8 things to know before you take your kids to Tempe Legoland
Ordinarily, the first bit of advice for someone about to enter a huge room filled with Lego bricks is: Wear thick-soled shoes. But the new Legoland Discovery Center opened Friday at Arizona Mills in Tempe, so we're going to assume you will arrive with some sort of footwear. Choose flip-flops at your own risk.
Lego has opened Legoland Discovery Centers in more than a dozen cities around the world. Think of them as compact theme parks or really big, well-lit arcades. They're more than kid-friendly, these places. They're pure kid experiences, aimed at young ones ages 3-10. Tweens and teens might not find much of interest. If you're a grown-up and you like Lego, you won't be bored. Just know: Except for occasional night-time events, grown-ups must be accompanied by a child to enter.
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So that's what I did. I recruited 8-year-old Marcus to get me in the door and try out the rides and other attractions. Marcus love Lego toys. He could fill a room with all the Lego sets he's accumulated in his short life. In fact, he has done just that. And he has visited the real deal, the full-sized Legoland theme park in Carlsbad, Calif. This kid was headed to Tempe with some Lego cred.
We spent a morning in Legoland and another 45 minutes or so at the adjacent Sea Life Aquarium. Our ticket got us into both, although you can purchase separate admissions. More on that later. Our ticket also got us a free Lego toy, something called Mixels, that delighted Marcus.
With that in mind, here are eight things we learned in our morning at Legoland, things you as parents should consider as you're planning a trip to Tempe.
1. Arrive with a ticket and an admission time.
On weekends and during peak visiting times, you probably won't be able to buy tickets at the door, but advance tickets will benefit you no matter when you go. I went online and bought our tickets with a 9:30 a.m. entry. When you arrive, you are directed to a line and allowed in at the appropriate time. It streamlines the process and shortens the wait times. If you think you're going to visit the attraction more than a couple of times a year, think about the annual pass, which is about the cost of three visits. With a pass, you don't have to schedule your arrival time.
2. The first ride is part of getting in.
As your group enters, you watch a cute video about Lego bricks and the kids get to design a minifigure on a wall-size screen. Then you're funneled into the line for the first attraction, the Kingdom Quest Laser Ride. Opting out isn't an obvious choice, so most everyone climbs aboard. Don't worry. It's not scary or high-intensity. You climb in a little cart, which carries you through a story about rescuing a princess. Your task is to shoot the bad guys with a laser-light gun. It lasts a few minutes and is a cool start to your day.
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3. Don't miss the Miniland.
Marcus seriously loved this area, even though there's little to do except look. Lego has replicated Phoenix landmarks in bricks. The University of Phoenix Stadium. Chase Field. City Hall. The Westward Ho Hotel. Tempe Town Lake and a stretch of Mill Avenue. There are light rail trains that run and construction workers tearing up streets and there's a table-sized Wigwam Motel, the old Route 66 inn with rooms built to resemble teepees. Spend some time in there. You see it on your way in to the main area and on the way out. Did I say it's really cool?
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4. Adjust your expectations.
If you've been to Legoland in Carlsbad, just put it out of your mind. This is not that Legoland. It's mostly housed in one very large open area. This is a different experience, so don't go in expecting a big theme park. The upsides are numerous: You won't walk miles, you won't get sunburned, you won't melt and there are places to sit down. You can easily plan your visit standing at the entrance. There's one more ride, some building areas, a kids play area (mostly Lego-less) and special areas for the youngest ones and fans of Lego Friends and Olivia's House. Marcus was not disappointed, in part, because he wasn't overwhelmed.
5. Take some time to build things.
Unlike the big theme park, there aren't that many passive attractions. There's the laser ride, Merlin's Apprentice Ride (which carries you up and around while you pedal), and there's a theater for a 4D movie (a 3D movie plus extras like wind, rain and snow; it's not scary, although the very youngest might be startled by the noise and the water). The rest is more interactive. Marcus loved assembling a building and subjecting it to an earthquake and he loved building a simple race car. There are also master builder classes, where young visitors can assemble a Lego set. Marcus wished there had been a more advanced session because the featured set is basic and didn't challenge him. And make sure you visit the master builder, who works in a small room near the restrooms. He was chatty and answers questions readily.
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6. Decide in advance when and what you'll eat.
There's a small cafe, which sells sandwiches and snacks and (most importantly for the grown-ups) coffee and it's not unreasonably priced, not when you've eaten at a real theme park. But the variety is limited and there's a full food court just outside the attraction in the mall. We had a snack when we got there and ate lunch in the mall, and that worked.
7. Consider adding admission to the Sea Life Aquarium.
It's a nice way to round out a visit and bring the kids down from the excitement inside Legoland. There's a nice variety of exhibits and you save a couple of bucks (and a second trip) with the combo ticket.
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8. You do exit through the gift shop.
So what's new, right? And it's Lego, so it's not full of cheap trinkets. You can spend some serious cash in there. The shop carries a range of sets and toys, so if you're careful, you can escape for $10-15 a head pretty easily, but set limits before you get there. There are high-end sets with price tags topping $100, even $200. The best deal may be the loose bricks: Fill a cup with a variety of colors and sizes and let your kid's imagination take over.
By the time we left, Marcus gave the visit thumbs up all around and said he would tell his friends to go. Kind of what you'd expect from an 8-year-old Lego fiend, but remember, he's been to the big park and still had a good time at this small slice of it.
If you go
Legoland Discover Center Arizona in Arizona Mills mall is open 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. They stop admitting new visitors two hours before closing time daily.
