POLK COUNTY, Fla.,None — Central Florida's newest theme park, LegoLand Florida, is set to celebrate its grand opening on Saturday.
- Slideshow: Images inside LegoLand Florida
- Raw Video: LegoLand Florida
Because the company sells more Lego bricks in U.S. than anywhere else in the world, LegoLand creators said they are confident this park will succeed.
A ribbon cutting at the park was held for a group of local school children and their parents on Friday.
Parents said the interactive theme park is a place small children will love.
Kim Orlando, who is a parent, said she believes the $75 admission for adults, and $65 for kids is a good deal, even though it's not too far off the cost of a Disney or Universal tickets.
Park managers said it's worth it, and believe they don't need to attract Disney size crowds to succeed.
"We don't need millions and millions of visitors,” said general manager Adrian Jones. “We are focused on that core audience and we’re very good at running a lean ship here and an efficient operation."
Jones said the park retains the beauty of the former Cypress Gardens, which was once considered Central Florida’s oldest theme park. Cypress Gardens closed in 2009 because of a lack of business.
LegoLand spans more than 150 acres and sits 45 minutes west of Orlando and 45 minutes east of Tampa. LegoLand creators are hoping to get visitors from both sides of the state.
The park houses 50 rides, targeting kids from 2 to 12 years old. Operators said they hope to draw up to 2 million visitors a year.
The park is about 45 minutes away from Disney and the rest of Orlando’s theme parks. But, the park plans to station buses at several Orlando area hotels near the theme parks to shuttle people back and forth.
In time, they want LegoLand to be a multi-day resort with its own hotels.