Last updated on August 29th, 2017 at 01:30 pm
My kids were born 11 1/2 months apart, which mean we have 2 birthdays back to back each year. I usually do a group party for them and all their friends, but this year I wanted to try something different. In lieu of a party, I offered them a trip to Toronto, where we would visit 2 attractions and hang out with their super-cool Great Aunt. The obvious choice for them was Toronto, since they had never been. I was born there, and spent many summers, but I had not yet braved the 4hr drive down south with them yet. We decided on LEGOLAND® Discovery Center (in Vaughn) as one of our attractions, so I was tickled when they agreed to let me do an honest review in exchange for our tickets. I had no idea what to expect, as it was also my first time there, but I can confidently say, we will DEFINITELY be going back. Here is our experience!
LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Toronto
What they offer:
LEGOLAND® is hands-on captivating experience for Lego loving kids of all ages. They have intricate displays, building activities, Lego history, a cafeteria, age appropriate rides, and even a 4D theater. Located conveniently in the Vaughn Mills shopping center, navigation and parking is a breeze. They update their attractions regularly to keep up with new Lego trends, and have an amazing “play-all-day” type of atmosphere. Also, for an extra $5, you can purchase a secret mission lanyard for the kids. Each center has a stamp, and after you complete the “mission”, you stamp a card on your lanyard. At the end, if you have all your stamps, you get a prize!
Our Experience:
I want to start by saying LEGOLAND® Toronto has some of the friendliest staff I have even encountered, especially for Toronto. When you first walk it resembles a normal storefront, which totally peaked our interest. I’m now sure if they were going for a mysterious approach, but either way, it worked for us. Upon entry, we were offered a photo op which included 2 shots. I won’t spoil the context, but they had us pose for a neat scenario, that we were able to check out later on in our tour.
The first real stop on the tour was to the LEGO Factory®, that explained the history of Lego and how they’re made. It was interactive and interesting! They also had a scale, where you could find out your weight in Lego bricks, and a chart to find out your Lego brick height.
The next stop was to the Kingdom Quest Laser Ride®. We were seated on a chariot of sorts, that followed a track along the floor. During the ride we used our provided laser guns to shoot at targets, and ultimately help save the princess. It was a blast for the kids. It was too dark to get a good picture, but here is one from the LEGOLAND® website, so you get a feel for what I’m talking about:
We then hopped off the ride (when it finished) and exited to a booth that had our photos from our entry. I opted not to buy a copy of our shots but they were still pretty neat to see. We made our way into Miniland® which was SO COOL! They had downtown Toronto made from Lego and it was, of course, interactive.
Our next stop was into the main part of the center. My kids were immediately drawn to the racetrack, where they could build their own Lego cars, and race them down a few different tracks. My son absolutely loved this part, and it took me quite some time to drag him away from it. I think he would have stayed there all day if he could.
We then made our way to the Duplo® Center, which had a huge collection of oversized blocks made from foam, a slide, and a ball-pit style section full of foam/rubber Lego. If I’m not mistaken, the Duplo® line of Lego is geared toward the younger user, but my 6 and 7 year old still had a blast. We skipped the cafeteria but were impressed with the amount of options for food. Honestly, my kids were just so amped up that they wanted to keep playing rather than eat. Next up for us was the Merlin’s Apprentice® ride. Check this thing out:
I loved that this ride was catered to the kids, in the sense that they could ride it by themselves. Not being a fan of rides myself, this was a huge plus. After Merlin’s Apprentice, we moved on to the LEGO Fire Academy®, which is this HUGE enclosed play structure. The staff were so thorough and organized, I seriously commend them. Being a parent I feel I have the authority to say I couldn’t have done it, haha! Another awesome perk about this place is they have benches everywhere. I can only assume they’re for played-out parents like myself so extra points to you LEGOLAND® for thinking ahead 😉 I was able to sit and chill, while still supervising my kids, at just about every station.
We had a quick photo-op with these amazing display’s before skipping over to the much-anticipated 4D theater. There was a center called LEGO Friends® that these displays belonged to, but the next 4D movie was starting shortly and we didn’t want to miss it.
The movies play every 15 minutes and are approximately 10-12 mins long. Upon entry, we were given our 3D glasses and grabbed a seat in the sizeable theater. (I still CANNOT believe this place was all in a mall!!). The show was fun, and the graphics were awesome. They really nailed the 4D aspect with light water and wind during the movie. This was by far the best part in my opinion.
There were a few activities/displays we didn’t make our way to, such as the Star Wars display but you can find a full list of those here. As we left, it was time to show the staff the kids’ completed secret mission passes. They checked the passes for the stamps from each center, and let the kids pick a badge for their lanyards. It was a great way to complete the tour and we exited into the elaborate gift shop. After 15 minutes of perusing, we made our purchases and left happy, amused, and played-out.
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