Discover the Fascinating Legoland Miniland Exhibits!
In the slide show above, you're viewing pictures of Lego Southern California, Lego San Francisco and Lego New Orleans! They're all part of Legoland California's terrific Miniland section of the theme park!
As you can tell from the pictures of Lego's Hollywood Bowl and Griffith Observatory, it's almost like being in Los Angeles itself! Pictures of Lego San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf show that Legoland's master Lego artists took equal care when reproducing these famous California landmarks, as well. And, Legoland's French Quarters, Mardi Gras and Mississippi river paddle wheeler make Lego's version of The Big Easy truly "come to life!"
On this page, you'll see still MORE pictures of Legoland's Miniland cities, and discover all the interesting reproductions you'll enjoy when you visit Legoland theme park in Carlsbad, California.
News! Lego Las Vegas has arrived at Miniland! On March 29, 2007 Legoland California's new Las Vegas exhibit opened...and has been a "hit" ever since!
What fun! All your favorite Las Vegas landmarks are in Miniland! The exhibit focus on "The Strip" section of Las Vegas Boulevard. The long list of Lego landmarks includes many famous hotels, such as the MGM Grand, Luxor, Tropicana, New York New York, Paris Las Vegas, The Venetian, The Stratosphere, the Excalibur, The Mirage, Treasure Island (TI), and more! The new Las Vegas Strip's monorail system is there---Lego style, of course! And so will the Mirage's spewing volcano, the Treasure Island pirate ship battle, a wedding chapel, and famous roller coasters and rides found along the strip. End Hot News!
All ages seem to be fascinated with this section, but for adults it seems to be their favorite section of the park. You'll be able to view replicas of Southern California attractions, San Francisco and New Orleans (all covered on this page) as well as New York City, Washington DC, Florida and New England (which I'll cover on other pages.)
When you're done with the walking tour, you'll be able to take the Lego Coast Cruise around a large, man-made lake---still another favorite with all ages of family members. On the cruise, you'll see still more Lego creations that you can't see very well from the shore
Legoland Miniland Exhibits
Famous Southern California landmarks made of Legos!
Welcome to Southern California---made completely of Legos! In the photo above, you see the Lego Hollywood Bowl, and to your left, of course, is Lego Grauman's Chinese Theater! What a great job the Lego Master Builders did---the replicas look just like the original buildings! Note: to read about the REAL Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, click on the following link to go to the Grauman's Chinese Theater page of this website.Miniland is the section of the park that seems better the older you get. The more places you've lived and the more you've traveled, then the more meaningful and "personal" these replicas seem! Younger persons can admire the skill it took the builders to create these Lego masterpieces...but older visitors get to "stroll down memory lane" WHILE they admire the craftsmanship!
The Southern California section of the Legoland Miniland exhibit showcases the area's natural features as well as the famous man-made landmarks. One scene is devoted to the beach. Although the sand and the water are "real," all the rest is Lego-made only! You'll find lifeguards alert at their stations, Lego people playing sand volleyball or snoozing at the beach, little Lego boats cruising in the harbor, little Lego fishermen, and a Lego pier. On the right, you see a close-up of the pier's end. Many Southern California piers have restaurants at the end of them...and several have a Ruby's Restaurant, as this one appears to be...judging from its famous red-roof trademark. Surely, if you've ever strolled along a Southern California pier, watching the surfers, smelling the salt air, and feeling the wind and sea spray, then you'll be "strolling down memory lane" RIGHT NOW, just by looking at the photo! (Note: to read about things you can do at a REAL California pier, click on the following link to go to the Huntington Beach web page of this site!)
On your left, you see the Lego replica of the famous Los Angeles landmark, the Griffith Park Observatory. If you're a resident, you've probably been to the REAL Griffith Park Observatory; if you're a visitor, you've probably WANTED to go there...both to see their famous star shows AND to step in the footsteps of James Dean on the site where the classic movie "Rebel Without a Cause" was filmed.
The real Griffith Park observatory was closed for several years recently while aggressive renovations and new additions were made to the aging landmark. Good news, though---when the Griffith Park Observatory re-opened last spring, and it's renovations had made it better than ever! The exhibit space has more than doubled, and features both all-new hands-on exhibits and favorite crowd-pleasers that have kept on from the pre-renovation days.
In the planetarium, there are new star shows...using an all-new, state-of-the-art star projector! Clearly, this renovation has been worth the disappointment of having had the building closed for several long years!
If you're visiting Legoland from out-of-the area, consider making a trip to the Los Angeles Griffith Park while you're in the area. It's the country's largest city park...and there's plenty to do there besides visiting the Observatory. Griffith Park has golf, playing fields, tennis, horseback riding, kiddie horse rides, a kiddie train ride, the Travel Town railroad museum, the Autrey Center (museum of Western Art), the Los Angeles Zoo, an old-fashioned carousel, a wheelchair-accessible playground, the famouse Greek Theater concert venue...AND miles of hiking trails! Clearly, you can't just make a "SIDE trip" to Griffeth Park. Because Griffeth Park is a major attraction; there's nothing "on the side" about it! To discover the fun awaiting you there, simply head to the Griffith Park page of this website.
Believe it or not, the Hollywood sign began life as an advertising billboard! It's true! In the 1920's and 1930's, the Hollywood area was just being developed...and the giant sign was built to call attention to the new houses being constructed in the subdivision called "Hollywoodland." In fact, the whole sign USED to read HOLLYWOODLAND---and not just plain "Hollywood" as it does today!
The developers of the subdivision never took the sign down. By the 1940's, it had fallen into disrepair. The townspeople embarked upon a drive to save the sign...and did! (That's when the sign was shortened to read just plain "Hollywood.")
Since then, the sign has fallen back into disrepair several times...and then has been re-rescued just as faithfully. Clearly, Hollywood dwellers love their world-famous sign---and it's here to stay! For more information about the real-life Hollywood attractions you may visit while you're in Southern California, you may head to the Hollywood Attractions section of this website.
San Francisco made of Legos!
Here to your left, you see a darling Lego reproduction of a favorite San Francisco tourist attraction---Pier 39. If you've been there, you can appreciate the attention to details---a cute copy of the attractive carousel, and (on the right-hand side of the photo where there appears to be a grey blob out in the water...) even a reproduction of Pier 39's resident colony of seals!Not far from Pier 39 in the "real" San Francisco, you'll find Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. And, in Legoland California, you'll find reproductions of those very same landmarks, as well! The Lego Fisherman's Wharf is especially detailed. You'll see Lego people shopping in the seafood markets...and others just relaxing on a bench reading the newspaper!
Here's a close-up of a Lego reproduction of a world-famous San Francisco cable car. With the typical attention to detail that makes these Lego creations so fantastic, you can even see little Lego passengers aboard, going about their daily business.
If you were to take the trolly from the bay into town, you'd get to the famous San Francisco Chinatown area...and at Legoland California, you can do the same. Just follow the trolley tracks and you'll see reproductions of the Chinatown Gate and other buildings of Chinatown.
Heading further into town from the Chinatown area, you'd get to the San Francisco Financial District...and that, too, is replicated here at Legoland California. In this photo, you see San Francisco's signature buildings towering high over the rest of the city!
Look closely when you visit Legoland, and you'll see still more detail...little Lego people scurrying to and fro on the streets; and busses and cars carrying people here and there...as they try to make it to their business appointments on time or get their shopping done.
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In the Miniland scene on your right, you see one of San Francisco's famous hills...lined with the also-famous Victorian homes called the "painted ladies." High atop the hill, you see the lego reproduction of another San Francisco landmark, the Coit Tower.
Seeing the Legoland Miniland exhibit is just like taking a quick trip to San Francisco itself, isn't it?
Legoland Miniland Exhibits
Famous New Orleans attractions made entirely of Legos!
Hmmm...at least there's ONE New Orleans that won't get washed away by a flood---the Legoland New Orleans. (No disrespect intended.)I've lived in New Orleans myself; seeing the master-crafted Lego New Orleans replicas "takes me back in time," as they say! If you've ever lived in (or visited) New Orleans, Louisiana, perhaps you'll feel the same way about this Legoland Miniland exhibit, too.
In this first picture, you see a crowd lining the street, waiting for a Mardi Gras float to pass by.
Note the French Quarter's signature iron lacework on the little balconies in the photo! Another example of the great Lego artists' details!
In this photo to your right, you see another signature New Orleans scene, an above-ground cemetery. (In person, these are really unusual looking...and there are even tourist's guided bus tours available for visiting them. That's why I'm sure that no "disrespect to the dead" was meant by the Legoland folks who decided to include this scene at the park.)
As the whole world is now painfully aware, the city of New Orleans lies several feet below sea level. Residents CAN'T dig a grave downwards into the soil---water creeps in! The solution---above ground tombs.
In the right hand corner, you see another only-in-New-Orleans tradition, the Jazz Funeral. Miniature musicians lead the way, followed by the hearse, and with a group of mourners bringing up the rear.
The musicians would be playing Dixieland jazz...with the theory being that death isn't a cause for mourning---that one's entry into Heaven is actually a joyous event---and that the funeral itself should reflect this.
In this third Miniland New Orleans photo, you see a detailed Lego riverboat pulled up in front of a plantation house.
Actually, though, the biggest park of the New Orleans exhibit is spent on French Quarter reproductions. Quite a few French Quarter buildings have a Lego counterpart, including the famous Cafe du Monde, (where you can see little Lego diners enjoying their morning beignets and chicory coffee), the historic Cabildo, Jackson Square and the beautiful St. Louis cathedral.
Visiting Legoland California's Miniland is truly like taking a mental road trip---while your body stays right there in San Diego!
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