About a month ago, Michael and I surprised the boys with a week long trip to visit my parents at their town home in New Smyrna Beach, FL. Not only was a family getaway much needed after the busy holiday season and Michael's hectic work schedule, but we also missed Papa and Gigi like crazy! We showed up on their doorstep (unbeknownst to my mom) on a Friday evening and couldn't wait for our low-key beach week to begin. She was SHOCKED to see us and lots of hugs and kisses were exchanged :)
We didn't have any specific plans for the week, but knew we wanted to surprise the boys with one special day - especially since we were only an hour or so away from Orlando. We had just been to Disney a few months before (and didn't feel like dropping $400 for one day - sheesh!), so we decided on Legoland instead. Ever since watching the previews on The Lego Movie about this fun place, Michael and I knew we wanted to take the boys. With it being a short 1 hr 45 min. drive from NSB, this was the perfect opportunity! Although the water park was closed, going in the off season had its perks; one of those being weekly homeschool days. I checked the site calendar a few weeks before our trip and quickly ordered tickets for a homeschool day in the week we were visiting. To give you an idea on how much we saved, regular admission is close to $80 per person. Our admission was $10/student/child and $25/each accompanying chaperone. That's $70 + tax for our entire family...we got in for less than one full admission price. Word. My parents came too and also took advantage of the discounted rate - double score!
The boys had no idea where we were headed and were really confused as we passed the Disneyworld, Epcot, and Universal exits on the interstate. Needless to say, when we pulled up to the Legoland entrance, all those places were forgotten and lots of happy screaming took place inside the car :) I pulled out the hidden Lego shirts from our backpack and in we went. The weather was PERFECT. A cool 60 in the morning which warmed up to mid-70s by the afternoon - we knew it was gonna be a fun day!
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| One downside to visiting in the off season is that you run the risk of things being closed for repairs and renovations. Much to our dismay, the Factory was just that...closed. We were SO looking forward to seeing how Legos are made, packaged, and distributed. Guess that just means we'll have to come back! |
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| Little man couldn't WAIT to go play! |
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| Indoor play area for little tykes |
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| Duplo train |
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| LOVE this pic! |
Miniland USA was such an amazing area of the park. You could spend forever here looking at each scene precisely built on a miniature scale with legos. From cities to historical buildings and landmarks, adults and kiddos alike are fascinated!
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| San Fran row houses |
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| Lombard street - and yes, it truly is that curvy! |
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| Little bit of the Las Vegas strip |
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| Fun 'statues' throughout the park |
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| Cole loving the Ford Driving school. Look at that focused tongue :) |
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| While the big guys rode the Coastersaurus, I took this guy to a ride of his own. Smiles forever :) |
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| No problem if you have to wait in line or wait on big brother...there's always something to build! |
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| The Lego Technic coaster. SUPER fun!! |
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| Cole's face...priceless. He did enjoy the ride, but screamed like a school girl on the drop. |
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| Let the building and racing begin! |
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| Getting out some last minute energy before the trek back to N.S.B. |
Seriously such a super fun day - if only the park stayed open longer :) The onsite Legoland Hotel will be completed this summer, and we'd love to eventually stay there with the boys. We'd also love to visit in the summer when the water park is open and take advantage of that lego fun too...
If you think this would be a fun family trip, there are LOTS of coupons out there - especially free kids admission. But if you homeschool, I encourage you to check the calendar and see when those dates are scheduled. They also offered a print-your-own tour for homeschooling families to follow, but we opted to just enjoy the day at our leisure.
* Disclaimer: You may or may not hear 'Everything Is Awesome' 2,867 times and have it running through your brain days later. Just sayin'...
