Legoland Florida???

**DTSZ** · 08-03-2010, 11:07 PM

Legoland Florida said to open Fall 2011 in Polk County, FL.

Anyone know how far this is from Orlando?

**HauntedGabe** · 08-03-2010, 11:51 PM

There is one in Northern IL near the giant Woodfield Mall. My DS took my niece there last summer. He said it was an amazing place for kids.

**Doombuggy13** · 08-04-2010, 12:12 AM

It is going to be in Winter Haven which is just over 3o miles.

From Jan 21st Orlando Sentinel:

Central Florida will be home to the world's largest Legoland by the end of 2011, Merlin Entertainments Group said Thursday.

The park, which is planned for the former site of Cypress Gardens, is expected to include between 40 and 50 main attractions. In addition to Lego's signature attractions -- such as kid-powered rides and giant Lego brick models -- some of Cypress Gardens' top draws are expected to stick around. The historical gardens will stay intact, according to Nick Varney, Merlin's chief executive officer.

Merlin said it plans to keep the popular Splash Island Waterpark operating, although it will be a separate, ticketed admission. Cypress Gardens' water ski shows and one of its two wooden roller coasters will probably be integrated into the new Legoland as well, Varney said.

The details of Florida's newest theme park were announced at a news conference this morning that was attended by government and tourism officials, including Florida Governor Charlie Crist.
Officials hailed the capital investment -- which Crist said would be hundreds of millions of dollars -- and the fact that the park will create more than 1,000 jobs.

"Obviously in these challenging economic times, these jobs are fabulous," said Florida Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales.

Varney kicked off Thursday's event by calling Legoland Florida's "worst-kept secret," referring to the fact that details of today's announcement leaked out Wednesday, after an email surfaced confirming that it was indeed Legoland that was coming to Central Florida.
Merlin said it scouted multiple locations in the Orlando area, but eventually chose the out-of-the-way Polk County spot because of the value of its existing infrastructure.

Renovating a pre-existing theme park, instead of building from scratch, will help Merlin shave years off the development timeline, allowing it to get the park up and running in less than two years.

"If we'd gone anywhere else it would have taken 4 or 5 years," Varney said. He added that the company eventually hopes to turn Legoland Florida into a resort by adding an on-site hotel.

In exchange for building a Legoland in Winter Haven, Merlin Entertainments will receive $5 million in incentives from Polk County over a 10-year period. The package includes $150,000 per year for job creation and $350,000 per year in marketing support, Polk County economic development officials said. The company said it has also talked with government officials about improving road links between Orlando and Winter Haven, but did not provide specifics.

The Florida park is Legoland's second U.S. location, after Legoland California in Carlsbad, Calif. The addition of a Legoland in the Sunshine State is part of a broader push into the U.S. for Merlin.
"We see it as a big development market for us," Varney said. Lego, Varney said, "is without question one of the strongest brands in the world."
Merlin did not provide attendance projections for the Florida park, but said its other Legolands draw between 1.5 million and 2 million people a year.

**HauntedGabe** · 08-04-2010, 12:20 AM

Ah, take a weekend trip to Chicago and visit the one here. Amtrak!

**NC_WDW_Daddy** · 08-04-2010, 08:22 AM

I don't knwo if we will go, but nice to see some good economic news for a change.

**newdrama12** · 08-07-2010, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by DTSZ

Legoland Florida said to open Fall 2011 in Polk County, FL.

Anyone know how far this is from Orlando?

It is about 45 minutes from the Polynesian.

**DTSZ** · 08-07-2010, 09:33 AM

Thanks! Just wondering if it was a feasible to add a day on to our upcoming Disney trip in 2011. Taking a train to Chicago does sould fun however!!

**HauntedGabe** · 10-14-2011, 04:05 PM

Inside the Magic is at Legoland Florida. Inside the Magic | Covering Disney news, theme park events and beyond!

Lego Creator's Grandson laid the last Golden Brick at Legoland Press Event today thus finishing the park.

Park opens tomorrow at 10 am. The goal is for Legoland to be a multi day resort eventually.

I liked this comment on food, lets hope they fix that by tomorrow!

from twitter: "LEGOLAND Florida pizza, pasta, and salad buffet is quite awful. Avoid at all costs."

LEGOLAND Florida pizza, pasta, and salad buffet is quite awful. Avoid at all costs. #fb | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

But the food was much better at the Market.
Tasting food from the Market at @LEGOLANDFlorida. MUCH better than the pizza place. #fb | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

too much more to post, they are coming across Twitter at: InsideTheMagic, fun, I wanta go!

Said the remaining Cypress Garden portion is very pretty.
Water Park will open next spring.

Water Show:
Gorgeous water and a LEGO pirate ship. Waiting for the ski show. @LEGOLANDFlorida #fb | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

**weepstah** · 10-14-2011, 09:29 PM

Check out this link:

Florida's Cypress Gardens at Florida's Lost Tourist Attractions

**weepstah** · 10-14-2011, 09:32 PM

And why do I suspect that Lou has actually wandered over to where Boardwalk and Baseball was?

**trickster** · 10-16-2011, 03:54 AM

We'll certainly be checking it out on our next trip!

**hoform22xu** · 10-19-2011, 05:26 AM

I don't knwo if we will go, but nice to see some good economic news for a change.

**supernova** · 10-19-2011, 08:20 AM

Like Busch Gardens, it'll be fun to check out at least once. I can't remember returning to Busch Gardens, though. At least this place has an angle. And being Lego-themed, they can swap out displays fairly regularly, I'd imagine. Look how many dolts mindlessly flock to the small Lego store at DTD, or take pictures in front of the serpent in the lake (please stop doing that, people).

**malt** · 10-19-2011, 11:24 AM

It opened on the day i left, but to be fair i doubt i'd go... everything that i have seen looks just like the original one in Denmark that i went to 26 years ago, it just won't have that Disney spark.

**supernova** · 10-19-2011, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by malt

It opened on the day i left, but to be fair i doubt i'd go... everything that i have seen looks just like the original one in Denmark that i went to 26 years ago, it just won't have that Disney spark.

And that's the flawed mindset I was talking about earlier. It's NOT going to have the Disney spark. One needs to look beyond "Disney". Some people don't need to have costumed characters walking around 24/7 to be amused at a, well, amusement park. The Six Flags parks tried it with the Looney Tunes characters, but they're not the draw of the park. It's their roller coasters. Lego Land isn't going to have Mickey Mouse. But it's not supposed to. It's about Lego.