Legoland California

Infobox Amusement park
name = LEGOLAND California


location = Carlsbad
location2 = California
location3 = United States flagicon|USA
owner = Merlin Entertainments, 70%
Lego Group, 30%
season = Year-round
opening_date = March 20, 1999
area =
rides = 21
coasters = 3
water_rides = 6
homepage = [http://www.legoland.com/california.htm Legoland, California]

Legoland California is the third Legoland park to open, and is the only one outside of Europe. Located in Carlsbad, California, it opened on March 20, 1999. It is split into nine sections which include The Beginning, Dino Island, Explore Village, Fun Town, Knight's Kingdom, Miniland USA, Pirate Shores, Imagination Zone, and Land of Adventures.

Areas

The Beginning

The Beginning is the front of the park which includes the entrance, shops, and a restaurant.

Dino Island

Dino Island is one of the newest sections of the park, opening in 2004. In it there is a mini steel roller coaster called the "Coastersaurus" that curves and dips around giant models of Lego dinosaurs. Ride length per loop is less than 38 seconds and the line is generally quite long. You can also dig for fake dinosaur bones in the "Dig Those Dinos" attraction.

Explore village

Explore Village includes the "Water Works" attraction, which has dozens of interactive water activities and right next to that is "Musical Fountain" where you hop up and down to make music play and water blow . There is also a water ride called "Fairy Tale Brook", where you ride a boat down a river lined with Lego models based on fairy tales. "Legoland Express" is a small train ride designed with the young engineer in mind. "Playtown is a fun play area complete with lego buildings, slides, and activities. There is also a playground, pizza parlor, and a ride called "Safari Trek" which allows the rider to see many life sized Lego models of animals.

Fun Town

Fun Town features two "driving schools", one for kids 3-5, the other for kids 6-13, where children can learn to drive electric Lego cars on a closed course. Fun Town also has a "Skipper School" where parents and kids can pilot real "Lego" boats. Visitors can also take a tour of a Lego factory to learn how Lego bricks are made. At the Adventurer's club, you have to find the 7 Lego keys to save Johnny Thunder. At the "Fire Academy", families battle other families at a race down a street to put out a small fire and drive back in the fire truck. On the "Kid Power Towers" a pair of people pull themselves to the top of their tower to enjoy the slow ride down. When you board the "Sky Cruiser" you and a friend peddle yourselves around the track to see a large portion of the park. If you board "Flight Squadron", you will be raised into the air by lego airplanes and if you visit "Sky Patrol" you will experience the same feeling as "Flight Squadron" but you will be in a lego helicopter and you go up and down to see the beautiful view of Legoland.

Knights' Kingdom

Knights' Kingdom is a medieval castle-themed area that was originally called "Castle Hill." It features a "Dragon Roller Coaster", the "Knights' Joust" in which you ride around on a very small robotic horse, a huge multi-level wooden play structure called the "Hideaways", and a robotic arm ride that swings the rider around like a sword called the "Knights' Tournament". Recently added was a miniature golf course that replaced the popular "rock band" or "singing rock garden". You can still hear the rock's recording on holes 12-18 on the course.

Miniland USA

Miniland USA includes reproductions of seven areas of the United States, all constructed with well over 40 million LEGO bricks in 1:20 scale. It can be seen from many places in the park. From the Coast Cruise ride, one can see some mini models otherwise hidden from view, such as the Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower. Miniland is also home to the Model Shop, the main design and build office for LEGOLAND California's ten Master Model Builders. There is a large viewing window at the front so guests can watch the builders at work, usually on new models for the park. The restaurant at the top of the hill, called The Garden Restaurant, was originally its own land.

Cities replicated in Miniland:
*New York City, New York
*Washington, D.C.
*San Francisco, California
*New Orleans, Louisiana
*Las Vegas
*Los Angeles, CaliforniaOther areas of the United States replicated in Miniland:
*Southern California
*Florida (specifically Daytona International Speedway)

The Imagination Zone

In the Imagination Zone visitors can ride a Wild Mouse-style roller coaster called the "Technic Coaster-Test Track", watch a "4-D" movie called "Bionicle Evolution", race Lego cars that they build themselves in Build 'n Test, play the "Maniac Challenge" in which you play LEGO PC games, and program robots in "Mindstorms". You can also ride on "Bionicle Blaster" which is a version of the teacup ride or the "Aquazone Wave Racers" where you get push through the waves while being squirted by water by bystanders.

Pirate Shores

Pirate Shores has 5 rides and attractions to enjoy. "Splash Battle"; a ride where guests enter their very own pirate ships to do battle with other guests on the ride and on land also while trying to avoid on-ride blasts of water. "Soak 'N Sail" is the interactive two story water playground. Children and adults play with water pouring down all around them, for example, there are two buckets filled with 500 gallons of water that pour water on unsuspecting riders. "Treasure Falls"; the mini-log flume, is a great training ride for little riders that aren't quite ready for the bigger log rides at other parks. "Swabbie's Deck" is the little kids water area, for little kids from infant all the way up to 7 or 8 to get their feet wet, before attempting Soak and Sail. "Captain Cranky's Challenge" is the newest ride for Pirate Shores that opened on May 24, 2007. This is a replacement for Zamperela Rockin' Tug ride. Much like "Lucy's Tugboat" at Knott's Berry Farm.

Expanded seating and locker facilities for Pirate Shores were added Summer 2007.

Land of Adventure

This is the newest section of the theme park, being opened on November 7th, 2007. "Pharaoh's Revenge" transports you into the 1920's of Egypt where you fire foam balls at targets and each other. As on "Pharaoh's Revenge", on "Cargo Ace" and "Beetle Bounce", you are transported to the 1920's of Egypt. But on Beetle Bounce, you bounce nearly 15 feet nearly touching the enormous beetles above. And on "Cargo Ace", you board one of eight planes and fly up to six feet into the air. "Lost Kingdom Adventure" is Legoland, California's newest attraction. You will get onto the roadster that takes you on a journey to recover stolen treasure by blasting targets with laser guns along the way.

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.legoland.com/california.htm Official Website]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=legoland+california&ie=UTF8&ll=33.127875,-117.311754&spn=0.005481,0.006963&t=h&z=17&om=0 Satellite image from Google Maps]
* [http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=102673 William Webb's New York Photo Gallery]