LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre
Manchester
www.legolanddiscoverycentre.co.uk
Reviewed by John Fisher
When my wife suggested a trip to the LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre (LDC) with our two granddaughters (aged 5 and 7), I have to admit that I didn’t entirely relish the thought. The recollections I had from my [almost forgotten] youth, were of being surrounded by piles of identical red Lego bricks and only managing to build rather uninspiring sets of walls with them. In fairness, this was probably due to my general lack of creative desire at the time, rather than the opportunities offered within the ‘blank canvas’ of the mountain of bricks before me.
Arriving at the Trafford Centre without incident, I made a beeline for the beautiful and ornate fountain opposite the entrance to the LDC. I gave my thanks for the easy access and ample parking provided and made a quick wish for a painless experience during the next few hours. As it turned out, this was an unnecessary extravagance, but my wife wouldn’t let me fish the penny out again afterwards, so I will have to put the financial loss down to experience.
The entrance may resemble an airport security queue, with segregated access for pre-booked parties and general admission and a winding route between movable barriers, but the only flight available is a flight of fancy with a high altitude cruise through the imagination. There will be no x-ray machines to worry about (only photos – which can be purchased later, if desired) and definitely NO strip searches (which may be a disappointment to some, but they really need to avoid embarrassing questions about why Granddad hasn’t been ironed lately).
Once inside, we took a lift up to the next level (stairs are available at the rear, if you prefer the exercise, or dislike enclosed spaces, or vertical motion) and were guided to a preliminary waiting area. Here, we watched an animated film on a large screen, which humorously depicted the Lego characters manufacturing …. well, themselves really. Next we were ushered through to the brick factory, where Professor Brick gave the children an explanation of the manufacturing process, which involved their participation, as apparently, there had been some kind of malfunction in the machinery and they were needed to provide some manual labour in order to get the process moving again. I’m not sure of the current regulations on child labour, but I think that it could be overlooked on this occasion, as they seemed to enjoy resolving the issues and were rewarded with a small bag of Lego each.
Once through the ‘factory’ we moved straight on to a kind of toned-down ‘ghost train’ ride, where we sat in a carriage and were armed with laser pistols. The ride began and we zapped our way through a myriad of Lego ‘baddies’ and saved the day for the good guys. Great fun for those who like shoot‘em-up rides – especially those with a competitive streak, as there is an LED counter in the front of each person, that registers points for successful hits. Modesty forbids me to relate who was the outstanding marksman in our team, of course.
From the ride, we made our way through some fantastic interactive models, showing just what can be achieved with Lego. In this part the kids can press buttons and turn wheels to initiate actions or light up various parts of the created scenes.
In the main arena, there is a vast array of options to choose from. There are comfortable seats for us older kids to take a rest, a cafeteria area with seating and tables to partake of some refreshment and a number of workshop and creative areas.
The youngsters can fire their imagination with Lego bricks and accessories of all different colours and shapes (varying from standard size to enormous). They can build skyscraper constructions on vibration pads, presumably simulating earthquakes, but the kids just seem to enjoy watching the structures getting shaken to pieces. In another corner, they can make racing cars and test them against each other on specially designed ramps. I need to make two warnings here however – there is the ever present danger of impact from high speed Lego cars and excited high speed children and the fact that you will need to fight off the Dads and stop them from getting over-enthusiastic and not letting the kids play!
If they (preferably the kids, not the Dads) need a break from such frantic exertions, they might even want to test out their ‘X-Factor’ chances on the karaoke machine, tucked away in the simulated kitchen area. If that’s not the case there is also a traditional and well padded, multi-level play arena, for the more exuberant members of the family to burn off any excess energy.
Also, for the kids who like to drive vehicles as well as driving their parents crazy, they have the opportunity to try out their navigation skills in ‘dodgem’ type cars around an entertaining little circuit. If not, then they might be interested in a ride on ‘Merlin’s Apprentice’. This is a high-tech carousel type ride with in-built wizardry, whereby the faster you can peddle, the higher you will go. Warning to the adults – if your child cannot reach the peddles, they will insist on you providing all the motive power to keep them as high as possible, for as long as possible – make sure you train well for this to avoid the embarrassment of leaving the ride red-faced and out-of-breath, as this will do your street ‘cred’ no good whatsoever. On the bright side, if there are not enough adults to pair up with all the children, the pleasant and helpful staff will offer the option of a staff member accompanying the child, so they don’t have to miss out – a nice touch that I have never seen anywhere else.
One part that shouldn’t be missed, is the 4D-cinema experience. Make sure you get a good seat in the middle of the auditorium and as close to the front as possible – your kids will guide you! I don’t want to spoil the enjoyment by giving away too much, just be prepared for something a little different and get ready to catch the kids as they leap from their seats to catch the animated characters that appear to launch themselves from the screen – wicked!
Finally, you leave via the shop, so you had best be ready for your delightful offspring dragging you to every item they spot and requesting/demanding that you reach down into the very depths of your pockets to furnish them with their heart’s desire – bless!
In terms of value for money, I’d say that if you wanted to come on more than one occasion, then you should definitely consider one of the annual pass options, as a single day ticket might be deemed a little expensive for a family with children aged 3 or over.
In the end, this turned out to be a very memorable trip in a clean, child-friendly and safe environment, with lots of detailed graphics and models to keep everyone interested. A nice surprise was that personal cameras are also allowed, giving the parents the opportunity to capture those treasured memories that pass all too quickly as the children grow up. A quiet experience it definitely isn’t, as it’s a frenetic mix of music and happy voices emanating from every child in the warehouse sized premises, but to a parent, that’s probably the sweetest sound they could wish for. It completely blew away any unfounded fears and preconceptions that I may have had and can be thoroughly recommended for a family day out…. and you won’t even have to make a wish at the fountain, as Lego have got it all in hand!
For more infomation or to book tickets online visit www.legolanddiscoverycentre.co.uk