Where was Legoland's Dino Valley when I was eight?
I don't know if my life would have turned out any differently, but my childhood sure would have been a lot more fun if I ever had the chance to visit a place that combined my two favorite things at that age - Legos and dinosaurs. But for today's kids, Legoland California delivers with a newly refreshed land that offers three dino-themed rides.
Dino Valley opens today (Friday) at the Carlsbad theme park, replacing the former Explorer Island. The land's old Fairy Tale Brook is now Explorer River Quest, a slow boat ride through a menagerie of dinosaur species.
Hmmm, haven't we seen this concept somewhere before? No worries here, though. No one is experimenting with genetics, so things don't go terribly wrong. Just don't dawdle around mommy T rex, okay?
The stars, of course, are the Lego models of the various dinosaurs, who are introduced via descriptive cards in the queue. Kids will know all of that, of course, but it's a nice refresher for the parents. Legoland's Master Model Builders have taken full liberty with modern theories that dinosaurs were not boring grey creatures but instead sported colorful markings. The resulting models are visual delights, well worth a second ride just to gawk at the detail.
For younger riders, Legoland has recast the former Safari Trek as Duplo Little Dino Trail, doubling the capacity of the two-seater ride with four-person vehicles, while also adding a new interactive element.
The two riders in the front seat (the kids, presumably), now can pick up blue plastic "cameras" with which they can "photograph" the Duplo dinos on the ride. It's all framed as a big game of hide and seek, with the cameras activating sensors on the ride that trigger various animations and responses. It's the gentlest version of an interactive ride since Tokyo Disneyland's Monsters Inc. Ride and Go Seek.
These giant Duplo dinos are more kawaii than killer - just as designed. When the kids are ready to graduate to a slightly higher level of thrill, head across the Dino Valley walkway to Coastersaurus.
The Gerstlauer junior coaster remains unchanged, as it already fit the Dino Valley theme. It's a quick little ride - so quick that ops tonight were letting people go around twice on each ride. This is a beginner's coaster - one more likely to spark a curiosity about bigger coasters rather than turn off young riders with a too-intense first ride.
For those not riding, Legoland has decorated the land with several dinosaur models, so you don't have to go on an attraction to see the Master Model Builders' handiwork.
With Dino Valley to the left and Imagination Zone to the right as you enter the park, Legoland California visitors face the existential choice with Legos - go right and build, or go left and play? Ultimately, that initial choice does not matter, for one inevitably leads to the other. At home, one build eventually leads into play which leads to more builds, and in the park, well, it's all one big circle, isn't it?
For more of what is available in the park, please see our Visitors Guide to Legoland California.
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