We recently visited the Legoland Discovery Center in Schaumburg Illinois. I had done research on their website but still wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. We had a great time and I thought I would share our experience so that those of you thinking of going know what to expect.
The discovery center was not exactly as I had imagined it. It was smaller than I had pictured but that turned out to be a good thing because it didn’t take the entire day to get through it all. If you wanted to make it an entire day you definitely could have. There are several play areas where the kids can build things or play on a large indoor play area. So it would be easy for kids to spend a lot of time doing this.
First of all, lets talk about getting in. We purchased out tickets online which saved us about $20. You would need to check the website for current pricing and to see what would be a better deal for your family. Something we didn’t know is that some local area places offer specials for Legoland as well. We happened to go to the Rainforest Café for lunch before we went to Legoland and on the kids menu that you get to keep has a pass for free kid admittance to Legoland with a paying adult so that would have been an even better deal for us. Purchasing your tickets online is also better because the line for ticket pick-up is a lot shorter than the line to buy your tickets there. We were probably in line for about five minutes and then we were on our way.
First stop was the Miniland area. This was an awesome set up of the major landmarks and buildings in the Chicagoland area. This was so awesome. You could really spend a lot of time here really looking at all the details. My daughter had pointed out that even the little Lego people in the boats had cameras like they were taking pictures of the skyline. Truly awesome!
Then on to the Jungle Expedition, which was a jungle of course that feature some really awesome and large animals made out of Lego bricks. Next was the building area where they can build. This was also where they had a green screen and you can have a Lego themed picture taken. We decided to get our picture taken with the Lego Friends. It turned out pretty good.
Then we rode the Kingdom Quest ride, which is a laser ride where you have to shoot the bad guys. It is short and sweet. Nothing that will scare the kiddies or give make your heart jump so those with heart problems won’t have a problem doing this ride. You also get your photo taken on this ride and can purchase these photos as well.
Then we headed upstairs (you can also take an elevator) this is where they have the food court. Basically you can have pizza or hot dogs. There are a few other items to eat but not a huge variety. There is a large jungle gym type play area and a number of Lego building play areas. And there is a little ride in this area as well.
We then went to see how the Lego’s are made in the Lego (play) Factory. And they built a Vampire Lego in the Master Model Builder class and you can buy the Lego that you build if you like. And then on to one of my favorite parts which was the 4D theater. Very cool!
Throughout the entire Legoland Discovery Center you will see some really awesome statues of well-known characters like Darth Vader, Indiana Jones, President Obama and more.
We went during a weekend this October and they had a special weekend promotion called Brick-or-Treat. We received Lego bricks at different spots in Legoland and in the end we were able to make a pumpkin out of the bricks we collected. We got to keep the little pumpkin set too. The kids loved it!
Upon exiting you will go through a Lego Store and you can purchase some Lego Sets or souvenirs on your way out. It is definitely something fun to do and you don’t have to spend the whole day there if you don’t want to. I give this little day trip 5 stars. Other than it being a bit smaller than I had pictured we all had a blast and would go again. The lines for each activity were very short. You could get through everything in a few hours. It is located in a shopping area and there is a large mall close by too called the Woodfield Mall. The Rainforest Café is located inside the Woodfield Mall so you want to eat there and get that awesome coupon for the kids to get in free at Legoland I would highly suggest it. The Rainforest Café was a huge hit for the kids and you must get the collectors cup with the kids’ meal. It’s awesome!
