Legoland Discovery Center Atlanta

In February of 2013, we visited the LegoLand Discovery Center that is located in Phipps Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia. What fun! My five-year-old son could have stayed there all day. He is still talking about it and asking when we can go back. With reasonable admission prices, it's a great experience for the whole family. This is not to be confused with the larger Legoland theme parks located in Florida and California. This is a smaller version of the theme parks, but still tons of fun! There are several of these Legoland Discovery Centers in large cities around the world, but the information contained here will be specific to our visit to the one in Atlanta.

(Photo mine)

When you enter the LegoLand Discovery Center, the first order of business is the factory tour. It's not a full-sized factory, mind you, as Legos are actually made in Denmark. But your tour guide will describe the process by which the Legos are made, and show you smaller, colorful versions of the machines that actually make them. It's a short, fun, and interesting presentation! Then you can stand on a scale and weigh yourself based on how many Legos equal your weight! This is optional, of course, so if you don't want others to know your weight in Legos, you don't have to step on.

At the end of your tour, you will receive a free lego with the factory tour logo printed on it. Our tour guide told us that this was the only thing we would receive for free on our Legoland visit, so to be sure and cherish it!

Kingdom Quest was one of the things that surprised me on this visit! It's a ride like you would expect to find at a full-sized theme park. You ride in a tram and get your own laser gun to shoot figures on the wall and save the princess. It was lots of fun, and we could all see what score received at the end, based on how many spiders and skeletons we eliminated with our lasers. For those of you who are familiar with the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, this ride reminded me just a bit of the Buzz Lightyear ride there, only not quite as long.

This was so cool that I forgot to take pictures! It's a large room filled with a Lego-built version of a miniature Atlanta. Some of the familiar Atlanta buildings in it were the State Capitol building, the High Museum, Braves stadium, Georgia Aquarium, Fox Theater, and more. The lights dim, the buildings light up, and everything in the mini-city looks ready for evening. After a few more minutes, the lights come back up, and the city is buzzing with daytime activity. Cars, trucks, trains, and boats move around the display. It's so much fun to watch that my son had to come back to this room a second time before we left for the evening.

After leaving MINILAND, you will enter a large room where you have the opportunity to go on another ride, Merlin’s Apprentice. You will pedal your way high up into the air above the other Lego enthusiasts and fly around in a circle. One of my son’s favorite things to do, though, was the Lego Racers Build and Test. At a building station, you and your child can build as many different types of rolling vehicles as you can fathom, with unlimited supplies of Legos and wheels. There are ramps and racetracks where you can test your vehicles after they are built. Race your vehicle against other patrons’ vehicles and see who wins! There are also earthquake tables, a place for climbing and sliding and swinging, and a theater where Lego movies are shown every 15 minutes or so. Need a break? There is a little caf where you can re-fuel and sit for a bit. There is also a Duplo area for smaller children, attached to the caf. There are Master Building classes for those who are serious about their Lego building skills, and there are also party rooms for those who want to have a birthday party there.

As of February 2014, you can currently save money by buying your tickets online prior to your arrival. You can also save by going later in the day. If you purchase ahead of time online and go after 4pm, tickets are just $12.50.

Admission prices are as follows:

Adult (Age 13 and up) $19 walk-up price, $17 buying online

Child (ages 3-12) $17 walk-up price, $15 buying online

Child under 2 Free

If you live in the Atlanta area, you may want to look into the Annual Pass. If you plan on going more than three times during the course of the year, the Annual Pass is worth the investment.

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