Do you have young kids who are obsessed with Legos?
Well, if so, you more than likely have been presented with ads for Legoland (whether on social media, YouTube, or in their FREE Lego magazines – YES! You can get a Lego magazine delivered to your kids for FREE!) but did you know there’s not just ONE Legoland? And further, choosing the wrong one can completely change your experience.
We are amusement park people – every summer we travel all over to ride roller coasters, so when our kids started to really get into Legos, we put Legoland on our list of “to visit” parks.
But what we did NOT know (and it took us a bit to figure this out) is that “Legoland” can actually refer to two different places: there are Legoland Theme Parks and Legoland Discovery Centers – and they are totally different entities.
If you’re trying to decide between going to a Legoland Discovery Center or a full-blown Legoland Theme Park (especially with children under the age of 12) this will help you figure out which one actually makes sense for your family.
OVERVIEW
There are 11 total Legoland Theme Parks around the world. There are 3 in the United States of America – one in Florida, one in New York, and one in California, with the other 8 spread across the world from Dubai to Japan.
There are 23 total Legoland Discovery Centers around the world. There are 13 here in the United States of America and 10 more spread across the world.
The Discovery Centers are typically located in major cities (so they are an easy add-on to an existing trip), while the Theme Parks are more destination based and require a bit more planning, a hotel-stay, etc.
Since we’ve now been to both, let me give you an overview of what to expect at each and then we’ll dive into specifics:
In a nutshell: The Legoland Discovery Center is an indoor, half-day experience that is best for families with younger kids.
While the Legoland Theme Park is an outdoor, full-day (or more) experience, catering to a much broader age range.
Each Legoland Discovery Center is unique to its location, but they all have similar bones that make up their structure. These are indoor locations that are open year-round. They typically have one or two rides, meet and greet times with different Lego characters and Master Builders, a 4D theater, a miniworld, an indoor playground area, and TONS of places to build with Legos.
Think of the Legoland Discovery Centers like a small science center or a family fun spot.
The Legoland Theme Parks are everything you get at a Discovery Center PLUS so much more! The Theme Parks are outdoor locations (and thus, sometimes seasonal). There are many, many rides for the entire family to enjoy (including one or two roller coasters), with lots of different meet and greet locations, a 4D theater (plus other shows), a whole miniland, playground areas, and yes, still TONS of places to build with Legos.
Think of the Legoland Theme Parks like a mini (very mini) Walt Disney World.
The Legoland Discovery Centers are places you’d go for an afternoon of fun, while the Legoland Theme Parks are an all-day event (and yes, you could easily spend 2-full days at a Legoland Theme Park – there is so much to do!) Additionally, the Legoland Theme Parks typically have a Legoland Resort you can stay at right next door to really kick your experience up a notch. I have a full, in depth review of the Legoland New York Resort – I’ll link it down below!
TICKET PRICES
If you’re into the Lego-world (welcome, it’s fun here), you already know: it’s not exactly cheap. And visiting Legoland is no different.
Quick note: prices can vary depending on the day, promotions, and how far in advance you book, so always check the website for the most up-to-date information.
But as a general starting point:
Legoland Theme Park tickets typically fall in the $49–$79 range – though realistically, most days you’re going to see prices closer to $79. That lower price point usually shows up during off-season promotions or “book early & save” deals.
Legoland Discovery Center tickets are much more consistent, usually around $21.99–$24.99 depending on the location.
There are no discounts on kid tickets, meaning adult and kid tickets are the same price, but children under the age of 2 are free.
Many Discovery Centers are paired with a Sea Life Aquarium, and you can often bundle those tickets together for just a few dollars more. We did this in Phoenix, Arizona and felt like it was absolutely worth it.
As always, one of our best pieces of money-saving advice (from a family of amusement park enthusiasts) is to buy your tickets online, in advance. That’s always where you’ll find the best deals! Never buy your tickets at the gate – they’re always at their most expensive there! Even if you forget to buy your tickets in advance and you find yourself out in the parking lot, hop on your phone and buy the tickets that way instead of walking up to a ticket booth.
And one last thing to factor in: parking. Discovery Centers are often located in shopping centers or city attractions, so parking is typically free. While Theme Parks, on the other hand, will charge for parking – so that’s an extra cost to plan for.
FOOD
Bringing food into a theme park is almost always a bit looked down upon, but typically parks don’t mind you bringing in your own empty water bottles and small snacks (as long as the water bottles aren’t glass, I’ll link our favorite collapsible water bottles below). And this is the case with the Legoland Theme Parks. Specific parks do have specific rules regarding coolers, so depending on which park you’re visiting and if you’re planning on packing a full lunch, you’ll want to check their website ahead of time so you aren’t caught off guard when you walk up to security.
Overall, we found the food inside of the Legoland Theme Park to be a bit on the pricey side – but, let’s be honest: most theme park food is. Our favorite thing we ate were the Apple Fries – these were so unique and different! We 100% highly recommend you get at least one or two servings of the Apple Fries whenever you visit Legoland!
When it comes to the Legoland Discovery Centers, they are very strict: no outside food or drinks are allowed. Period.
The Legoland Discovery Center we visited in Phoenix, Arizona did have a small cafe that you could purchase drinks, snacks, and lunch at and we were SHOCKED at how reasonable the prices were. As in, my mouth definitely hit the floor. There were snacks you could pick up for $1 or even less (and in today’s day and age, that’s unheard of!)
The day we visited the Discovery Center, we had packed a lunch and left it in a cooler in the car, but after taking a peek at the cafe, we realized that we could have easily eaten lunch in the Discovery Center and been very happy with the cost.
HOURS OF OPERATION
One thing about Legoland (both the Theme Parks and the Discovery Centers) is that they do not have long operating hours.
The Legoland Theme Parks are typically only open from 10am to 5pm or 6pm. And depending on the location, some of the parks are open year-round, while some are only open seasonally.
Legoland Discovery Centers are also usually open from about 10am to 5pm, but since they’re indoors, they’re open year-round.
When you purchase tickets for a Discovery Center, you’ll need to select a specific entry time. This helps manage the crowds since the space is more limited – but once you’re inside, you can stay as long as you’d like.
The one thing to be aware of (because we didn’t realize this): you can not leave and re-enter a Discovery Center – and we learned this the hard way.
As I mentioned: we had packed a lunch and left it in a cooler in the car, thinking we’d go in for a bit, come out to eat, and then head back in. Great plan – but that’s just not how it works.
In hindsight, we should have either booked an earlier entry time so we had more time before getting hungry – or just planned to eat inside the Discovery Center.
But the bottom line is: no matter which you are visiting, your kids will likely not want to leave. There were moments during both our visits to the Discovery Center and the Theme Park that our kids really hit their stride in having fun and boldly declared: “I NEVER want to leave!”
WHAT’S THE SAME/DIFFERENT
After having visited both a Legoland Discovery Center and Legoland Theme Park – there are certain elements that we found to be exactly the same:
The build-a-Lego-car and racing station at the Discovery Center was also at the Theme Park we visited.
The 4D theater played some of the same shows (with a few extra shows being offered at the Theme Park).
The Merlin’s Apprentice ride we rode at the Discovery Center was also at the Theme Park.
In other words, the Discovery Center is a very, very, abbreviated version of the Theme Park – a version you’d simply spend a few hours at instead of an entire day or weekend that you’d spend at the Theme Park.
Because the Legoland Discovery Centers are smaller and only sell tickets based on a time-entry, they can feel less chaotic and busy (during our visit, on a random Thursday in November, it was us and a handful of other families). Whereas the Legoland Theme Parks can get as busy as you’d expect a Theme Park to get – some of the “biggest” attractions had wait-times of over an hour and as the day went on, the crowds definitely got bigger.
My opinion of the two properties is a bit skewed because we visited the Discovery Center on such a slow day, while we visited the Theme Park during Labor Day weekend (presumably one of the busiest times to visit), but overall, the Discovery Center gives off a much more chill and relaxed vibe, whereas the Theme Park was much more go-go-go!
WHO SHOULD CHOOSE WHICH
Each option – the Discovery Center and the Theme Park are super fun experiences for families and kids who love Legos and the Lego IP. Our kids are obsessed with building Legos, but also love Ninjago and the characters in that world. Because they love those characters, visiting the Discovery Center in Phoenix, Arizona (which had a whole Ninjago room) and the Theme Park in New York (which has a whole Ninjago land) made these experiences absolutely incredible for our kids.
When we visited the Discovery Center, our kids were 9 and 5 and they were the perfect ages to really love our time there.
When we visited the Theme Park, our kids were 10 and 6 and again, they were the perfect ages to really love our time there.
I would say that since the Legoland Discovery Centers are smaller, they are more ideal for younger kids, while the Theme Parks definitely cater more to middle-older kids (but still offering a great mix of things for younger kids to enjoy too).
Both are very family-friendly options (meaning, most of the rides, shows, and activities are things that the entire family could do together – from the youngest to the oldest!) Our son was 5 when we visited the Discovery Center in Arizona and he was able to do everything there. When we visited the Theme Park, he still wasn’t tall enough to ride the “big” Dragon coaster and some of the “dark ride” style rides scared him.
Our kids are currently in a perfect Legoland age-bubble, but I can quickly see that we are beginning to push on that. Our daughter is now 11 and while she still loves building with Legos and the Lego characters (she’s incredibly creative and imaginative) – I can definitely see her aging out of both of these properties in the next few years.
I’d say, once your kids hit 13, they’re probably going to feel like both of these properties are a bit “babyish” for them. (They’ll likely feel like the Discovery Center is too young for them even before that.)
Yes, there are pieces and elements of each that they’d likely still enjoy (especially if they love certain IP or learning from the Master Builders), but Legoland as a whole definitely caters to a younger audience rather than an older one.
So if you’re trying to decide between the two, here’s how I’d think about it:
Go with a Legoland Discovery Center if:
- you want a shorter, more flexible outing
- you have younger kids (especially toddler to early elementary age kids)
- you’re looking for something lower cost
- or you just want a more relaxed, low-key experience
Go with a Legoland Theme Park if:
- you’re planning a full day (or even a full weekend)
- your kids want more rides and a fuller experience
- you’re okay with larger crowds and a faster pace
- or you’re building a trip around the park itself
CONCLUSION
When we initially booked our tickets to both the Legoland Discovery Center and the Theme Park, we were worried that we would feel like we were in “Parent Jail” – a place our kids would love (and never want to leave), but we, as parents, just be sitting on the sidelines, bored out of our minds.
This couldn’t be further from the truth at all.
We genuinely had fun right alongside our kids – at both the Discovery Center and the Theme Park.
Sure, there are definitely areas designed more for younger kids, but overall, both experiences are built in a way that the whole family can enjoy them together.
And at the end of the day, that’s what made both of these experiences feel worth it for our family. They’re not just another place to visit, but places where we got to make some really meaningful and precious family memories together.
