Legoland!!!

Day two was highly anticipated, at least by me. The six Wilsons, my dad and Maggie, and JD and Amanda all went to Legoland. Unfortunately, Kim and Dave had to work. But, the 10 of us made a nice group.

We got there in time for park opening and then headed to the back to try some of the bigger rides. We were able to walk right on Coastersaurus and Flying School. We did a few more rides and then went to the water ski show.

The show is a vestige to Cypress Gardens, which was Florida's first theme park. It opened in 1936. It was 5-minutes from my house and we went several times when I was a kid. My sister even worked there at one point. Anyway, the park I first remember (late 80s era) had a water ski show, the Island in the Sky, a theater that ran a few different acts, a beautiful gardens area, a diving show, a boat ride on the lake, and a few other small rides. I was anxious to see what it was like now that it had transformed into Legoland. Unfortunately, I never could get my bearings. The place is completely transformed. There were a few things that remained, but they seemed out of place from where I remembered them, even though I know they didn't move two large stadiums or the Island in the Sky. All that is to say, I was excited both to visit Legoland and to see the remnants of my childhood park. While I never could quite place things, I did enjoy the water ski show, which was the top attraction back in the Cypress Gardens era. Now, while some of the skiers are dressed like minifigures, they still did their iconic jumps and pyramid.

Waiting for the show to begin

Skiing minifigs!

We got there early and were able to secure prime seats, center of the stadium, first row in front of a water canon. Unfortunately, it was a little too close for Luke's comfort. He got scared when the oddly dressed cast came out. I had to take him to the back of the stadium, which was a safe enough distance to make him feel comfortable. He actually had good timing, right after we left, Thomas and the kids got soaked!

After the show, we waited in an extremely long line to get our over-priced theme park lunch. Actually, in terms of tourist places, it wasn't that bad. They had $7 kids meals that had burgers or chicken strips, fries, a fruit pouch and milk or bottled water. From there it was more rides.

One of everyone's favorite things was Leog City. The 4D show was also very good. And, of course the kids enjoyed the rides. Luke never napped and got a little crankier as the day went on. After he went on one ride, he couldn't understand why he couldn't go on all the rides.

Anna in front of the DC area

We got ice cream around 5 then decided to see what remained of the gardens. My dad and Maggie left with JD and Amanda, so it was just the 6 of us, but before he went it was time for a picture.

Grandpa Lou with 6 of his 10 grandkids

The gardens were a lot like I remembered. I saw the old waterfall and gazebo and of course, the banyan tree. Kara remarked that she felt like she was in the rain forest and it definitely did have a unique feel. We saw interesting trees and plants. It was well-maintained and very beautiful. Of course, the highlight was the banyan tree.

At the entrance, next to a lego Southern Belle, when the park was Cypress Gardens, women walked around the gardens in these massive dresses.

The massive tree, it drops roots that grow into what looks like trunks that then send out more roots.

From there we made our way out of the park, stopping to get apple fries, which I had heard a lot about. They lived up to the hype. I took Jack and Kara on the Island in the Sky. It was wussified. In my day, once it reached its height of 150 feet, you could stand and enjoy the view. Now, you have to stay seated and they have netting all around, which makes taking pictures rather pointless.

An obstructed view of the Legoland hotel

We browsed the giant Legostore and left at 6:38. At 6:46, we pulled into Marta's driveway. I am not exaggerating when I tell people that Legoland is minutes from where I lived (my house was in the same neighborhood as Marta's, although my dad has since moved about 10 minutes away). Marta had a delicious dinner waiting for us, which everyone but Luke enjoyed. Unfortunately, he was exhausted and refused to eat. We got him to drink some milk and then put him to bed. The kids were in bed by 8:15. Thomas stayed with Jack and Luke in the poolhouse, since Jack was a little nervous to be alone, and I stayed up until 11 chatting with Marta, Matt and Frank. It was a fun day from morning till night!