Your little guy or gal may not yet own their first set of DUPLOs, but they’ll still be drawn into this fantasy world made from millions of miniature bricks. Gentler rides and play areas are delineated by a cuddly teddy bear on the park map. Kids can chug around on a pint-size choo-choo, “pilot” a plane six feet in the air or dig in the sand for dinosaur fossils. (Tip: Before you get to Carlsbad, check out the theme park's handy Know Before You Go page.)
Much of the magic is in Miniland USA, where you’ll find to-scale LEGO replicas of iconic landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Balboa Park in San Diego, the Las Vegas Strip, and New York’s Central Park, where short attention spans will love searching for itty-bitty sunbathers or costumed Comic Con attendees. That’s if you can peel your weensy Wookie away from the Star Wars attraction next door, where scenes from the films and cartoon have been painstakingly recreated. What could be more mind-blowing than the attention to detail here? The amount of bricks to make it all happen: nearly 40 million.
Littles will especially enjoy the LEGO Movie World area, with the Benny’s Playship play structure and Queen Watevra’s Carousel. Then head to the Fun Town area, which has the Junior Driving School (ages 3 to 5), Sky Patrol, and the LEGOLAND® Express Train Ride, which gently navigates hairpin turns as it chugs through a sprouting LEGO garden. It’s a great introduction to theme park fun for smaller kids just beginning to ramble around on their own. For older LEGO fans, Fun Town also has the impressively looming Kid Power Tower; kids and parents can ascend to the top for panoramic views of the park before “free falling” back to the ground.
