California Postcards - LegoLand

Monday was the perfect day for going to LegoLand. After having spent so much time at Disneyland and California Adventure Park, we were geared up for that volume of park. LegoLand was a welcome relaxation from that pace. We found out that Burger King had 2 for 1 coupons and a friend, Curt, picked up many of them for us. We used two and gave the others to people in line. The funny thing about that is that I had looked at bidding on some of the very same coupons on ebay. When I called LegoLand to make sure that would work they told me that they have many of those coupons out there. There was no need to bid on some. Also, they told me that LegoLand does not blackout any dates on their coupons. However, they are only open 5 days a week. I was glad I called. I had assumed that they would be open 352 days a year. Once there we found that the rides were fun, but not the thrill we got from the roller coaster at Disneyland. It is clear that LegoLand is geared more towards the younger set. We have an entire Lego loft, filled with eight years of Legos we've gotten as gifts or purchased, yet I was amazed at what were the favorites. Ethan loved the "Mindstorm" activity. This is a programmable robot that hooks up to the computer. The kids have a mission that has four or five levels and a bonus level if you work fast enough. You have to allow 45 minutes to 1 hour for this and you have to reserve a spot in advance. We signed up for this as we walked past it the first time. Ethan has access to a "Lego Mindstorm" but he still found it lots of fun to take on their challenge. He was bummed when he could not get in a second time due to our schedule. They both loved the spot where you make a Lego car and race it. Again, we can do this at home, but somehow it was still more fun at LegoLand. Ellie liked this programmable ride where you are strapped in to this thing that looked like an arm from a Technic. You then tell the ride operator what level you want - 1 to 5, five being the most wild. When the ride operator asked for my glasses I knew we were in for a intense time. Once was enough for me on that one. I think Ellie did it a second time. The Volvo Driving Range was neat since you could drive anywhere you want to go on the course. Ethan also loved the minifactory that makes Lego bricks on the spot. He bought some of those. And I can't forget to mention the Brick Store where they have the bricks and Lego sorted by color, as well as by shape. You buy what you want by the pound. Some people even sat down, built something and bought that. All of us loved the MiniLego Land where major locations (cities, famous sites, etc.) were made in Lego to a 1:20 scale. It was SO COOL! We all left with a burning desire to go home and build! The other rides were great, too. We never had to wait in line too long. It was a nice, not so stimulating day. Thanks, Lego!