Category Archives: Amusement Parks

Around the USA in One Hour or Less at Legoland

  By placeswithkids | March 22, 2012 - 9:47 pm | , , , , ,
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New Orleans at Legoland California

One of the most amazing parts of LEGOLAND California is their mini-version of the United States. In less than an hour, you can walk from the New England coast to Washington, DC, to San Francisco with a stop in New Orleans and Las Vegas on the way.

Rockefeller Center at Legoland California

Rockefeller Center at Legoland California

The details of these scenes are amazing and we easily spent an hour discovering the small items that made each area unique – like a tug sailing near the Golden Gate Bridge . . .

Golden Gate Bridge at Legoland

. . . or the mini palm trees near the Las Vegas Luxor Hotel . . .

Las Vegas Luxor Hotel at Legoland

Everything was just like the original . . .

White House

White House

just smaller . . .

White House Legoland

Seventy-five places down, 425 to go!

Visit more amazing photos at Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday

 

 

Legoland California

  By placeswithkids | March 20, 2012 - 9:08 am | , , , ,
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Legoland California

LEGOLAND California

I always knew our visit to sunny San Diego was going to be spectacular, but what made it perfect to my guys (especially my 40+ boy, AKA my husband) was a visit to LEGOLAND California.

Located about an hour away from San Diego, we set off to visit the land of many small plastic bricks on our first full day in California. Although we arrived semi-early, the place was already packed with little ones. After a quick discussion debating the pros and cons, we made the decision NOT to purchase the $99/person Premium Play pass which got us to the front of the lines fast because frankly, most of the rides seemed to be geared toward kids 6 and under – a definite “yawn” for my thrill-seeking boys.

Pretty tame rides at Legoland California

Wait-times for the few rides we were interested in were insanely long – at least an hour – primarily because unlike Disney, most of LEGOLAND’s rides are the type where only one group can ride/fly/swirl at a time. Riders have to wait for the ride to be unloaded before you can get on. In contrast, Disney and other amusement parks of LEGOLAND’s size tend to have rides that are more of a conveyor belt, with multiple riders loading and unloading at the same time (which also explains why roller coasters tend to have such long lines – you’re not going to have two sets of carts on the tracks at the same time!)

So after a single ride, which ate up over an hour of waiting, we decided to focus on what LEGOLAND does best – encourage children of all ages to buy small plastic bricks – and paid a visit to Fun Town and its LEGO Factory tour.

Legoland Factory tour

Legoland Factory tour

It was here that we saw a mock-up of how they construct, assemble, and package LEGOs . . . leading straight into a store that was a LEGO builder’s dream . . . bins and bins of LEGO blocks that could be purchased by the pound. This section also encourages free-building of LEGOs, so while I waited outside with my new-found friend,

my boys created masterpieces made from those small plastic bricks.

Creating a masterpiece at Legoland California

Kid-Friendly Spots in Las Vegas

  By Anne Patrone | August 25, 2011 - 10:43 am | , , , , , , ,
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Before I wave good-bye to Las Vegas and move on to the rest of our Western US road trip, I wanted to do a quick list of some of the kid-friendly activities in Las Vegas. Most of these we DIDN’T get to do or see, but were interested in doing . . . .

I know my list is not complete, so feel free to add any items:

My guys begged me for tokens to play games at the Coney Island Emporium located at the New York – New York Hotel and Casino. It was a fun way to waste 30 minutes to an hour, but expect my little guy was disappointed that so many of the games he wanted to play were out of service.

Playing arcade games at New York-New York Coney Island Arcade


If we’d had more time, I know my guys wanted to visit the Adventuredome, an indoor amusement park at Circus Circus. With rides, games, and circus acts all located in one air-conditioned spot, it’s a perfect spot for a kid to be a kid.
Adventuredome inside Circus Circus

Last, but not least, my animal-loving youngest was definitely interested in visiting either the Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay Hotel or Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage Hotel. 

Mandalay Bay Shark Reef

We actually tried to visit the Secret Garden after watching the Cirque du Soleil show, Mystere, at Treasure Island, but like most of these kid-friendly places, it closed around 7:00 pm.

Photo of Mandalay Bay Shark Reef courtesy of Bogdan Migulski via Flickr.
Photo of Adventuredome courtesy of Marquis Lewis via Flickr.

The Roller Coaster at New York-New York Hotel: A Kid’s View

  By Anne Patrone | August 24, 2011 - 9:30 am | , , , , , , , , , ,
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Waving good-bye to my guys at The Roller Coaster

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of you may be aware that due to the nature of my blog, I don’t accept guest posts, but today I’m making an exception for The Roller Coaster at the New York-New York Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas. (As an aside, they used to call it The Manhattan Express but I don’t know why they changed it).

Why today of all days?

Because I am a complete and utter wimp who didn’t go on The Roller Coaster at the New York-New York Hotel – only my two boys did . . .

Hey, the way I figure it, the guide I use is called Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up - so as long as I take my kids to these places, I’m covered. And before you get huffy, no where does it actually say in the guidebook that I have to also participate in the activities.

This is where I safely stood . . .

So without further ado . . . my oldest son’s guest post . . .

Hi, I’m the infamous M. 

Our last morning in Vegas, we started off at a local diner restaurant near our hotel. My brother was already talking about the 67 mph rollercoaster that he wanted to go on that I honestly didn’t want to go on. I had just eaten huge pancakes and I just didn’t seem interested.

Of course when we go to the New York- New York Hotel……… I wanted to go. 

The Roller Coaster at New York-New York Hotel/Casino

The minimum height for the ride is 54 inches so I saw some kids get kicked out of the ride. The rollercoaster car was a very long taxi with seats in it. So when it was my turn I got on with my brother. It started slow for maybe 20 feet, then it was a steep climb to the start of the roller coaster. 

When launched down the other side of the steep rail we all screamed, and then it happened again except not so fast. Then came the loop and a lot of colorful words.

Mom comment: I figure it doesn’t count if I don’t hear it . . .  

After the gigantic loop came a series of bunny-hops which had your stomach lurching the entire way. Then you went upside down for about 15-20 very long seconds and you did some twisty turns and then before you know it you are back where you started. 

If you do choose to do this, which I recommend, your legs feel wobbly and unsupportive. It’s ok, it happens to everybody.

 Overall the ride was fun and everybody should ride it if visiting the fabulous Las Vegas.

Thanks to my wonderful son, M, for providing his input for my blog . . . Mom loves you . . .

Vegas thrill rides . . . 62 places down, 438 to go.

Riding a Wave at the Mandalay Bay Beach

  By Anne Patrone | August 17, 2011 - 1:50 pm | , , , , , , , ,
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Water Park at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the main reasons I chose to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas was the complimentary access to the Mandalay Bay Beach. 

Before we left, I had shown pictures of this amazing water park to my sons and they were eager to explore every inch of it when we arrived. However, due to our flight problems, we arrived after the Mandalay Bay beach and pool area closed.

Fortunately, we were able to cool off in the Four Seasons pool, but I knew my guys were itching to experience this HUGE (over 11 acres) water park.

After a hot day at Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire State Park, my boys were more than ready to hop into the Lazy River . . .

Floating along the Lazy River at the Mandalay Bay

. . . but as for the inner tubes that made the experience “so much better” (their words, not mine)?

Sigh. Add on an extra $15 per tube (the smallest available) and hope they’ll get some use from this inflatable toy back home. The boys loved the Lazy River, but they were soon craving more excitement, which they got at the huge wave pool . . .

Wave Pool at Mandalay Bay

. . . which reproduces the (rather strong) waves one feels in the ocean. Smaller kids could enjoy the ankle-deep entry, while older (and braver) kids could boogie board on the perpetual waves. When I told my oldest that he could get the same experience by going to the beach, he thought about it for a moment, then like a typical tween responded . . . “Nah, it’s better because there are no icky fish to bug you.”

Guess you can’t argue with that . . .