Giant snap together building blocks will be descending on Winter Haven, Florida when Legoland Florida takes over the shuttered Cypress Gardens theme park. The new park, opening 2011, will be the fifth Legoland worldwide and the largest yet. Fifty rides, shows and attractions will be available to dazzle young Lego enthusiasts. Legoland parks, featuring everything from roller coasters to eye popping statues constructed of the familiar plastic blocks, are tailored to appeal to the 2-12 year old set.
The first Legoland Park opened in Southern California on March 20, 1999. International locations in the UK, Denmark and Germany soon followed. Legoland Parks are traditionally split into nine major sections: The Beginning, Dino Island, Duplo, Village Green, Fun Town, Knight’s Kingdom, Miniland USA, Pirate Shores, Imagination Zone and Land of Adventure. The Florida park will feature several Florida landmarks in it’s marquee Miniland.
Legos began in the workshop of carpenter Kirk Christiansen of Billund Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932. In 1934 he changed the name of his company to Lego, from the Danish phrase leg godt which means “play well.” In 1949, the iconic Lego building blocks we know today went into production under the name “Automatic Binding Blocks.” The famous toy has made its mark on movies, TV, video games and even pop art and found a place in, well, pretty much everyone’s childhood memories.
Legos have become much more than the primary colored blocks you remember. Elaborate kits abound, including a 5,922 piece kit that snaps together into a model of the Taj Mahal. Lego Mindstorms can even communicate with your personal computer. But, the basic design hasn’t changed much since 1964 when the blocks were patented. In fact, all blocks produced since that year are compatible with each other.
For those who don’t want to spend their entire vacation buried in Legos, the new Florida location will include several other attractions owned by parent company Merlin Entertainment, including SeaLife Aquarium, Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum and the London Eye Ferris Wheel.
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