– Da Vinci, Tuscany

12. Italian Wine Tasting

Smooth Red Blend- Roscata, Italy
Tre Red Blend- Brancaia, Italy
Sweet Rose- Sonoroso, Italy
Sweet White- Sonoroso, Italy

12. España

Wine:
Cava Brut (Bodegas Pazo De Villarei, Valencia, Spain)
Abadia Do Seixo (Bodegas Pazo De Villarei, Rias Baixas, Spain)
Vendimia Seleccionada (Vega Del Rayo, Rioja, Spain)
Cermeno Vedimia Seleccionada (Covitoro Bodegas, Toro, Spain)

13. Sweet & Sour

Specialty Cocktails:

Jalapeño Margarita (Jalapeño tequila, Triple Sec, lime sour)
Strawberry Margarita (Rock N Roll strawberry tequila, Triple Sec, strawberry lime sour)
Watermelon Margarita (Milagro Tequila, Triple Sec, watermelon, lime sour)
Mango Margarita (Milagro Tequila, Triple Sec, Mango, Lime Sour)

14. Irish Market

Food:
Bangers and Mash- Guinness Sausage, Boursin Mashed Potatoes, Peas, Gravy
St. Patrick’s Day Nachos- Crispy Potato Chips, Corned Beef, Cheese, Red Cabbage
Jameson Donut- Chocolate Jameson Mousse, Chocolate Icing, Candy Orange

Craft Brews:
Guinness Draught (Guinness Brewery, Dublin, Ireland)
Strongbow Cider

Specialty Cocktails:
Irish Cold brew Latte (Jameson Cold Brew, coffee, cream, simple syrup)

15. Mediterranean Market

Food:

Walking Gyros- Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Tzatziki Sauce
Moroccan Grilled Lamb Chop- Boursin whipped mashed potatoes served with tzatziki sauce, micro celery garnish (GF)
Baklava- Flaky filo dough layered with honey drenched walnuts (Vegetarian)

Specialty Cocktails:

Mediterranean Sangria (Red sangria, red wine, cranberry juice, orange juice, lime)

Wine:
Akakies Sparkling Rose (Kir-Yianni, Greece)
Assyrtiko (Mylonas Winery, Greece)

16. Indian Market

Food:

Garlic Naan with Chickpea Curry- Tomato Cream Stew, Peas, Chutney
Chicken Tikka Masala- Tomato Cream Sauce, Peppers, Jasmine Rise

Dessert:

Jalebi- Indian Funnel Cake with Wildflower Honey

Beer:

Kingfisher Premium Lager

Cocktail:

Mango Mojito- Bacardi Light Rum, Mango, Lime, Mint

17. Asian Market

Food:
Tempura Battered Sushi- California Roll, Deep Fried, topped with Masago, Eel Sauce
Deep Fried Dumpling- Asian vegetables served atop Ponzu sauce (Vegetarian)
Bing Su- Salted caramel ice cream topped with caramel popcorn and caramel

Craft Brews:
Asahi (Asahi Brewery, Osaka, Japan)

Specialty Cocktails:
Elderflower Mule (Tito’s Vodka, Elderflower Liqueur, Ginger Beer, Lime)

Wine:
Shimizu-No-Mai Pure Snow Sake (Takashimizu Brewery, Akita, Japan)
Kobai Plum Wine (Gekkeikan, Kyoto, Japan)

18. Waterway Bar

Food:
Penguin Pretzel

Craft Brews:
Featuring 12 rotating draught beers

Specialty Cocktails:
Frozen Jack & Coke
Frozen Pina Colada
Frozen Lime Margarita

Wine:

Chardonnay (Juggernaut, Sonoma Coast)

19. Mama's Pretzel Kitchen

Featuring 8 rotating draught beers.

20. German Market

Food:
Bratwurst- Smoked bacon and cheddar brat, pretzel bun, sauerkraut served with beer infused cheese
Footlong Pretzel on a Stick- Choice of: chocolate, sprinkles or cinnamon sugar (Vegetarian)

Specialty Cocktails:
German Blood Orange Mule (Monkey 47 Gin, Blood Orange Ginger Beer, Orange Slice)
Sparkling Strawberry Punch Mocktail (Sparkling spritzer, strawberry)

Wine:
R Riesling (August Kesseler, Germany)

21. Beer Graden

Craft Beer:
Golden Road Mango Cart
Kona Hanalei
Blond Belle Isle- Brewlando
Wicked Weed Burst Sour Strawberry Kiwi
Hazzle Little Thing- Sierra Nevada
Island Beats Tropical IPA- Lagunitas Brewing

Wine:
The Stag (St. Huberts, Paso Robles)

22. Gulf Coast Market

Food:
Cajun Shrimp and Grits- Cheddar stone grits, royal red shrimp, andouille sausage, roasted tomatoes, green peas
Boudin Balls- Cajun Rice Balls with Ground Pork & Chicken, Remoulade Sauce
Beignets- Cinnamon sugar, Whipped Cream

Craft Brews:
Purple Haze (Abita Brewing Co., Covington, Louisiana)

Specialty Cocktails:
Hurricane (Bacardi Dark Rum, passion fruit, orange and lime juices)

23. Mexican Market

Food:

Taco al Pastor- Mazina tortilla, chipotle ancho adobo chicken, grilled pineapple nappa cabbage, onion, and cilantro
Mexican Street Corn- Queso fresco with cilantro avocado crema garnished with tajin (GF, Vegetarian)
Dulce de Leche Mini Cake– Sweet Moist Milky Cake with Caramel

Craft Brews:
Modelo Especial (Grupo Modelo Brewery, Mexico City, Mexico)

Specialty Cocktails:
Frozen Pitaya Punch (Bacardi Rum, Triple Sec, dragon fruit, cranberry, lime)

24. Glacier Bar

Food:
Seven Seas Bougie Donut- Strawberry cheesecake filling, strawberry buttercream, brown sugar crumble

Craft Brews:
Featuring 6 rotating draught beers

Specialty Cocktails:
Spicy Piña Margarita (Milagro Tequila, spicy pineapple, lime sour)
Sparkling Mojito (Flor De Caña silver rum, club soda, mint)

Wine:
Bin No. 27 Port (Fonseca, Portugal)

25. Brazilian Market

Food:
Picanha Steak – Cilantro chimichurri, three bean salad (GF)
Pão De Queijo- Brazilian cheese bread, Guava Dipping Sauce
Galinhada- Marinated Chicken Thigh, Saffron Rice

Craft Brews:
Easy Fridays Lager (Hidden Springs Ale Works)

Specialty Cocktails:
Frozen Guava Mint Caipirinha (Cachaca, guava, mint, coconut water, lime juice)

Wine:
Reserva Malbec (Don Genaro, Mendoza, Argentina)

26. Half Pipe Pavillion

Peach Lemonade (non-alcoholic) Peach Puree, Lemonade
Tito’s Lemonade– Tito’s Vodka, Lemonade, Basil
Cucumber Mint Lemonade- Tito’s Vodka, Lemonade, Cucumber, Mint
Strawberry Lemonade- Tito’s Vodka, Lemonade, Strawberry

27. Caribbean Market

Food:
Smoked Jerk Chicken Slider- smoked chicken on a brioche bun with pineapple slaw and cilantro
Mojo Pork Tostones– Cilantro Garlic Sauce, Pickled Onion
Rum Cake- Topped with Whipped Cream

Craft Brews:
Cerveza Palma

Specialty Cocktails:
Coconut Mojito- Bacardi Light Rum, Coconut, Lime, Mint
Caribbean Sunset- non-alcoholic (orange, lemonade, Sprite, grenadine)

28. Veggie Market

Food:

Veg’d Out Sandwich- Soybean Chicken Patty, Brioche Bun, Green Goddess Sauce, Arugula, Tomato
Taco ‘Bout It– Plant Based Chorizo, Pico de Gallo, Lettuce, Crema
Lil Fruit Tart– Lime, Mango, Dairy-Free Custard, Lavender

Cocktails:
Strawberry Lemonade (Non-alcoholic)- Lemonade, Strawberry

Wines:

Pinot Noir
Sauvignon Blanc

Sampler Lanyard

If you’d like to try several different food and drinks, you may want to consider purchasing a sampler lanyard. You can save up to 40% with a 10 sample lanyard or up to 50% with a 15 sample lanyard.

10 sample lanyards cost $70 each and $15 sample lanyards cost $85 each. Lanyards can be shared by multiple people.

2024 Concert Line Up for the Seven Seas Food Festival

February 3- Kool & the Gang
February 4- Josh Turner
February 17- Gente de Zona
February 24- Hanson
February 25- Newsboys
March 2- Gloria Gaynor
March 3- Night Ranger
March 16- Corey Kent
March 23- Blood, Sweat, & Tears
March 24- Warrant
March 30- Natalie Grant
March 31- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
April 6- Grupo Niche
April 7- Owl City
April 13- Hoobastank
April 14- Chris Janson
April 20- Gavin DeGraw
April 21- Jason Derulo
April 27- Chris Lane
April 28- Ludacris
May 4- Relient K
May 5- To Be Announced
May 11- To Be Announced
May 12- All-4-One
May 18- To Be Announced
May 19- To Be Announced

You can purchase reserved seating on the SeaWorld Orlando website if want to ensure decent seats for the show
The concert lineup for the Seven Seas Food Festival is slowly trickling out. This list will be updated as more acts are announced.

Special Events

Mardi Gras

SELECT DATES, FEB. 8 – 18
- POP-UP PARADE – The Wild Arctic Plaza will come to life as entertainers, bead captains, stilt walkers, and musicians bring the Mardi Gras spirit to SeaWorld during this special pop-up parade.
  Select times from 12:30 – 6 p.m.
- LIVE MUSIC – Immerse yourself in the music of New Orleans as our live band brings Cajun and jazz classics to Orlando.
  Select times from 12:30 – 6 p.m.
- STREET PARTY – The sights and sounds of Bourbon Street will take over Wild Arctic Plaza with a DJ, street performers, and a dance party.
  Select times from 12:30 – 6 p.m.
- GULF COAST FLAVORS – Enjoy classic Gulf Coast flavors as part of our Seven Seas Food Festival including beignets, po’ boys, and southern libations.

St. Patrick's Day Celebration

Dates Unreleased

STREETS OF GREEN – Make your way to the Irish Market Plaza at select times to see lively entertainers, amazing stilt walkers, and more.
Select times from 12:30 – 6 p.m.
TIMELESS TUNES – Lose yourself in Irish melodies as traditional musicians bring their beautiful sounds to Orlando throughout the day.
Select times from 12:30 – 6 p.m.
TASTES OF IRELAND – Take your Seven Seas Food Festival voyage to the Emerald Isle for classic recipes like corned beef hash and toast the day with a Guinness Irish Stout. See what’s new on the menu, 11:30 a.m. – park close.
11:30 a.m. to park close.

Save Our 2024 Guide to SeaWorld Orlando's Seven Seas Food Festival

For future reference, be sure to save our guide to SeaWorld Orlando’s Seven Seas Food Festival. Pin one of the images below to Pinterest. Go ahead and follow 5Suitcases on Pinterest while you’re at it!

If you’re interested in seeing manatees in the wild, check out our post on one of our favorite state parks: Blue Spring State Park or read our post about the 12 Best Places to see Manatees in the Wild.

Be sure to give us a like on Facebook or follow us on Instagram and Twitter for more travel tips and tricks. See you next time!

All You Need to Know About Visiting SeaWorld Orlando with Kids

Elle MacRae — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 15:32:50 +0000

Our three kids are obsessed with thrill rides and sea animals, so a trip to SeaWorld Orlando was inevitable for us. I had reservations about visiting the park, but I was pleasantly surprised by everything the park has to offer. Over the last couple of decades, the park has grown from more than aquariums and animal shows. It’s now a mecca for rollercoasters and thrill rides and home to some of the most unique rides in all of Orlando, Florida.

In this post, we’ll break down all of the attractions and ocean-themed fun by age group so you can see just how much SeaWorld Orlando has to offer!

Getting Around SeaWorld Orlando

The rides and attractions of SeaWorld Orlando encircle a lagoon at the center of the park.

If you’re traveling with little kids, you may want to head to Sesame Street, first. There are signs posted around the park showing you how to get- how to get to Sesame Street. Just past the entrance (when you see the first coaster), head right down a path and follow it to Sesame Street Land.

If you’re a mission to tackle some of the most insane coasters in Orlando, you’re going to want to head left.

We suggest hitting up Sesame Street Land, or a few of the coasters, before heading to the animal shows, encounters, and aquariums.

It’s easy to do a lot of unnecessary walking at SeaWorld Orlando- since the attractions circle a lagoon, you’ll have to backtrack if you don’t do the attractions as you come to them.

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The Animals of SeaWorld

Thousands of animals call SeaWorld Orlando home. Here, you can get up close and personal with dolphins, whales, rays, octopus, sharks, penguins, fish, and more!

Be sure to take a look at the daily schedule to see what shows and learning experiences are available during your visit. Choose from Dolphin Days, Orca Encounter, Sea Lion High: The New Class, Pets Ahoy, and Ocean Discovery.

Dolphin Cove

Dolphin Cove is a 700,000 gallon lagoon that is houses a pod of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. This is one of the largest interactive dolphin pools in the world. If you pay for a dolphin feeding/encounter, it will take place here.

Pro-Tip: Dolphin feeding tends to draw a large crowd, so plan on going first thing in the morning.

Dolphin Nursery

Is there anything cuter than a baby dolphin? We think not! The Dolphin Nursery is home to new dolphin mommies and their calves.

Pro-Tip: This is one of the most popular attractions in the park. It is located right near the entrance of the park. If you’re interested in visiting, stop by right as you enter the park. If the area is closed off that means there’s a dolphin in labor or one that has just given birth.

Jewel of the Sea Aquarium

Located next to the Journey to Atlantis ride, this aquarium boasts jellyfish illuminated by an interactive backlight.

Manatee Rehabilitation Area

Each year countless manatees are injured by boats and ships, or malnourished when their food source is wiped out. Florida zoos, aquariums, and SeaWorld Orlando take in these gentle creates to rehabilitate them and release them- when it’s possible to do so.

In the rehab area, you may be able to wish these creatures a speedy recovery and learn how you can help keep them safe.

Manta Aquarium

Our favorite spot to watch the marine animals was the Manta Aquarium. We watched in amazement as thousands of graceful animals danced in front of our view.

Pro-Tip: Hit up this aquarium before or after you ride Manta. The aquarium is air conditioned and is a great spot to take a break for the Florida heat.

Pelican Preserve

Located near the Manta Ride and Manta Aquarium, these outdoor exhibit is home to several rescued pelicans.

Antarctica Empire of the Penguins

I’m going to be very honest with you- we were really disappointed with this exhibit. We waited in line for 40 minutes to see the penguins…and it was literally just tank with penguins. Perhaps we should have done our research, because we though that it may be a ride (considering the line).

Don’t get me wrong, the penguins were a lot of fun to watch, but the line was really long considering it was just another aquarium.

Shark Encounter

Surround yourself by sharks, barracuda, eels, and venomous fish in the world’s largest underwater acrylic tunnel! The 60 foot tunnel is an absolute must-see!

Stingray Lagoon

Stingray Lagoon is another popular animal attraction. This habitat showcases over 200 stingrays- some of them as large as 5 feet in diameter! Don’t miss the opportunity to feed and touch these gentle creatures!

Turtle Trek

This habitat offers underwater viewing rooms that give visitors an up-close-and-personal view of turtles. Follow a sea turtles journey their sandy nest to the ocean.

Wild Arctic Habitat

Learn all about belugas, walruses, and harbor seals in this freezing cold habitat!

SeaWorld Orlando with Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers (+ Family Rides)

Believe it or not, there is plenty to do with young kids at SeaWorld Orlando! Although our boys (age 5) weren’t tall enough for the rollercoasters, they still had loads of rides they could experience in Sesame Street Land.

Rides for Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers

Abby's Flower Tower

With a bit of magic from Abby Cadabby’s wand, you’ll be sent up, up ,up in a colorful flower pot on Abby’s Flower Tower. This ride gives you great views of the hustle and bustle of Sesame Street.

Height Requirement: 42″

Big Bird's Twirl 'n' Whirl

Hop into one of Big Bird’s nests and twirl ’round and ’round on this family-fun ride! Riders control the speed of the spinning with a steering wheel at the center of the nest.

Height Requirement: 36″

Cookie Monster's Cookie Drop!

Buckle up and hold on tight as you bounce up and down on Cookie Monster’s Cookie Drop!

Height Requirement: 42″

Elmo's Choo Choo Train

All aboard Elmo’s Choo Choo Train! Be on the lookout for butterflies, caterpillars, and Twiddlebugs on this family-friendly ride.

Height Requirement: 36″

Infinity Falls

Climb aboard a circular raft and prepare to get drenched on this family water ride! Explore tropical ruins filled with breathtaking waterfalls, surprise geysers, and flowing fountains before plunging down one of the tallest drops of its kind into a pounding waterfall! Infinity Falls is the world’s tallest river rapids attraction!

Height Requirement: 42″- 77″

Pro-Tip: Plan on wearing clothes and shoes that will dry easily if you’re going to ride the water rides. Use a dry bag or rent a locker to keep your items dry. Hit up the ride early in the day for the lowest waits- and time to dry off.

There are family dryers available for an additional charge.

Journey to Atlantis

This family-friendly flume rollercoaster transports you to the mythical paradise known as Atlantis. You’ll explore dark passageways in the sunken city before being catapulted 60 feet out of the city gates into the waters below.

Height Requirement: 42″

Pro-Tip: Try to go early in the morning or late in the afternoon for shorter wait times- this is one of the most popular rides at the park! Avoid queueing up for the ride after one of the shows lets out- people tend to catch a show and then do the ride since it is close to the Whale and Dolphin Theaters.

Rubber Duckie Water Works

If your little one isn’t up for the larger water rides, or isn’t tall enough, they can still have fun splashing about in the Rubber Duckie Water Works- an outdoor splashpad.

Slimey's Slider

This is my favorite ride in all of Sesame Street Land (who am I kidding…it’s my favorite in the entire SeaWorld Orlando theme park!). This exhilarating swoop and swivel ride spins, rocks, and slides!

Height Requirement: 42″

Sunny Day Carousel

This classic ride is perfect for young kids and family’s alike.

Guests under 42 inches tall must be accompanied by a supervising companion (at least 14 years old) standing next to the rider on the inside of the Carousel to ride. One supervising companion (at least 14 years old) per child under 42 inches. Hand-held infants are only permitted to ride on the bench seats.

Pro-Tip: Ride the carousel during the Shamu show times for the shortest wait times!

Super Grover's Box Car Derby

If your kiddo isn’t quite tall enough for some of the larger coasters (listed in the section below), they’ll be happy to know there’s a kid-friendly coaster in Sesame Street Land! Super Grover’s Box Car Derby is a family-friendly coaster full of hills, twists, turns, and small dives!

Height Requirement: 38″

SeaWorld Orlando with Big Kids and Teens

Our adrenaline junkie daughter was super stoked to see how many thrill rides there are at SeaWorld Orlando. The rollercoasters there are insane– some of the best in Orlando! If you’re older kids like thrill rides, this is definitely the place for them!

Rides for Big Kids & Teens

Ice Breaker

The Ice Breaker is SeaWorld’s first launch coaster. It features four airtime filled launches (both forwards and backwards!) and a reverse launch into the steepest beyond vertical drop in Florida! The ride has a series of exhilarating twists, turns, and airtime hills that will send your heart racing.

Height Requirement: 54″

Kraken

Designed to mimic the mythological beast that terrified sailors for centuries, Kraken is Orlando’s only floor less roller coaster. Riders feet dangle as the zoom across this exhilarating coaster at heights of 150 feet!

Height Requirement: 54″

Mako

You guys! Our 9-year-old is obsessed with this ride. Mako is the tallest and fastest rollercoaster in Orlando! This hyper coaster is known for it’s high speeds, deep plummets, and racing turns. Named after one of the ocean’s fastest sharks, this coaster hits speeds of 73 mph.

Height Requirement: 54″

Manta

Soar like a manta on the only flying roller coaster of its kind in Florida! The ride will send in in a head-first, face-down nosedive before you are sent spinning, gliding, and flying like a giant manta ray.

Height Requirement: 54″

Pro-Tip: The lines are the shortest during the first hour of the park opening. You cannot take anything with you on the ride, so unless you have someone sitting this one out- you’ll need to rent a locker to store your stuff.

Food Options at SeaWorld Orlando

No outside food, beverages, or coolers are allowed to be brought into SeaWorld Orlando, except you may bring a bottle of water or a refillable water bottle.

Breakfast is available at the Panini Bistro Cafe until 11 am.

Eateries include:

Altitude Burgers -accepts All-Day Dining Deal
Captain Pete’s Island Hotdogs -accepts All-Day Dining Deal & mobile ordering is available
Coaster Coffee Company- serves Starbucks coffee, pastries, and treats
Dine with Orcas
Edy’s Ice Cream Parlor
Expedition Cafe -accepts All-Day Dining Deal
Flamecraft Bar- a full-service bar
Glacier Bar- serves Coca-Cola Freestyle, frozen drinks, and ice-cold beer
Lakeside Grill –accepts All-Day Dining Deal
Mama’s Pretzel Kitchen
Panini Shore Cafe -accepts All-Day Dining Deal & mobile ordering is available
Seafire Grill -accepts All-Day Dining Deal & mobile ordering is available
Sharks Underwater Grill and Bar
The Sand Bar
Voyager’s Smokehouse- -accepts All-Day Dining Deal & mobile ordering available
Waterway Bar- full-service bar
Waterway Grill- -accepts All-Day Dining Deal & mobile ordering available

All-Day Dining Deal- if you purchase this package, you’ll be able to eat and drink all day. Orders can only be placed once every 90 minutes at participating restaurants. Receive 1 soft drink or tea, 1 entrée and 1 side or dessert.

Learn more at SeaWorld.com

Visiting SeaWorld Orlando in the Winter

On our first family visit to SeaWorld Orlando, we visited in January and it was freezing! Without warning, every single rollercoaster was closed and we were told that due to the temperatures, most of the animal shows were unavailable. We got to see the dolphin show, but all of the other animals were tucked away elsewhere.

Sunny Day Guarantee

If you’ve ever visited Florida in the summer, you know that afternoon showers are almost inevitable. If it rains, some of the park’s attractions may be unavailable. Whether it’s a mere sprinkle or a torrential downpour, stop by Guest Services and you can get a complimentary pass for a return visit. The visit must be used within 1-year of the initial visit.

This offer is not valid for complimentary tickets, 14 Day Length of Stay tickets and packages, Discovery Cove ticket packets, or for visitors who do not have their original admission ticket or order number.

Our Favorite Orlando Theme Parks Ranked

For Toddlers, Pre-School, & Young Kids

For Older Kids & Teens

Disney World (especially Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom)
Legoland Florida (located just outside of Orlando)
Peppa Pig Theme Park (located just outside of Orlando)
SeaWorld Orlando
Universal Studios

Universal Studios
Islands of Adventure
Disney World (Hollywood Studios)
SeaWorld Orlando
Legoland Florida

Save these SeaWorld Orlando Tips and Start Planning Your Adventure!

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Our 10 OINK-tastic Peppa Pig Theme Park Tips

Elle MacRae — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 18:17:00 +0000

Hooray! You’re going to Peppa Pig Theme Park! Our Peppa Pig Theme Park tips will help your trip go as smoothly as possible. We’ll tell you what to pack and what you can leave at home. We’ll also suggest which rides to go on first, and share some insider tips. If you wanted to, you could easily tack add on a day or two at Legoland Florida, since the two parks are located directly next to each other.

What is Peppa Pig Theme Park?

The Peppa Pig Theme Park opened, which opened in 2022, is Florida’s newest theme park attractions. The sensory-friendly park is perfect for your toddler or pre-schooler. The park has 5 oink-tastic rides, several play spaces, a splash pad, and other kid-friendly attractions. The park can easily be paired with Legoland Florida, which shares the same parking lot.

Peppa Pig Theme Park Tips

Arrive Early

Like most theme parks, it’s best to arrive at the park early. This way, you not only get the most bang for your buck, but you also beat a lot of the crowds. When we visited Peppa Pig Theme Park, we arrived just before the gates opened. After only 1.5 hours, we were able to do all of the rides that the park has to offer! We noticed that Peppa Pig Theme Park seems to have a later crowd, by the time we left, the lines were long and the walkways were pretty busy.

Ditch the Stroller

Probably one of our most the most unconventional of our Peppa Pig Theme Park Tips, is to ditch the stroller. Believe it or not, the park is actually quite small! We brought our stroller to the park and didn’t end up using it at all! We found that it was easier for us to park it in one place rather than continuously move it around. We ended up parking our stroller in a central location (the Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster ride) and just went back to the stroller whenever we needed to grab something.

Our advice is to either leave it behind or park it and use it to store your belongings.

Pack Your Own Snacks & Drinks

The park allows you to bring in your own food and drinks. If your visiting during the warmer months, be sure to pack plenty of water! We bought these snack containers for when we travel and have found that they work great for our family!

Some of the snacks we pack for theme parks include:

Fruit snacks
PBJs (Uncrustables work great!)
Peanut Butter Crackers
Muffins
Rice Cakes
Granola Bars
Nutri-grain Bars
Trail Mix
Dried Fruit

Plan on Eating Early

This is probably the one Peppa Pig Theme Park tip that will save you the most time! The park has only one restaurant in it so you can imagine that it gets busy pretty quickly! Plan on eating as soon as Miss Rabbit’s Diner opens to avoid crazy long tines. We recommend the pizza and mac n cheese. Be sure to save room for one of their fancy schmancy milkshakes!

Pack a Bathing Suit

What better way to beat the heat than to frolic around in the splash pad? Bring a bathing suit (check out these Peppa Pig ones!), towel, water shoes, and sun screen!

Catch a Show

One way to make the most out of your day is to catch one of the shows. Head to Mr. Potato’s Showtime Arena to join in on the fun. Your little one can join Peppa and the gang in a bit of singing and dancing. Be sure to arrive at arena a little early so you can snag a bean bag or a spot up close!

Meet & Greets

You’ll also find Meet & Greets in the arena. Be sure to snap a photo with Peppa or George!

Work Counterclockwise

Another one of our time saving Peppa Pig Theme Park Tips is to work your way around the park counterclockwise. This allows you to do the more popular rides before the crowds start rolling in.

Our suggested order is:

Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster
Mr. Bull’s High Striker
Peppa Pig’s Balloon Ride
Granddad Dog’s Pirate Boat Ride and Sand Pit
Grampy Rabbit’s Dinosaur Adventure
Muddy Puddle’s Splash Pad
Peppa’s Pedal Bike Tour

After you’ve hit all of these attractions up, we suggest catching a show, playing int he lay areas, or visiting the air-conditioned theatre.

Seek Shade!

Another reason we suggest doing the park in the above order is the lack of shade in the park. The attractions at the top of our list offer little or no shade. You’ll find shade at Peppa Pedal Bike Tour (there’s even an air-conditioning vent under the tunnel!) and at the Muddy Puddle’s Splash Pad.

Grab a Pin

If it is your first visit, or if you are visiting for a birthday, be sure to stop by Guest Services and ask for a special pin.

Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventure

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Peppa Pig Theme Park- Florida’s Newest (and TOTALLY ADORABLE!) Theme Park!

Elle MacRae — Sat, 07 May 2022 05:09:00 +0000

Florida’s newest theme park is totally oink-tastic! In early 2022, Peppa Pig Them Park opened its gates for the very first time. The theme park is centered around the long-running pre-school animated series featuring the adventures of Peppa and her brother George. The park is geared towards young children. It features five rides, sensory play spaces, and other great attractions.

Rides at Peppa Pig Theme Park

Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster- The most THRILLING ride at Peppa Pig Theme Park is a kid-friendly coaster that is sure to make their heart race!

Requirements: Minimum rider height is 36 inches. Guests less than 42 inches must be accompanied by a responsible rider 14 years or older.

Note: This ride closes down during rain showers.

Grampy Rabbit’s Dinosaur Adventure- Grown ups can ride along with their little ones on this totally awesome dino quest! You’ll pass by smoking volcanoes, and travel through the prehistoric landscape.

Requirements: Minimum rider height is 34 inches. Guests less than 43 inches must be accompanied by a responsible rider 14 years or older.

Grandad Dog’s Pirate Boat Ride- Take a leisurely boat ride with your little explorer. Set sail for Pirate Island where you can dig for buried treasure, construct mighty fortresses, or play in the sand.

Requirements: No minimum height requirement. Guests 43 inches or under 4 years old must be accompanied by a responsible rider 14 years or older.-

Mr. Bull’s High Striker- Our kids absolutely loved this kid-friendly drop ride! You and your family will be lifted straight up into the sky and thrusted back down to the Earth.

Requirements: Minimum rider height is 34 inches. Guests less than 43 inches must be accompanied by a responsible rider 14 years or older.

Peppa Pig’s Balloon Ride- You and your family can soar above this clouds with Peppa Pig in Miss Rabbit’s hot air balloon! This aerial carousel ride offers the best views of the park and will surely leave your little one giggling with excitement!

Requirements: No minimum height requirement. Guests less than 51 inches must be accompanied by a responsible rider 14 years or older.

Note: This ride closes down during the rain.

Other Attractions

Cinema- Take a break from the hot Florida sun to relax on a beanbag with your little piggies. Enjoy some of their favorite episodes of Peppa Pig.

Fun Fair- Try your hand at some classic fair games. When we visited, these games were in pretty bad shape and only included tossing hula hoops over posts.

George’s Fort- Your little ones will love searching through the hedge maze in search of who is making an unusual croaking noise! Don’t worry- it’s just a frog!

Madame Gazelle’s Nature Trail- Join Madame Gazelle as you hunt for clues to to try to discover who has left tiny foot prints! Can you solve the mystery?

Grandpa Pig’s Greenhouse- This isn’t your average greenhouse! Your little ones can explore Grandpa Pig’s Greenhouse as they climb, slide, crawl, and play on this super-fun interactive outdoor playground.

Mr. Potato’s Showtime Arena- Hop on over to the stage area to enjoy live shows and meet and greets!

Muddy Puddles Splash Pad- Be sure to pack your bathing suits! There’s no better way to cool off than by jumping up and down in “Muddy Puddles”!

Peppa’s Pedal Bike Tour and George’s Tricycle Trail- Your little piggy will love showing off their bicycling skills on these super fun tricycles!

Peppa Pig’s Treehouse- Climb into the treehouse and join Peppa for a spot of tea! This fun, interactive playground is a great spot to get out some energy before catching a show.

Pirate Island Sand Play- Dig for buried treasure or build your own sandcastle in this super cool sandbox!

Rebecca Rabbit’s Playground- Bounce, hop, jump, crawl, and climb like a little bunny in this outdoor active play area!

The Park's Restaurant

The park has just one restaurant, which fills up incredibly fast. If you’re eating in the restaurant, we strongly suggest visiting it as soon as it opens. The eatery serves up shockingly good pizza, mac n cheese, and sandwiches. They also have super-fun (and super-sugary) milkshakes topped with cookies and sprinkles.

Know Before You Go

Arrive at the park as early as possible. We got there just before the gates were opened and we did all of the rides, caught a show, did the attractions, and had 2 meet and greets within 2 hours. The park gets busier later in the day.
The restaurant starts poppin’ around 11:45. The earlier you can get there, the better.
The park allows you to bring in your own drinks and snacks.
The park can easily be done in half a day.

If you have a toddler or pre-schooler, leave the stroller behind. The park is so small that you can easily navigate it without a stroller. We ended up just parking ours and leaving it somewhere.
There isn’t much shade in the park- which could be a huge issue in the summer. Be sure to pack plenty of water and cooling aids. Shaded/cool down areas include: the theatre, the restaurant, the splash pad, the bicycle path, and the stage area.

Visiting Peppa Pig Theme Park

One LEGOLAND Way
Winter Haven, FL 33884

The park hours vary from day to day. Be sure to visit the official website to confirm the opening and closing times.

Peppa Pig Theme Park Essentials

Our Thoughts on Peppa Pig Theme Park

Our kids really enjoyed Peppa Pig Theme Park. The park itself was small and can easily be done in 1/2 a day. Despite it being small in size, it is definitely still worth the visit– if you have young kids. We found that with the theme park being on the smaller size, it was actually more inviting for our kids. All of the rides were developed for young kids, so we didn’t really have to worry about whether or not the twin were tall enough for certain rides. It’ll be interesting to see how the park develops and grows over the years.

Pairing Peppa Pig Theme Park with Legoland Florida

Legoland and Peppa Pig Theme Park actually share the same parking lot, so it is easy to pair the two of them together. However, Legoland is massive and it will take you all day to do the park. If you want to do both Legoland and Peppa Pig Theme Park, we suggest adding on at least another 1/2 day to your trip.

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10 Helpful Legoland Florida Tips- Our Secrets Revealed!

Elle MacRae — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 01:38:00 +0000

Legoland Florida is a great place for a family vacation. There is seriously something there for everyone! These Legoland Florida tips will help you maximize your time in the park. The cool thing about Legoland Florida is that it is totally a park you can do in one day. We spent about 8 hours in the park and we were able to fit in a majority of the attractions. We even got to watch Brickbeard’s Watersport Stunt Show. If you plan on doing the waterpark, you may want to consider adding a second day to the park.

We hope that they Legoland Florida tips help you plan out the perfect adventure for your family.

Legoland Florida Tips- Before You Go

Getting to Legoland Florida

Many people think Legoland Florida is located in Orlando. However, it’s actually situated about 30 miles outside of Orlando in the town of Winter Haven. With Orlando traffic, Legoland is about an hour away (with traffic) from Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Disney World, and SeaWorld. It’s also about an hour away from Busch Gardens Tampa. This makes it super easy to combine Legoland with other central Florida theme parks.

When to Go

Consider going before or after a major holiday. We went the weekend before Thanksgiving and it was dead first thing in the morning. By mid-afternoon the wait times were about 30 minutes, which isn’t bad at all.

Avoid the weekends, school breaks (including summer), and national holidays.

Best Ages for Legoland Florida

Most visitors will agree that Legoland is geared towards a younger crowd- ages 2-12. Our kids were 4 and 7 when we visited the park for the first time. They loved Legoland Florida! In fact, we must have heard our youngest say, “This is the best day ever!” at least 30 times.

There are several attractions that are appropriate for kids of all ages. I was super impressed with the number of attractions that the boys could do. At the time, they were 36″, but there was still plenty that they could do. There were attractions that they could ride alone, but also rides that we could enjoy together. It’s actually really neat to be able to stand on the sidelines and watch how much fun the kids are having on the rides.

The Duplo Fun Town area was a huge hit with the boys (4). Our original plan was to head straight towards the back of the park and work our way back to the front. As soon as we saw the Duplo rides, however, our plans were tossed into the wind. They had so much fun on these toddler-friendly rides!

Our daughter is really into thrill rides. While some of the rides were a little too meh for her, she still had an absolute blast and found plenty of rides that got her adrenaline pumping.

One thing I loved about Legoland is how thought-out the layout is. There are play areas available near many of the rides that have height restrictions. When Ashley and Smiley would hit one of the older kids rides, the boys and I would hit the play areas or a ride created for littles.

Accomodations at Legoland Florida

We stayed at the Legoland Hotel during our visit and our kids were blown away by the entire experience. They may have even had just as much fun at the hotel as they did at the theme park.

Along with the Legoland Hotel, Legoland Florida has two other on-property hotel options: Pirate Island Hotel and Legoland Beach Retreat. The Pirate Hotel and the Legoland Hotel are attached to one another. You have access to all of the same restaurants and amenities, regardless of whether you’re staying at the Pirate Hotel or Legoland Hotel.

All of the properties offer an all-you-can-eat breakfast. We filled up on breakfast to help get us through the morning at the theme park. We also took snacks into the park with us so that we didn’t spend an arm and a leg on food in the park.

Legoland Florida Tips- While You're There

Arrive Early

We are early birds so we tend to get to theme parks early. The parks hours change from day to day so it is important to refer to the park’s website to see when they will be open on the day(s) of your visit.

When we visited, the park opened at 10 am. We had time to have a hearty breakfast, and played at the hotel before visiting the park.

Whenever we visit a theme park the first thing we do is… hit the bathroom! There are bathrooms right outside of the gates at Legoland. If you take care of this while you’re waiting to go in, it buys you some time before you have to take another bathroom break.

Know the Height Requirements

The infographic on the left can be used to measure your kids. Under each height, it specifies which rides they can go on. We snapped a photo so we could see which rides they were eligible for. This information is also available on the Legoland Florida app and on park maps.

I’ve heard, however, that sometimes they’ll even give you a wristband that says which rides they can go on. That is GENIUS! I wish that was an option when we visited.

I wish we had a pen or a Sharpie packed so we could mark the rides on our map.

Collect a Special Pin

Did you know that you can get a special button if it is your first visit? We went for the twins 4th birthday so we got birthday pins. Just tell one of the employees at the front gate of any celebrations and you’ll hand you one of the pins or buttons. We discovered that the Legoland Hotel also had access to these buttons.

Head to the Back of the Park First

Most theme park experts will tell you to head to the back of the park first. This is almost always our strategy, as well. Hit the popular rides first, such as Boating School, Ford’s Driving School and the rollercoasters before the lines get long.

Once you’re at the back, begin working your way towards the front. Not only does this save you time in lines, but it also makes sense logistically.

Eating at Legoland Florida

The park allows you to bring in snacks and beverages (that are not in glass containers). We packed juices, and PBJs (since they don’t require refrigeration), peanut butter crackers, and fruit snacks.

If you are staying at one of the Legoland Florida hotels, fill up on their all-you-can-eat breakfasts before heading over to the park. You can also grab cereals from the grab-and-go section to bring with you into the park.

There are plenty of dining options within the park. We are obsessed with Granny’s Apple Fries. Our boys ask for chicken and fries every single day so we had lunch at Kick’n Chicken. We were all super disappointed in our meal.

If you have a ticket that includes admission to the waterpark, and you’re visiting during the shoulder seasons, you may want to eat at one of the waterpark restaurants where the lines should be shorter.

The best deal in the ENTIRE park is the refillable souvenir cup. For $16, you get unlimited refills at the Coca Cola Freestyle machines. Even better? It now includes Icees!

Pro-Tip: There is a Publix (a popular Florida grocery store) across the street from Legoland Florida. You can stop in to pick up some snacks before heading into the park. The grocery store opens at 7 AM. They are well-known for their sub sandwiches.

Legoland Florida Tips for Packing

Packing for Legoland is similar to packing for any other family theme park. Our Legoland Florida tips include bringing along a backpack.

We also packed a pair of undies and shorts, just in case. We did notice the some of the bathrooms are spaced pretty far apart. Grab a park map or download the park’s app so you know where to find the bathrooms for potty breaks.

As always, you should make sure you’re wearing proper shoes when you’re at a theme park. Theme parks, in general, require a lot of walking and standing.

If you’re traveling with younger kids, you will probably want to have a stroller handy. Our boys rarely ever use a stroller anymore, but we always bring one with us to theme parks so they can hop in and hop out throughout the day. It was also handy for storing our bags.

Other Legoland Florida Tips for Packing:

Sunscreen: It’s Florida, lather up.
Cooling Aids: If you’re visiting during the hot months, consider packing a Cooling Towel or a fan
Umbrella: It rains almost every day during the summer. Pack an umbrella.
Portable Charger: Let’s face it, you’ll be taking a gazillion photos and probably be checking the app often! Pack a portable charger, or you’ll regret it.

Brickbeard's Watersports Stunt Show

In honor of Legoland Florida’s tenth birthday, the park has a brand new show called Brickbeard’s Watersports Stunt Show and it is AWESOME! The thirty minute show is a great way to break up the day and gives you a chance to get off your feet for a few minutes. The show features stunts by boaters, and skiers alongside Lego characters. The show is full of super funny puns and adventure.

The whole family enjoyed the spectacular presentation!

Shopping

There are several shops scattered throughout the park however, we suggest saving the shopping until the end. The largest store is located right at the entrance/exit. The Legoland stores feature several exclusive Lego items that you can only find at Legoland.

Trade Your Minifigures

This is probably one of the most common Legoland Florida tips. However, if you didn’t know you can bring along a few minifigures for your kiddos to trade. All of the Model Citizens (Legoland employees) have minifigures that they can trade.

Visiting the Water Park

The waterpark is located within the theme park but requires separate tickets and additional fees. If you plan on doing the waterpark, you may want to consider adding a second day to the park.

Save These Legoland Florida Tips for Your Adventure!

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Everything is AWESOME at Legoland Florida

Elle MacRae — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 19:30:59 +0000

Legoland Florida is one of the newest theme parks to enter the Florida market. They just recently celebrated their 10th birthday! The theme park is located in Winter Haven, about 30 miles southwest of Orlando and 45 miles east of Tampa. The complex features the theme park itself, a waterpark, three on-site accommodations (Legoland Hotel, Pirate Island Hotel, and Beach Retreat), and a brand-spankin new park based on Peppa Pig.

The park was built on the former Cypress Gardens theme park. Legoland Florida has preserved the timeless botanical gardens and re-themed the water park and several attractions to go along with the Lego brick theme.

The park is most definitely geared towards kids, but you’ll want to pay close attention to the ride requirements before queuing up. We suggest measuring your kids ahead of time and researching which rides they can go on, or measure them at the entrance of the park and refer to the infographic (and map) to determine which rides they can enjoy.

Pro-Tip: Be sure you pack a pen or a marker in your bag so you can mark up your park map with rides your kids can go on.

Legoland Florida Rides

The Legoland Florida theme park has ten sections each with its own unique Lego theme. The sections are rather small, in comparison to Disney, but there is still plenty to do.

In this post, we’ll explore the various sections of the park and list out the rides and main attractions in each. We’ll further explore the rides and go into more detail about them in an upcoming post.

The Beginning

Naturally, the entrance to the park is known as The Beginning. This section does not have any attractions however, this is where you’ll find the primary gift shops, some restaurants, and administrative buildings such as guest services.

We suggest skipping this part of the park when you enter and hitting it on your way out so that you don’t have to tote your shopping bags around the park. Prepare to be amazed by The Big Shop!

Fun Town

Fun Town is where you’ll find the first attractions. A two-level carousel called Grand Carousel and the Wells Fargo Fun Town Theater which features 4D films.

Pro-Tip: Be sure to grab Legoland’s #1 snack while you’re here! Granny’s Apple Fries are legit!

Heartlake City

Heartlake City opened in 2015. It has 1 ride- Mia’s Riding Adventure, a theater, and a heart-shaped fountain with Lego brick instruments.

We opted to hit up Duplo Valley a second time and skipped this section entirely- with the exception of the kids posing with some of the Lego Friends character statues.

Miniland USA

This section just underwent an extensive remodel. Miniland USA features scaled models of Washington DC, New York City, Las Vegas, Florida, and more. It is extremely impressive!

It was cool to see what the Legomasters are capable of. There are lots of moving objects, and interactive elements mixed in as well. Throughout the displays, there are buttons that you can push to get parts of the exhibit to move. In the Florida section, you’ll even find a rocket launch at the replica of the Kennedy Space Center.

Being a huge American History nerd, I was drawn to the mini-version of DC’s National Mall.

Duplo Valley

This area was designed with toddlers in mind. It hosts two rides Duplo Train, and Duplo Tractor, an air-conditioned playground called Duplo Farm, an outdoor playground, and a toddler splash pad.

Our boys are obsessed with trains, tractors, construction trucks, rescue vehicles, etc so this section was perfect for them.We enjoyed this part of the park so much that this is where we started and ended our day. The lines are typically extremely short making it easy to ride these rides multiple times.

Lego Kingdoms

Journey back into medieval times at Lego Kingdoms. The Dragon is a remodeled roller coaster from the park’s Cypress Garden days. Here, you’ll also find a toddler friendly ride called The Royal Joust, a small circular rollercoaster called Merlin’s Challenge, and a playground known as The Forestmen’s Hideout.

The boys loved The Royal Joust but our daughter (almost 8) was rather bored with it. We all were huge fans of Merlin’s Challenge. We took advantage of the playground, as well. The kids really seemed to enjoy it.

Land of Adventure

You’ll find a treasure chest of fun in this Ancient Egyptian themed section. Don’t miss Beetle Bounce, Coastersaurus, Lost Kingdom Adventure, Safari Trek, and Pharaoh’s Revenge- a super fun playground.

The Lost Kingdom Adventure is an indoor ride that would be perfect to escape into in the event of rain or extreme heat. The ride is comes equipped with laser guns that you aim and shoot at targets to collect points. It’s a lot of fun.

The Lego Movie World

This section is centered around The Lego Movie. There are three main attractions here including Masters of Flight, a flying theater attraction, Unikitty’s Discodrop, and Battle of Bricksburg a super wet family-fun ride.

We skipped Battle of Bricksburg since it cooler out and we didn’t want to spend the day wet however, it looked like a ton of fun!

Lego City

Cruise into the heart of Lego City for trunk loads of fun! Kids can act like grown-ups and drive almost every vehicle imaginable! Here you’ll find Ford Driving School, Ford Jr. Driving School, Flying School, Boating School, and Rescue Academy.

Pro-Tip: The Rescue Academy attraction requires way more physicality than it looks! Guests have to pump a two-sided lever to get get their fire truck to race across the track to the “fire”. Then, run out, put out the fire, and maneuver the fire truck back to the finish line. It’s a work out.

Lego Technic

In this section you’ll find Technicycle, a pedal-powered spinning machine that propels you into the air, The Great Lego Race coaster, and AQUAZONE Wave Racers.

Imagination Zone

This zone features 2 spaces where kids can get creative! At Build & Test kids can build race cars and zip lines, and Lego Mindstorms is an exhibit where they can build robots. At WB Games Zone kids can play video games. There is one ride, Kid Power Towers, where guests hoist themselves to the top and free-fall to the bottom.

This is a great area to hang out in the event of rain or extreme heat!

Pro-Tip: Kid Power Tours requires you to use your muscles to hoist yourself up to the top of a tower. It requires quite a bit of effort.

Some of the attractions that were originally part of Cypress Gardens have been re-themed, renovated, and renamed. The wooden rollercoaster once called Triple Hurricane was renamed to Coastersaurus.T he Okeechobee Rampage coaster was renamed to The Dragon. An inverted coaster called Swamp Thing was renamed Flying School and

Brickbeard's Water Stunt Show

We cannot recommend this live-action water ski show more! The show is performed a couple of times a day on Lake Louise. The show stars Lego characters and a handful of water skiers and boaters. It is awesome! The show was humourous and full of a ton of action.

We were impressed by the athleticism and how closely the boats maneuvered towards one another at high speeds.

The show lasts about 30 minutes. It was a nice way to break up our day and rest our feet for a few.

Restaurants at Legoland Florida

There are a handful of restaurants scattered around the park. The serve up kid favorites such as cheeseburgers, pizza, tacos, sandwiches, fried chicken, popcorn, and ice cream.

We ate at Kick’n Chicken Co. and were not impressed. We ordered a family size bucket of the hand-breaded chicken tenders and some fries. The chicken was stringy and tough.

The park permits you to bring food items that do not require heating and drinks, as long as they are not in a glass container. We packed juices, sandwiches, and peanut butter crackers for snacks.

Pro-Tip: There is a Publix grocery store right across from the park. You can easily stop by there to grab some snacks to bring into the park before you begin your day. The store opens at 7 AM.

If you are unfamiliar with Publix, they are well-known for their sub sandwiches which we lovingly refer to as “Pub Subs”.

Legoland Florida Water Park

Believe it or not, the Legoland Water Park is open year round! USA Today named it one of the best waterparks in the USA. It includes a lazy river, 14 water slides, and play areas.

The Legoland Water Park was originally part of Cypress Gardens. The original park had five rides. When the waterpark was acquired by the Legoland corporation (Merlin Entertainments), they added a sixth attraction for toddlers called Duplo Splash Safari.

Admission to the water park requires the purchase of a ticket to the theme park in addition to a seperate ticket for the Water Park.

Pro-Tip: If you are visiting Legoland Florida during the shoulder season, and your ticket includes the Legoland Water Park add-on, consider grabbing lunch at the Water Park. You’ll find the lines are much shorter than in the main park.

The hours and days are seasonal, so be sure to refer to the official website for specific information.

Legoland Florida Tips for Packing

Packing for Legoland is similar to packing for any other family theme park. Our Legoland Florida tips include bringing along a backpack.

As always, you should make sure you’re wearing proper shoes when you’re at a theme park. Theme parks, in general, require a lot of walking and standing.

Other Legoland Florida Tips for Packing:

Sunscreen: It’s Florida, lather up.
Cooling Aids: If you’re visiting during the hot months, consider packing a Cooling Towel or a fan
Umbrella: It rains almost every day during the summer. Pack an umbrella.
Portable Charger: Let’s face it, you’ll be taking a gazillion photos and probably checking the app often! Pack a portable charger, or you’ll regret it.

Visiting Legoland Florida

Many people think Legoland Florida is in Orlando however, it is actually in the town of Winter Haven just southwest of Orlando. It’s about 36 miles, or an hour away from Disney World.

Address: 1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884

If you’re driving, Legoland Florida is easily accessible via I-4 (via Orlando or I-75 (via Tampa).

If you are flying, you can fly into either the Tampa International Airport or the Orlando International Airport. The Tampa airport is about 60 miles away and about an hour drive. Whereas the Orlando airport is about 52 miles away and will take you about an hour (depending on Orlando traffic). Either way, you’ll most likely want to pick up a rental car to make your way from the airport to the theme park.

The Legoland Hotel

About 130 kid-steps away from Legoland Florida, you’ll find the Legoland Hotel and the Pirate Hotel. Seriously, staying at the hotel totally makes the experience. It is a kids-dream come true!

While Pirate Hotel is centered around…well…pirates, the Legoland Hotel has several different thematic rooms. Each room comes with a seperate kids sleeping area with a bunk bed and a pull-out trundle. The grown up section has a cozy king-size bed.

The hotels are combined and share 3 restaurants, several play spaces, 2 pools, a miniature golf course, and more!

The other lodging option is the Legoland Beach Retreat. Lego brick inspired beach bungalows are grouped together. Each grouping shares and outdoor play area that is within view of the backyard patio so grown-ups can kick up their feet and relax while their kids play. There is also an awesome beach-themed resort-style pool.

All of the rooms have a separate kid’s sleeping area.

Legolands World-Wide

Legoland Florida is just one of many parks in the Legoland chain. There are eight other Legolands scattered across the globe. The other parks are located in: New York, California, Denmark, Germany, Italy, The UK, Malaysia, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. Future parks are scheduled to open in Belgium, South Korea, and China.

Legoland Florida is the second largest Legoland park after Legoland Windsor. The park sits on 145 acres and features more than fifty rides, shows, attractions, shops, and restaurants.

Can I Combine Legoland with Another Theme Park?

Many visitors from out of state combine a trip to Legoland with a visit to another theme park. The Disney World complex, Universal Studios (along with Islands of Adventure), SeaWorld, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay are all about an hour away from Legoland. You could easily stay at the Legoland Hotel and visit one of these other parks.

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Updated 3/5/2024