LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan Breaks Ground With 50,000 “Bricks” at Great Lakes Crossing Mall

Normally when a new building breaks ground, a ceremony is held with a shovel throwing some dirt on land. LEGOLAND, a unit of Merlin Entertainments, does things a little different. On Monday, LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan officially broke ground for its Spring 2016 opening at the Great Lakes Crossing Mall.

The ground breaking ceremony included dumping 50,000 LEGO bricks onto the future site of LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan. Mascot Bertie was on hand to help LEGOLAND executives and Great Lakes Crossing Mall representatives break ground on this future Michigan attraction. LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan’s General Manager Hayley Anderson had this to say, “We can’t wait to open our doors to families from Michigan and beyond to enjoy amazing LEGO play experiences that power creativity and learning.”

The new 32,000 square foot Legoland is one of the state’s highest anticipated 2016 openings. More than one million LEGO bricks will make up the newest LEGOLAND Discovery Center. Michigan’s LEGOLAND  will include a 4D cinema, two interactive rides, a large soft play area, and a Michigan themed MINILAND.

It’s the MINILAND that I’m most excited about as state residents will get to voice their opinion on what famous Michigan attractions should be represented by bricks at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan. My family visited the Illinois LEGOLAND and got to see a MINILAND comprised of Chicago attractions like Navy Pier, Wrigley Field, and the Willis Tower. Me personally, I’d love to see the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan include the Mackinac Bridge and the Soo Locks as part of its MINILAND. In a future article, we’ll tell you how you can help vote for the Michigan winners.

Map of Legoland Chicago Layout

The new LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigam will be located adjacent to the food court in Great Lakes Crossing Mall, the state’s largest outlet mall. Legoland will also be close to Entrance 6 and the other recently opened attraction Sea Life Michigan (See our review and pictures).

There are only a handful of LEGOLANDS in the United States, so Michigan residents should be proud and excited to welcome this attraction to our state. A Spring 2016 opening should be just in time for summer vacation plans and would make a great combination visit with Sea Life Aquarium.

In my last LEGOLAND article, I discussed how the Kansas City mall that has both LEGOLAND and Sea Life offers combination tickets. It was confirmed that Great Lakes Crossing will soon do the same. No prices are available yet for LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan. Chicago and Kansas City both charge $18 for adults. A combination ticket in Kansas City for both LEGOLAND and Sea Life is $29 for adults and $23 for kids. This is a huge bargain and can be used once per attraction in a 14 day period. Those who plan on visiting frequently could also buy a combination annual pass to have unlimited access to both attractions at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets.

Merlin Entertainments is the second biggest entertainment company in the world, trailing only Disney. The company remains number one in Europe with its Sea Life, LEGOLAND, and Madame Tussauds Was Museums. The company has more than 100 attractions in 23 countries.

LEGO demand is pretty high right now with the success of “The Lego Movie”. It’s likely if you have kids you know the words to the song “Everything is Awesome” and have some obsessed LEGO fans. This should continue with new movies under the “Lego Ninjango”, “Lego Batman” brands and a sequel to “The Lego Movie”.

Be sure to follow us here at Travel the Mitten as we bring you the latest news and update on LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan and also a possible ticket giveaway. You can follow the new LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan at their site and their Facebook page as well.