Merlin buys cypress gardens?

Mamoosh said:
Let's face it: kids LOVE Lego. Heck, so do many adults. And the parks are top-notch, which shocked even me. I went to Legoland thinking I'd cre-ho the coasters, take a quick trip around the loop and be done with it. I spend the entire day and had a blast!

Mini-Land is amazing and you can spend hours just walking around, looking at each scene, discovering hidden little jokes and gems you missed the first time. The attention to detail is astounding. And there there are the quirky little touches one might see like a Lego duck floating in a pond among real ducks, that just make you smile.

If Cypress does indeed become Legoland Florida I'd be shocked if they didn't experience a similiar reception among locals and tourists.

If even a jaded park enthusist like Moosh ( ;) ) thinks Legoland is wicked good, that it must be! It sounds like that Legoland has something for everybody! If they do in fact turn GC into Legoland, I'm making a beeline for the park!

I know the botanical garden purists would hate this, but if Merlin does decide to make this a legoland, I think it would be cool to put a bunch of Lego structures in the garden along side the flowers to make it more appealing to kids.

Hopman said: If even a jaded park enthusist like Moosh ( ;) ) thinks Legoland is wicked good, that it must be! It sounds like that Legoland has something for everybody! If they do in fact turn GC into Legoland, I'm making a beeline for the park!

I truly was expecting to spend no more than two hours...enough to snag all three credits. I had zero plans to ride anything else, do anything else, see anything else. I mean it's a kiddie park, I rarely enter kids areas in the parks I visit now...what would I possibly enjoy? LOL

Chitown said:
I know the botanical garden purists would hate this, but if Merlin does decide to make this a legoland, I think it would be cool to put a bunch of Lego structures in the garden along side the flowers to make it more appealing to kids.

Despite a lack of shade when the park first opened (a common problem overcome in a few years) Legoland CA is a very lush park with lots of floral displays and walk-through gardens. And many of them do have Lego elements (an interactive Lego wishing well, for example). The gardens are protected by state law so they're not going away. I fail to see how they couldn't be incorporated into the park. The real question is what happens to the remaining rides, particularly the two woodies? Perhaps a new set of trains that look like they're made of Lego is all they'd need!

Timberliners are fully customizable, right? ;)

Purists didn't have a problem with Kent coming in with an arsenal of flat rides and golden oldie rock concerts because they knew that a botanical garden with rides on the side is better than no botanical garden at all.

Legoland shouldn't meet with any resistance, especially to what has to be a tax-hungry Winter Haven.

I don't think this is a slam dunk given the many shortcomings of its location (and the weather also isn't as sunny as Carlsbad during the telltale summer season), but the more I think about it, the more I think that Merlin is the perfect fit (especially if it goes the Legoland route).

The British are coming!

^I was referring to changing the botanical gardens themselves. Kent didn't touch the gardens with anything different then what has been in the gardens in the past.

If Kent would have installed rides in the gardens, yes, the purists would have been upset.

Chitown, good point. I would have to agree.

However, if Thursday does come with a Legoland announcement I doubt that they can get away WITHOUT Lego-izing the garden areas. Sure, there is plenty of space outside of the gardens for rides and miniatures, but Lego fans are going to walk around dumbfounded through the gardens, grottos, and lakes if they don't see plastic blocks.

I'm sure there are ways to make it artsy, walking the line between offending the purists or letting down the Lego fans.

I guess the big question of the day is -- when do you think they can open this thing? This isn't a simple makeover where it can open this summer with a bunch of Lego-themed rides. There may be time for miniland displays to go up, but I'm guessing this may not open until summer of 2011 -- or this year's holiday season at the earliest -- if they want to do it right.

If they get the ball rolling now, I don't see why they couldn't have a grand opening in early 2011. It's not like they have to start from scratch completely.

They have Jubilee Junction which will be great for their midway to have shops, restaurants, games, and from what I read on another site, a possible dark ride in one of the existing buildings.

I am sure the rides area will be where Kent put his rides so the foundations, electrical, etc are already in place.

And of course the Lego structures can go up anywhere.

The only area I wonder about is where the animals were. Trying to think of what they are going to do with that area.

I have never been to cg.

Did they have animals there? If so, what are they going to do with them?

If they were included in the sale of the park, maybe they would eather keep them there, of ship them to busch gardens tampa.

The animals are gone; they were dispatched elsewhere at about the same time they started getting rid of the rides.

Keep in mind that the botanical gardens themselves are sprawling. When I was down a few years back, only a few months after the three hurricanes plowed through, we semi-toured the gardens/semi-power walked to try and find the banyan tree. We must have walked for 45 minutes.

So the area of the displays is massive enough that a company of Merlin's caliber could easily find ways to incorporate Lego into the gardens, without unduly intruding on the natural beauty of that part of the park. I'm sure they could pull it off easily.

Ensign Smith said:
The animals are gone; they were dispatched elsewhere at about the same time they started getting rid of the rides.

Keep in mind that the botanical gardens themselves are sprawling. When I was down a few years back, only a few months after the three hurricanes plowed through, we semi-toured the gardens/semi-power walked to try and find the banyan tree. We must have walked for 45 minutes.

So the area of the displays is massive enough that a company of Merlin's caliber could easily find ways to incorporate Lego into the gardens, without unduly intruding on the natural beauty of that part of the park. I'm sure they could pull it off easily.

Incorperating Lego's into the gardens could be done quite easily. LEGO sculpture garden anyone?

Win-Win

It looks like the Lakeland Florida Ledger has spilled the beans about tomorrow's announcement. They say Cypress will become the fifth Legoland property.

http://tinyurl.com/ye6scgh

Ensign Smith said:
When I was down a few years back, only a few months after the three hurricanes plowed through, we semi-toured the gardens/semi-power walked to try and find the banyan tree. We must have walked for 45 minutes.

That tree on its own is an amazing sight...only at Gilroy Gardens have I seen charm like that... ;)

It is one freakin' charming tree. Seriously, it's one of the most impressive sights anywhere. I rank it up there with the redwoods.

Ensign Smith said:
It is one freakin' charming tree.

Ha!

That sentence makes me smile.

After all the talk about this banyan tree, I had to look up a picture of it.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2739127400034053849FiobuL

All I can say is that this tree IS freakin charming. :)

Mamoosh said:

The real question is what happens to the remaining rides, particularly the two woodies? Perhaps a new set of trains that look like they're made of Lego is all they'd need!

At this time the Starliner is still for sale on the ITAL website. Either someone hasn't taken the time to take it down or it was not included in the deal.

Methinks Starliner is will be finding a home soon at a small but growning park north of Illinois. It's been known for some time they want to add a wooden coaster and recently mentioned wanting one with historical value. Starliner fits their "kiddie/family" appeal as well.

It's official, Legoland Florida opening at the end of ..

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/os-legoland-florida-park-20100121,0,1659229.story