Isn’t it amazing how traveling with kids takes so much more planning and organizing than pre-kids? Given the fact that traveling in general is just…a lot, I really wanted to keep our recent trip to Florida as laid back as possible once we were there.

Typically when we visit Florida we like to head to an amusement park for a day or so. This time around we chose LEGOLAND. We had never been before and it seemed amazingly kid friendly (they target 2-12 year olds), had great theming, and I didn’t feel pressure that I had to plan every hour of our day.

Our goal was to go at an easy pace and not rush anything. It was hot, I mean… 100 heat index hot. We had access to the waterpark, but unfortunately had to make the decision to forgo it since my son had gotten an infection at the beach from earlier in the week (that is a whole other crazy story!) So we tried our best to stay cool despite our plans changing.

Even if you don’t visit the waterpark while you’re there, I suggest bringing swimsuits for your kids because there are splash pads in the park that are perfect for cooling off! Here are my 5 tips to beat the heat and my top 5 things not to miss for an awesome day at Legoland!

1. Bring more water than you think you’ll need. Also, since this park allows it, pack some snacks! Silly me only brought 3 bottles of water, I should have brought at least 6! If you need more of anything there are plenty of reasonable food spots to buy from. My favorite place for healthy snacks was the Market Restaurant (pictured below), for instance we got a big cup of strawberries there for $3.

2. Take frequent breaks indoors. Legoland has some really fun and interactive indoor areas. We really loved the Imagination Station with huge lego tubs (older kids can sign up for mindstorm training and there is an entire video game room) and then Duplo Farm in the toddler area. The Duplo Farm is also where the baby care center is. You’ll find a fully equipped baby room offering a quiet spot to nurse complete with rocking chairs in dimly lit rooms, high chairs, microwaves and changing tables.

3. Play in the shade. Escaping the heat of the sun here and there really helps everyone from getting too hot. One of my son’s favorite spots was the wolf playground called The Forestman’s Hideout (he loves the big bad wolf). There were huge gorgeous trees shading the area and benches for parents to sit and watch their kids while taking a breather.

4. Get one of those water misting fans in the park, and bring a fan for your stroller! The water misting fans sell for $10 in the park and are so worth it, but you can go prepared with this mini version here that’s easy to pack. I also love and recommend these clip on stroller fans.

5. Take in some shows. We almost bypassed the Pirate Water Ski show because we weren’t sure how our 2 year old would like it. We happened to be walking by when it started and he kept asking (more like demanding) us to “go there”. We did just that and he was so into it and meeting the characters afterward was literally just a 5 minute wait. There’s also an all new 4-d movie indoors!

Overall: We were really surprised and impressed with how big the park was and the theming lived up to expectations. I loved the little touches like the lego play areas in the waiting lines. Also, the wait for rides was not long like by most park standards (we’re talking 5 minutes per ride as an average, and 15 minutes was one of the longest we saw). This is golden with little kids (and me too, I hate long lines!). I thought the park was great for a 2 year old, and if you have kids of varying ages, there’s something to interest everyone.

You can easily spend a day here and still not do everything. But keep in mind, we had no intention of trying to fit every single thing in and had the mindset of taking in the vibe and going with the flow. I really wanted to see the Cypress Gardens and started to walk through, but it was just too hot so we decided to save it for next time. LEGOLAND Florida is definitely worth a repeat visit, especially once my son is a bit older and can get to do even more fun stuff that the park has to offer!

My Top 5 Don’t Miss List:

1. Get the Apple Fries, they are better than you’d ever guess!

2. Stroll around Miniland USA (there’s a Star Wars area too!). My son could have watched the boats here all day long.

3. Take advantage of the short character meet lines!

4. See the Pirate Water Ski Show, they had impressive tricks and the host of the show had a really good delivery.

5. Spend time in Duplo Valley. If you’re visiting with toddlers, they will love it!

Thank you to LEGOLAND Florida for providing my family tickets to the park! All opinions are my own.

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If there’s one trend to wear to a day at the amusement park, it’s the dress with sneakers look (so 90’s-but, so not at the same time). I wore my go to white New Balance Sneakers with a black cotton dress and straw hat (I’ve been wearing this one all summer). I linked those exact shoes and more, plus some lightweight dress options here:

I’ve had some people ask me about the stroller pictured in this post, it’s a Bugaboo Bee and I highly recommend it! You can find it here along with the canopy:

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