Last Minute Vacations

The summer has come and gone before your very eyes, and now you’re scrambling to get a family vacation in before school start. Where can you head to please everyone in the family?

Whether you’ve been to these fabulous Southern California attractions before and want to revisit those memories, or are looking to take your kids for the very first time, Legoland and the San Diego Zoo are guaranteed to get the entire family smiling, and will fill your scrapbook full of happy memories.

LEGOLAND California Resort

is growing and there’s a lot to experience!

LEGOLAND California is a 128-acre family theme park located in Carlsbad, a seaside community 30 miles north of downtown San Diego and one hour south of Anaheim. LEGOLAND California has more than 60 rides, shows and attractions. With favorites like the Dragon Coaster, Pirate Shores, Volvo Driving School, and the amazing Miniland USA along with the newest area Land of Adventure, it’s a full day of fun for the entire family.

The park is the first theme park in the United States created by Danish toy maker, the LEGO Company. LEGOLAND California offers interactive attractions, family rides, shows, restaurants, shopping and beautiful landscape features specifically geared for families with children ages 2 to12.

There are more than 15,000 LEGO models in the park created from more than 35 million LEGO bricks. These models range from a brontosaurus named Bronte (made of more than 2 million LEGO bricks) to a tiny rabbit in a magician’s hat in Miniland Las Vegas made of just four bricks.

LEGOLAND Water Park is located at the north end of LEGOLAND California adjacent to Fun Town.

RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS

The centerpiece of LEGOLAND Water Park is a 45-foot-tall tower designed to immerse children in the creative world of LEGO. The four main slides originate with this tower.

Orange Rush: A family tube slide where up to four people can ride together down a 312-foot-long curving track on an 11-foot in diameter half pipe

Twin Chasers: Two side-by-side enclosed red tube slides that stretch nearly 130 feet and pour into a wading area below

Splash Out: An open body slide that invites guests to slide 240 feet and “splash out” into the water below

Build-A-Raft River: A one-of-a-kind concept where kids customize their own raft made of soft LEGO bricks before floating down a lazy river

DUPLO Splash Safari: A water play area designed especially for toddlers with three small slides and interactive DUPLO characters modeled after the actual pieces found in LEGO sets: an alligator, polar bear and an elephant

Kid Creek: A lazy river within DUPLO Splash Safari built with younger kids in mind

Joker Soaker: A fun interactive platform in the wade pool where kids can aim water cannons at each other as a LEGO jester model “tells” jokes while 350 gallons of water pour down upon them

Imagination Station: Interactive, educational and imaginative fun! There are two interactive tables. On one, kids can build bridges, dams and cities out of DUPLO bricks and test them against the flow of water. On the other, they control the flow of water by creating patterns out of LEGO elements. In another area, a musical water stand with a series of holes on top that squirt water allows kids to become conductors of their own water symphony as they cover holes creating new music notes.

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The San Diego Zoo…it’s a Kid’s World!

Just north of downtown San Diego, situated in Balboa Park at Park Boulevard and Zoo Place is the 100-acre San Diego Zoo. This non-profit conservation organization, well known for its lush, naturalistic habitats and unique animal encounters, is home to more than 4,500 rare and endangered animals representing approximately 700 species and subspecies, and a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 plants.

Pint-sized visitors to the San Diego Zoo will find a lot to their liking. Not only will they have 100 acres of animals to spur their imaginations, but there also are playgrounds and animal areas set aside exclusively to let kids be kids.

The San Diego Zoo’s Children’s Zoo has delighted children for more than 50 years. It’s a magical place where all the exhibits allow children to be up close to the animals. Children can go nose to nose with a meerkat in the exhibit area or learn all about insects that look just like leaves in the Spineless Wonders insect house. They’ll have to be ready for surprises, though, because on any given day a red panda, fossa or miniature horse may just walk past on a leash!

The Children’s Zoo has more than 20 species of kid-friendly animals on exhibit, all with something special that makes them appeal to kids. For instance, the bright blue of the hyacinth macaw is sure to delight, while the out-of-the-ordinary appearance of the naked mole-rat will definitely spark curiosity. (No, he didn’t just forget to get dressed after his bath!)

This is also the place where folks can see a presentation with a prehistoric-looking pangolin, something they won’t see in any other U.S. zoo. Time for some tactile stimulation? Well, there are about 25 creatures ready for cuddling in the Petting Paddock, from pygmy goats to soft rabbits to wooly sheep!