by Bella DiMascio
DISCOVER Michigan’s LEGOLAND Discovery Center
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan
4240 Baldwin Rd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326
Located inside the Great Lakes Crossings Outlets Mall
Your kids are going to love LEGOLAND Discovery Center, and the chances are great that you’ll love it, too.
After all, it’s Michigan’s ONLY indoor LEGO® playground, and a must-visit for families with children ages 3 – 11 years old. Whether you’re from the Metro Detroit area or simply traveling to southeast Michigan for a vacation or day trip, this is pure Michigan indoor fun at its best!
At LEGOLAND Discovery Center at the Great Lakes Crossings Outlets Mall in Auburn Hills MI, the only limit to fun is your own imagination. Enter the world of LEGO® and spend a day playing, building, and imagining. Tickets start at around $25 which includes exciting rides, a unique cinematic experience, the city of Detroit like you’ve never seen it before, and more. This is the ultimate indoor LEGO® playground.
The Michigan Legoland Discovery Center is a great spot for field trips, too!
Meet engaging and inspiring LEGO® master model builders who can bring any idea in your head to life in LEGO® bricks or test your own building capabilities at the earthquake tables to see if you have what it takes to build something strong enough to survive a natural disaster.
LEGO® racers can build a car of their own design and test them on the racetrack, and the LEGO® city play zone has plenty of active indoor play centers, including one inspired by LEGO® DUPLO® bricks for younger children.
Join us as we enter a world made of LEGO® bricks and fueled by creativity at the LEGOLAND Michigan Discovery Center. Use this guide to plan your day at this amazing indoor playground!
Things to Do at LEGOLAND
Miniland
Without a doubt, Miniland at the LEGOLAND Discovery Center is a highlight of this fun attraction.
Across the world, LEGOLAND Discovery Centers employ master model builders who help bring their local cities to life in LEGO® with Miniland. Here in Michigan, Detroit is replicated with stunning accuracy, interactivity, detail, and creativity, so be sure to look closely to spot some unique little details or minifigures.
Here, every iconic destination and structure throughout Detroit is represented, from the iconic skyscraper that towers over the city, the GMS Renaissance Center, to the Ambassador Bridge that connects us to our friendly neighbors in the Great White North. Each Detroit sport’s team is represented in their home stadium, with builds of Little Caesars Arena, Ford Field, and Comerica Park – the latter two of which include an interactive game element.
Even the Detroit Airport is replicated, so the citizens of LEGO® Minilands around the world can visit the Motor City. Even smaller Detroit gems have a home in Miniland, including Hitsville USA and the Detroit Princess, which floats in a Detroit River with real water.
This display took over one million LEGO® bricks to create, and the attention to detail is amazing!
Rides at LEGOLAND
There are two rides in the LEGOLAND Discovery Center, the Kingdom Quest Laser Ride and the Merlin’s Apprentice Ride. Kingdom Quest Ride is an exciting adventure through an unknown fairytale land. Riders will use lasers to zap away beastly goblins and spooky skeletons on their way to rescue the LEGO® princess. Collect coins and get competitive to see who’s the bravest and most skilled knight in all the land.
For a more relaxed ride experience, try Merlin’s Apprentice, a rotating ride where you wield the power to make it fly.
Pedal the enchanted cart faster to rise higher in Merlin’s magical potions chamber, or pedal slower to descend from the skies and fly low. Changing up the pedaling speed makes for a fun and exciting ride, especially for younger LEGOLAND guests.
Lego 4D Cinema
If you’ve never had a 4D cinematic experience, now is a great time to see what the buzz is about.
A 4D theater pushes the limits beyond the immersion of 3D where the characters and objects jump out at you, and uses multi-sensory methods to bring the screen to life.
At LEGOLAND Discovery Center’s 4D Cinema, two short movies are featured which are alternated every 15 minutes. See your favorite LEGO® characters on the big screen and experience the world they live in like never before.
Join a hapless police officer as he pursues a wanted criminal through the streets of the LEGO® city in the action-packed “LEGO City: Report for Duty,” or follow up with Emmet, the unlikely but lovable hero of the blockbuster “The LEGO Movie,” as he and his friends work together to stop a new villain from enacting his secret evil plot in “The LEGO Movie 4D: A New Adventure.”
LEGO® DUPLO® Farm
This fun, animal-themed farm play area is a fun spot for younger builders. You’ll find a playhouse and fun slide, too!
LEGO® Friends Heartlake City
Kids can meet their LEGO® Friends and have fun building in this unique area.
Toddler Time
Your toddler can explore the limitless possibilities of LEGO® DUPLO® while you save on admission! Toddler Time is available on select Mondays-Thursdays from 10am-1pm.
Events at LEGOLAND
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan hosts plenty of events for all kinds of occasions, including holiday event options during the holiday season.
Three especially popular events happening soon include Teacher Appreciation Days (July 24 – August 18), Homeschool Week (September 25 – 29), and Scout Days (dates TBD). Each event offers unique activities, special promotions, creative workshops, and unique benefits for applicable visitors.
During Teacher Appreciation Days, Lego thanks the teachers who inspire the next generation of engineers, architects, and scientists – or potentially LEGO® master model builders – by granting them free admission to LEGOLAND and 25% admission for 4 guests. Homeschool Week offers an educational workshop and supplemental S.T.E.A.M. activities are available at a discount. Lastly, for Scout Days, boy and girl scouts are welcome to participate in LEGO® fun as a troop, even earning a unique LEGO® scout patch.
TIPS for Visiting LEGOLAND Discovery Center
- Make sure your kids wear socks so they can play in the children’s play structure
- Make sure you bring a credit card as the LEGO® store is credit and debit only
- Multiple movies play in the 4D Theater throughout the day so be sure to catch them all
- At Kingdom Quest, ask a team member to share the location of a secret target so you can score even more points
- If you bring in some old Minifigures, you can trade up to two of them with staff. Just tell a team member you’d like to trade!
- Miniland is packed with secret easter eggs and builds put in by our Master Model Builder. We’ll give you a hint: see if you can spot the ‘fork lift’ at the airport!
Tickets For LEGOLAND Discovery Center
Ticket prices for LEGOLAND Discovery Center begin at $23.99, and children under the age of two years are free. A package including digital photos of your LEGOLAND experience is available from $27.99.
You’ll find two additional attractions at this Oakland County mall sure to delight your family: SEA LIFE Michigan and Peppa Pig World of Play are here, too. Combination tickets include an amazing discount that makes it worth it to consider visiting more than one attraction.
- Ticket prices for LEGOLAND Discovery Center and SEA LIFE Michigan begin at $36.99.
- Ticket prices for LEGOLAND Discovery Center and Peppa Pig Word of Play begin at $39.99.
- Ticket prices for LEGOLAND Discovery Center, SEA LIFE Aquarium and Peppa Pig World of Play begin at $46.99.
You can purchase gift tickets, annual passes and day tickets for your visit to LEGOLAND here. Walk-up tickets are not available and must be purchased online. Be sure to signup for emails on the LEGOLAND site for amazing offers, too!
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Hours AND More
LEGOLAND opens at 10 am every morning and closes at 6 pm most days and 7 pm in the summer months. Please be aware of 6pm last entry time. Last entry is two hours before closing. You’ll find an accessibility guide to visiting Michigan LEGOLAND Discovery Center here.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center F.A.Q.
There’s a lot to see and do at the LEGOLAND Discovery Center, so you can expect to spend 2-3 hours there.
Tickets start around $23 and are best purchased online in advance. Opportunities to save using combo tickets with other Merlin Entertainments destinations in the mall, including the SEA LIFE Aquarium and Peppa Pig World of Play are also available.
LEGOLAND is the name of the Lego brand’s outdoor theme parks. LEGOLAND Discovery Centers are indoor attractions that provide the ultimate indoor playground fueled by the imagination of the kids who attend.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center is best enjoyed by kids 3 to 11. There is plenty of fun to be had through rides, games, and builds for both younger and older children.
Adults must be accompanied by a child under 16 years of age to visit LEGOLAND Discovery Center. However, adult night events are hosted to give older Lego fans a more well-rounded and age-appropriate experience. The LEGO store is open to all ages.
Hotels Nearby
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites – Auburn Hills, an IHG Hotel
3990 Baldwin Road, Auburn Hills, MI 48326, United States of America
Located adjacent to Great Lakes Crossing Mall, the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites is a great choice for families. The hotel features an indoor pool, daily breakfast and an on-site gift shop, as well as roomy guest suites.
TownePlace by Marriott Suites Detroit Auburn Hills
3900 Baldwin Road, Auburn Hills, MI 48326
With a full kitchen in each room, this is a great spot for families. Located close to Great Lakes Crossings Outlets, you’ll find an indoor pool and a fitness center, too.
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- Ultimate Guide to the Top Michigan Cider Mills
- Explore the Ann Arbor Art Fair
- Find Summer Fun at Michigan Beaches
- Hear a Summer Concert at the Best Michigan Music Festivals
- Check out our Monthly Michigan Events Calendar and Events This Weekend
- Amazing Outdoor Play Places in West Michigan
- Michigan Family Winter Fun Getaways
- Date Night Ideas in Grand Rapids
About the Author-
Bella DiMascio is a Content Editor for mymichiganbeach.com. She grew up in the Detroit suburb of Westland and later attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo where she majored in Communication Studies and minored in English: Writing. Creative writing has been a hobby and interest of Bella’s since she was in elementary school and she is thrilled to be using her talents to highlight the Great Lakes State. Outside of writing, Bella enjoys getting outside with her two Australian Shepherds, playing video games, and binging shows on Netflix.