Off the Beaten Path Insider

Not an actual passenger beside the actual bus taking guests to LEGOLAND. Credit: LEGOLAND Florida

If you’re skilled with your hands, you could take a few LEGO bricks and create a small house. A few more handfuls and you’d have a neighborhood. Take 50 million of them and you could create the largest LEGOLAND park in the world.

That’s what’s taking shape in Winter Haven at the former home of the Old Florida tourist attraction, Cypress Gardens. LEGOLAND Florida will open on Oct. 15, and in addition to preserving the botanical gardens, it will feature more than 50 family-friendly rides geared primarily for ages two to 12, and include Miniland USA which is a LEGO architect’s view of American destinations including Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., New York City, California and a crowd-pleasing mini-Florida.

For many travelers, Winter Haven is slightly "off the beaten path" (hence its presence here), but instead of having guests build a LEGO bus propelled by a rubber band engine, they’ve paired up with Annett Bus Lines and Orlando Premium Outlets to create the LEGOLAND Florida shuttle. Each morning the shuttle departs from the Orlando outlet on a 45-minute drive to the theme park and – get this – the special preview price is only five dollars per person. Round trip! To book your seat, visit legoland.com and check the “Buy Tickets” tab.

I loved the old park and really love the fact that even in its new incarnation, this Old Florida attraction has been given a new life as well as a second chance to literally welcome a whole new generation. And I bet getting there is just half the fun. Even without a bus ride, there's plenty to do in Winter Haven (don't miss Bok Tower Gardens in nearby Lake Wales).