As a Chicago Mama Doc, I wanted to take my kids to Legoland Discovery Center Chicago. As I had difficulty finding information about this activity, I wanted to write about it to inform other Chicago Moms or those traveling to Chicago. First, Legoland Discovery Center Chicago isn't located in Chicago. It's located in the Streets of Woodfield across from Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. For those visiting downtown Chicago, this is not a convenient location to get to. Second, Legoland Discovery Center is not an amusement park like Legoland Florida or Legoland California. Legoland uses the term Discovery Center to denote a small indoor play center. If you're expecting an amusement park, you will be disappointed. Think of it as a half-day activity for area moms with young kids. My two and four-year-old had a great time, and we spent 2-3 hours at the Discovery Center.
Admission to Legoland Discovery Center Chicago
Ages 2 and under are free.
Ages 3+ are $24.99
Admission + Lego Collectible* + Photo Pass $34.99
Small lego figure
Admission + Photo Pass $29.99
Add Ons
Activity Pack $6 per person
VR Experience $6 per person
Annual Passes to Legoland Discover Center Chicago
Anytime $99.99 per person
Sunday-Friday with blackout dates $49.99 per person
Both annual passes include:
40% Off Friends & Family Tickets When Visiting With You
10% off LEGO Products in our Shop
10% off in our Cafe'
Special Events & Offers
Admission to Legoland Discovery Center Chicago & Peppa Pig World of Play
Ages 9+ $29.99
Ages 3-8 $39.99
Ages 2 and under $14.99 (Free for Legoland)
As this was our first trip, we only considered single-day admission. However, we felt the best value was the combined ticket for single entry to Legoland Discovery Center and Peppa Pig World of Play. Peppa Pig World of Play is located across the street in Woodfield Mall. The admission for the second location does not have to be for the same day. We saved our Peppa Pig ticket for the following week.
Legoland Discovery Center Chicago is a two-story indoor facility with multiple Lego displays, interactive Lego building areas, a Duplo building area, a virtual ride, two regular rides, a 4D movie, and a playground. The experience is geared toward younger children.
Parking is convenient and complimentary at the Streets of Woodfield, which has a large parking lot just outside the building. The entrance is easy to locate, with the giant Lego giraffe just out front. You enter, and the ticket counter is immediately inside the door to your right. You can access the Lego store without admission. It's located to the left of the entrance.
After being admitted, you have the option to get your photo taken. The walking path at the Discovery Center leads you to all the attractions. Next, you encounter the "Miniland" with a miniature Lego replica of the city of Chicago. As you travel further in, you discover the Lego Jungle Expedition. A forewarning: this area is dark. After this exhibit, you'll pass the Builder Workshop and Event Space. The Virtual Ride Experience, "The Great Lego Race," is next. You'll get into a pod and put on your VR headset. This is not included with basic admission. You can pay $6 per person or upgrade your admission to include this. The last activity on the first floor is the Kingdom Quest interactive Ride. You'll board a dragon and have a gun to shoot the bad guys. Each dragon can seat four people—2 per row. You must be 30 inches tall to ride with an adult. You must be 42 inches tall to ride alone.
You can take the stairs or elevator up to the second floor. Here, you'll find the Master Builder Academy, Character Meet & Greet, and Lego Friend building area. My kids played in the Lego Friends area while we waited for the next showing of the 4D movie. Each person gets a pair of 3D glasses before taking a seat. Don't worry if your kids are young; the film isn't too long. It kept my 2-year-olds attention for the entire show.
There is a small cafe and coffee shop with seating before you get to the playground. We grabbed some coffee while we sat and let the kids play. There weren't great lunch options, so we planned to eat after heading out. There are lots of great restaurants in the area. I'm including the menus and some photos to give you an idea of what is available at the cafe.
After you pass the cafe, you come to the final area. My son had fun building different cars to race at the Lego build-and-test racetrack. I lost my daughter while helping my son build a vehicle. She was hiding inside the Lego lion near the pirate ship playground. There is also a Duplo area for the littlest bits past the pirate ship. We spent the most time in this final area as the kids got to let loose and play. Merlin's ride was not open, so we didn't get to check that out.
As you exit, as most parents might expect, you're sent through the Lego Store. The items were marked up considerably compared to Amazon. The less expensive items are around 20-30% higher, and the more costly items range from 50-80% more. However, my kids were excited about the experience, so they each picked out a gift. My son chose a Jurassic Park Lego Set, and my daughter chose a Disney Frozen Set.
Overall, the experience was a good activity for young kids for a few hours. Admission costs are high for what is included, so watch the official site for specials or look for discount tickets on theme park ticket websites. The combined ticket for Legoland Discovery Center Chicago and Peppa Pig World of Play was a good value. It ended up costing around $15 per person for each. The best part is you can save Peppa Pig for another day, like we did. We won't go enough to merit an annual pass, but we will likely return on a cold or rainy day.
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