* I'm not in anyway affiliated with Legoland and didn't get compensated for my trip. We just enjoyed our trip so much that I wanted to share it with friends and family. Information expressed and shared are all my own opinions. Enjoy!

We recently took a trip to Southern California to one of their newest most beloved amusement parks, Legoland! Legoland is a little chunk of kid paradise in the city of Carlsbad, California. Growing up going to theme parks in Southern California, I began to wonder why I've never been to this place. Well, it's because it opened when I was a teenager, which in my opinion, is a little out of age range unless you're going with younger children.

I would say Legoland California is perfect for ages 2-9 (we did have a nine year old with us and he did have fun), and offers the right amount of fun, rides and kid exploration for 2-3 days of fun. We bought the Legoland/Aquarium/Waterpark pass staying for three nights, playing two full days- and it was the perfect amount of time! We stayed at the Legoland Castle Resort, just steps from the main entrance of Legoland, California. We had such a great time, so much so that I'd love to share three tips with you if you plan to visit the park soon as well. 😊

Don't forget to pin for later!

1. Stay at the Legoland Resort

   There's many times you plan a trip, and it's so much less to sleep a few miles away. I do this when I go to Disneyland, and I'm actually not going to do it the next time I visit. Here's why! The hotel is set up to be a secondary park in itself. We stayed at the Legoland Castle Hotel, and it had a million (okay, maybe a little less) things to do! There's a park that we visited morning, afternoon until well in the evening. They have magic shows, story time and entertainment going on throughout the day on a patch of grass. They have an outdoor movie theater and pool with pool Legos. Inside they have a slide, a throne, and little Lego people throughout. On top of the continental breakfast and on-going activities outdoors, you also get in an hour early into the park. Although not every ride is open right away (at least when we visited), you can start your plan of attack and be one of the first when they do open. We did this both days with Ninjago and rode both times with almost no wait.. like, it took longer to walk through the line than getting on the ride itself.

The room itself has a fun Lego experience and has the whole Lego theme as well. There's a bed for adults, and then bunk beds with a TV around the corner (although mine all piled into one). 😆 

The buffet breakfast, amenities, early park access and how close the hotel is to the entrance is definitely worth it!

2. Visit in the Beginning of the Week

    I'm sure you're thinking that summer is the worst time to travel to a California amusement park. If so, you're thinking the same as my husband was when I told him we were going mid-summer. Lol. His patience is very limited when it comes to waiting for rides! We actually planned this trip around family, as they were visiting the park at the end of July. Even though it could be hot and busy, we jumped on board and purchased tickets for the same days. I'm here to tell you, we didn't wait more than 15 minutes for any ride- most being around five minutes or less! We made sure to hit the most popular rides first thing, and then spent the afternoon visiting the little parks inside, eating and playing various games along the way. We honestly didn't have many issues visiting the main park on Tuesday, followed by the Waterpark on Wednesday. We did the aquarium in the evening on Tuesday, and that was easy (and so much fun) as well. 

There wasn't a line when we arrived to check in, but there definitely was one when we were leaving, so my tip would be to time your trip for earlier in the week if possible.

3. Buy the Legoland/Water Park/Aquarium Pass

    Most amusement parks are now starting to open a water park on top of the normal park, which in California I think is a great idea! We purchased one day at Legoland, one day at the Waterpark and an Aquarium pass. What I love about this is that you're not limited to just the Waterpark for the day! It's in the back corner of the park, and we were still able to ride a few rides we didn't get to the day before, and then get wet for the day. We visited the waterpark for a few hours, played a game or two on the way back to the hotel, slept and then went back out to the park for the last hour and rode five rides before closing! The aquarium itself was so fun, which I wasn't expecting much to be honest. They have little stamp books, so you could see how far you were into the adventure throughout. Each area was well done, and I honestly could have gone through again. This may seem like an add on, but it was actually one of my favorite moments from the trip. Make sure not to skip it!

OUR ITINERARY

Monday: Check In

    (Enjoyed hotel amenitites- Pool, Park, Show)

Tuesday: Legoland Park, Sealife Aquarium 

Wednesday: Legoland Park, Waterpark, Legoland Park

Thursday: Checked Out

    (Hotel Amenities)

OUR FAVORITE RIDES

OTHER PLACES WE VISITED

Hi family and friends! 👋🏻

I hope you all are enjoying your summer! I know we are over here. 😎

I recently got back from one of the places I love visiting every year, Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is an absolutely beautiful lake, sitting between California and Nevada with more than enough to do for any traveling enthusiast. I've done ski trips, hiking trips, family and best friend trips. I've gone for a bachelorette party, a wedding and a crazy 4th of July boating holiday weekend. I've gone camping, stayed in cabins, hotels and resorts on the North and South shore. It's all breathtaking and worth the trip anytime of the year! Because I know this could be a place you plan to add to your bucket list, I wanted to put together a couple itineraries I've loved! 

First, North and South shore Lake Tahoe are vastly different. For the most part, you'll find a lot more of the fun nightlife and casinos in the South shore, and the more laid back vibe in the North. However, it's easy to travel the lake, so find a spot that suits you and make sure you have a car!

My last trip was a girls trip where we stayed in a cabin in Truckee, California. Truckee is a beautiful little mountain town on the outskirts of Lake Tahoe. They have a cute little downtown and an easy way into the West side of Lake Tahoe. Truckee has cabins, but is also filled with lots of locals, boutique shops and restaurants. Truckee is more North West, so we ventured North clockwise around the lake in the morning down to South Shore our first day. The East side of the lake is more scenic, so it was a beautiful drive down to the casino area. First we did the Heavenly gondola, observation deck, hiking to the roller coaster and then shopping at the bottom. After a great morning, we headed to The Beacon Bar & Grill for a late lunch/dinner and some beach time. We found a frisbee and honestly enjoyed the water until the sun went down, driving the rest of the lake back (with a quick stop at Emerald Bay of course). It was a perfect relaxing girls weekend, and a good way to maximize the weekend in such a gorgeous area! 

HERE'S SOME THINGS I LOVE TO DO THAT YOU MAY WANT TO EXPLORE ON YOUR UPCOMING TRIP TO LAKE TAHOE TOO:

SUMMER

- Staying in a cabin or resort

- Camping at Camp Richardson

- Driving all the way around the lake

- Hiking! (Maggie's Peak across from Emerald Bay is a great one if you have 1/2 of a day)

- Heavenly gondola, observation deck, hiking, roller coaster, zip line, tubing, food at the top

- Shopping/eating at the bottom of Heavenly

- The Beacon Bar & Grill, great beach, dock and beach dining

- Stand up paddle boarding and kayaking on the lake (they have clear kayaks you can rent too)

- Rent a boat for the day (Pontoon boats are very fun here as well as a ski boat)

- Sand Harbor (we did our engagement photos here, and it was beautiful)

WINTER

- Stay in a cabin

- Snowboarding at the resorts: Northstar, Heavenly, Kirkwood and Homewood are some of my favs! 

- The shops at Heavenly

- Ice Skating and hot chocolate at Northstar Resort

OTHER IDEAS

- Gambling at a Casino

- Concert at Harvey's Outdoor Arena

- Golf at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course

- Mini Golf in Kings Beach

- Milkshake at the Char Pit 

- Rent bikes (Incline Village on North Shore, Anderson Bikes on South Shore- 7 miles roundtrip to Baldwin Beach for a picnic

- Catch crawdads

- Emerald Bay by boat or hike

- Truckee Rafting

- Ropes Course (Treetop Adventures)

- Donner Train Tunnel hike

I hope this list helps! Don't forget to pin for later. 😍

Best of luck with your upcoming travels to beautiful Lake Tahoe!