Legoland, California

Imagine a world full of Lego.  Lego people greet you, mostly inanimate ones, though there are a few live-action versions as well (for little girls, the live action Lego Friends were exciting).  Although it's not (quite), it seems like the whole world is made of Lego:

North and South America, in the parking lot of Legoland

But, it's fun.  And not too much of a rip-off.  If you are planning to go to an amusement park with your 2-10 year old child(ren), I recommend this one. In addition to the Lego-everywhere feeling (see Elephant, below - not pictured, many other Lego animals, including dinosaurs), there is also Miniland, which is pretty amazing - recreations of California (San Francisco Victorian houses, Golden Gate Bridge, a California mission), New York, Las Vegas, and other landmarks.  Plus a special "Star Wars" feature section.

The Lego New York Skyline, from the "Coast Cruise" boat

It is amazingly detailed.  But sometimes something happens to break your reverie that you're actually in New York harbor...like extra-large seagulls. I also took a picture of ducks looming large near the Brooklyn Bridge, but it didn't turn out so well.

As we marveled at the  impressive Lego buildings we found ourselves flashing back to the Durham Cathedral fundraiser - build the cathedral from Lego - that we saw in 2015.

Partially complete Durham Cathedral in Lego

They even had "stained glass"!

In addition to amazing Lego structures, Legoland also had things you'd want in an amusement park - a few roller coasters (which the 48"+ child could ride all of, and the almost 40" child could ride most of).  The tame (but fun) roller coasters were our highlight on Day 2 (Yes, there were 2 days - the "let's try to see eveything" day, and the second day included in our AAA multi-pass, which we were glad for because it made Day 1 somewhat less stressful because we knew we had another day coming up). We discovered that between 10 and 11 am is prime time to ride with short lines...after that, it starts getting crowded.  But, there were plenty of non-ride things to do, including the Water Park (also included in the AAA ticket, and not pictured due to a lack of waterproof camera) and other water features in the park.

Water feature in Heartlake City, home of the Lego Friends

There were also several playgrounds and many kids rides, including a fair few that involved flying or driving.

Getting ready for takeoff

Driving School for 6-13 yr olds...I love that it looks like that Lego guy is ready to valet park her car

In conclusion, we found plenty to keep us occupied for two days in Legoland, California.  We didn't go on every ride, but we visited most parts of the park.  The kids LOVED the Water Park. We loved that they let us bring our picnic lunch in, and that there were a lot of options in the park that meant you weren't constantly standing in lines. We may not go back every year, but it was a fun vacation!

Driving Lego boats in Miniland

Nothing to see here!