Top Five Things to Do at Legoland California’s LEGO Galaxy

The latest expansion at Legoland California is out-of-this-world fun for families seeking theme park thrills.

Just in time for spring break and summer vacation, LEGO Galaxy unleashes a new space adventure for LEGO fans of all ages. The Nerds of Color were recently invited out to Legoland in Carlsbad, California, for the opening of the park’s newest coaster in 20 years, the Galacticoaster, which anchors as the main attraction at the new space-themed land, LEGO Galaxy. Admission was provided by Legoland for this story.

Here are the top five things to do if you plan to visit Legoland, California, to check out the new area.

1. Get on the Galacticoaster, the best gateway thrill ride at SoCal theme parks

The indoor family coaster is such an immersive, fun experience that perfectly works as a welcoming gateway for the young theme park goer ready to level up in ride experiences. From the start, you are welcomed into a fun mission that involves a digital LEGO build of your spaceship, which is such a fun way to feel like you’re building your vehicle. It helps distract a potentially nervous rider from overthinking by really enveloping you in the world of the attraction. Everyone in your group works to design your ship before launch.

Don’t be fooled, however, by the idea that it’s an ordinary kiddie coaster. The launch is a blast that feels more surprisingly delightful than intensely scary. The height requirement is 36 inches for kids to ride with a supervising adult, which, to me, is so wild, as my almost two-year-old is a couple of inches away from that threshold. My kid loves to go fast, so I think she could handle it.

It’s such a Technicolor thrill with fun digital projections of a space adventure mixed in with dark ride-styled LEGO features, like a farting cow and little green aliens. I can’t wait to get my kid on this as her first coaster. Riding it as an adult with friends, we’d also say that it is such a solid addition to theme parks for folks who might not be able to stomach a more intense ride. It is the most accessible to littles, teens, and grown-ups, offering a truly sit-back-and-enjoy-a galactic rip-roaring ride among the stars. It’s the best new family ride on the West Coast by a long shot, and despite lasting about a minute, it’s worth the wait.

2. Let the big kids’ imaginations soar literally and figure-atively

Outside of the Galaticoaster, there are two other major activities for the older kids’ crowd that they’ll want to check out. One is the G-Force testing facility, a spinning outdoor setup of alien arms that push and propel brave riders in ways astronauts train for. It’s definitely for the theme park goers who love the rotation-type of rides, so if you’re not into tummy-turning thrills, this one might not be for you.

Then, at the rocket assembly bay, the older crowd can build detailed spaceships in a cool galactic environment. Once you’ve got a model ready, there is a station where you can scan your build and see it take flight in space on a portal screen to the stars and planets beyond.

3. Give Toddlers their space

There are plenty of things to do for those in the toddler trenches. That’s right, little space explorers can roam in a Duplo-inspired landing zone with a crater of bigger blocks for the little ones to build in. There’s also a spaceship to climb into as well as alien friends to greet for photos. My little one loved the blue slide, which features the iconic LEGO space logo.

Adventurous tiny humans are welcome to ride the Launch and Land. The interactive outdoor spaceships you can move up and down as well as side to side with a chill intergalactic vibe soundtrack. This is the ride we got on the most, as it was my little one’s favorite to control and bop along to; the music was so cute!

4. Dance party with new characters

Legoland is a marathon of a family park that’s built to give kids a ton of space to run as wild as their imaginations, and what better way to tire out the tots than a dance party? We loved the space-inspired dance show, which plays a lot of top 40 hits to get moving and shaking. And thankfully, it has places to sit while you watch your kid meet the fun new LEGO Galaxy mega minifig meet-and-greet characters.

5. Shop LEGO Galaxy Goods

When you exit the Galacticoaster, there’s a new merch store with the latest in LEGO goods, including LEGO Smart Play sets. However, it is the land-specific merch that makes this theme park fan so excited. Yes, you can get the Space Person plushes in fun colors like pink and red, and Benny the Spaceman in blue, but did you know that the cat from the ride has a plush? And that plush is the softest, most adorable stuffed animal you can find in the whole LEGO galaxy. Truly, an instant icon, Jones the cat, whom we like to think may be inspired by another sci-fi movie cat, is the star of the show, and we bought one immediately.

There’s also a selection of neon green LEGO storage bricks and the cute one with the handles, which we’re obsessed with and love the aesthetic of. In addition to a slew of LEGO pens, water bottles, and fun galactic goods, we want them just as much as our kids do. Maybe more so than our kid. I bought the storage cube for her, I promise.