ROAR-some news! The ground shook, and streamers flew this morning as LEGOLAND® California Resort unveiled Dino Valley for the first time to hundreds of special guests and community members. The Carlsbad, CA theme park opened the new land in honor of its 25th Birthday introducing an immersive prehistoric land with three rides, two new costume characters, and a build and play station.
“Dino Valley has been in the making for two years after extensive research asking our guests what they’d like to see next and dinosaurs took the cake,” says President of LEGOLAND® California Resort, Kurt Stocks. “Transforming two rides into prehistoric journeys the whole family can enjoy together along with building more than 30 LEGO® models created out of more than 1.8 million LEGO bricks with interactive and animated features is a testament to our commitment to innovation and family fun. We are excited to transport our guests back in time to the age of dinosaurs where they can marvel at the wonders of these magnificent creatures and the magic of LEGO all in one place.”
To bring this new land to life, a team of Master Model Builders from all around the world helped design and build the more than 30 LEGO models that now roam Dino Valley. One of the largest LEGO models is a giant T-Rex, which can be found in Explorer River Quest. It is created out of more than 140,000 LEGO bricks, took four Master Model Builders 700 hours to build, and stands 11 feet tall. A brightly colored Stegosaurus spans 12 feet long and is made of over 119,000 LEGO bricks, while a Parasaurolophus mother stands nearly 11 feet tall, is 8 feet long, and is nearly 6 feet wide, created of more than 178,000 LEGO bricks!
Highlights of the new land at the entrance of the Park include:
- DUPLO® Little Dino Trail: Dinosaurs aren’t extinct here! Hop on this four-seater ride to journey through the LEGO® DUPLO® Dino adventure. Kids can use cameras to ‘capture’ the dinosaurs and play hide & seek with them along the way.
- Explorer River Quest: Embark on a river expedition to interact with LEGO dinosaur models – beware, you just might see a T-Rex!
- Coastersaurus: Everyone’s favorite dinosaur ride will continue to bring guests through the prehistoric jungle of LEGO dinosaurs. Circle around the 1,100-pound Brachiosaurus and whiz by the ten-foot-tall Parasaurolophus scavenging for food.
- Dino Outpost: Dust off the dirt to reveal fossils in the Dino Dig area, build roar-some dinos with LEGO DUPLO bricks in the building zone, and meet and greet two new costume characters: LEGO T-Rex guy and LEGO Paleontologist girl
LEGOLAND® Hotel and LEGOLAND® Castle Hotel guests have exclusive access to this new land and can explore Dino Valley from 9 – 10 a.m. on days when the Park is open until 6 p.m. or later, and from 9:30 – 10 a.m. on days when the Park is open until 5 p.m.
In honor of LEGOLAND California’s 25th birthday year, summer 2024 will feature a slate of exciting happenings, including the debut of North America’s first LEGO World Parade, exclusively at LEGOLAND California Resort. Entertainers with glittering costumes will march hand-in-hand, dance, and sing as the Parade makes its way through the west side of the Park. It’s the perfect finale to a day spent riding, roaring, climbing, splashing, and building throughout the Park.
Clint Gamache is the owner of ThrillGeek. He started ThrillGeek to share his love of theme/amusement parks and pop culture with the world. You can find him at Halloween Horror Nights. Also, be sure to follow him on Twitter @iamcg83