LEGO Discovery Center Atlanta — Attraction in Atlanta

I took my daughter for her 7th birthday. GPS took me straight to the parking garage, and following signs it was easy to find where to park. She spotted the Lego place above us before I did, so it wasn’t hard to find either. I bought tickets ahead of time, I got the bundle deal which was almost $90 for the two of us. The lady at the front desk was very nice, she gave my daughter a birthday crown which was special. I paid $14 extra for 2 mini builds, which were both parrots and personally not worth it, I thought they would be something more ‘special’ to represent the Discovery center. I called ahead of time to see if they offered anything for birthday kids, they said no, but in person, the lady at the front desk said she would of gotten it for free for her birthday, so that was a waste. The kingdom quest was her favorite part, we rode it 3 times, and I like the pictures that came from it. The guys working it were very nice as well. Some of the guns didn’t work, but it was still fun. The activity pack is honestly a waste, we looked at it twice then she wasn’t interested in it at all. I do like the lanyard it comes on though. The VR only had 3 or 4 working seats, but we only had to wait a minute for our turn. It was very fun, and I wish it was unlimited like the kingdom quest. My daughter wanted to go back to the VR but they didn’t allow it, which was disappointing for her. The mini village thing was very cool to look at, and she did enjoy finding specific things like a scavenger hunt. In the beginning when you make a Lego figure, they had very few options of clothing, and only an astronaut helmet for the head, no hair, which was disappointing. The pirate play area was overtook with kids running and pushing each other out of the way, very disrespectful, so my soft gentle child had to figure out how to manage without being rude also. She didn’t enjoy the play area very much due to the kids that were pushing. She tried to build with the legos, but she couldn’t find many of the pieces she needed. She’s a talented builder at home , so she was disappointed not having specific pieces at a Lego dedicated place. The space rocket launcher was very confusing for her to figure out, but it was cool to initially see her rocket on the screen. The 4D movie, Ninjago, was a favorite of hers. Ninjago is the reason she wanted to go to the center. I will say though, the quality of the short film isn’t the best, I had to take my glasses off due to a headache from the blurry-ness of the film. The air they blow is FREEEZING! But she liked the movie experience. We went to the cafe to order food, the lady acted very uninterested and just not welcoming. Then she told us no cash, which is all I had! So we didn’t get to eat or drink anything during that time. My daughter was bored and overwhelmed by all of the kids, so we left to the gift shop. She spent time creating a Lego mini figure of herself and when it was time to check out, guess what? They didn’t take cash! The worker in there was also very unwelcoming. I didn’t see many prices on things, which is inconvenient. So, I had to disappoint her again since they didn’t take cash. Thankfully Build A Bear was nearby, so I was able to make it up with that. Overall, it was a very disappointing experience, my 7 year old agrees. Especially for the 2 hour drive I made to get there. It had cool things to look at, the kingdom quest was great (it wasn’t fun to me, but for a small child, yes), and the VR was wonderful. We won’t be returning anytime soon, unless big changes are made. Also, while some workers were friendly, others were not, which isn’t acceptable for a children’s place. And if you don’t take cash, I feel that should be made very clear when buying tickets online. I was on the website multiple times for days while planning, and never seen anything about no cash. Parking was free though, so that’s a...

My boys, 8 & 5, begged their father and I to take them to Legoland. The last week of April their dad bought tickets for May 18th. The boys were super excited. But once I read reviews on here, I became super anxious. I'm so grateful that I did not let the reviews deter me. We had such an amazing time! The magic quest ride was fun. Everything worked fine. The staff running the ride were very friendly. So was the guy at the photo booth. The miniland lego model of Atlanta was amazing. We were all fascinated by all the little details. As we walked around the display, the room darkened & the city lit up. We literally watched the night fall over lego Atlanta, and then day time came back again. Our youngest laughed so hard when he pressed a button that made the lego construction workers with jackhammers shake around (complete with the jackhammer/construction noises) it was beautiful and interactive enough that the boys were happy to go around the display 2 or 3 times. The Ninjago course room was a smaller display, but completely interactive. We did the laser maze several times at varying difficulties. We tested our reflexes with the color game etc. The boys really enjoyed it and I would love to see the Ninjago course expand more. The next area was the most crowded. We really enjoyed the Merlin ride, and building at the earthquake centers. Both boys absolutely loved building boats and testing how well/fast their boat design did. I did not notice any funky smelling water. Yes there were legos scattered around varying stations at this area. But I did notice staff trying to keep it neat. The problem is playground area was crowded and there were some unruly kids. Unfortunately, many parents don't notice or intervene when their kids are pushing, throwing, etc. Or make their children pick up after themselves. This area could use more staff, particularly manager or security type personnel, who could enforce rules more. The staff that was there all seemed to have a certain job or task, but no one seemed to there just for saftey/rules. On a more crowded day, I could see how this area could become messy & overwhelming. The race centers had no supervision. Some parents are not ensuring their kids are playing nicely or giving others a turn, and it does ruin it for others. This was the reason we had our boys skip it. The 4D movie was adorable. The boys loved the special effects...it was too cute. Again, I did notice any funky smells when the wind blew. My guess is that the scent another reviewer mentioned was from a guest with some in their pocket, rather than from staff. Another issue that security could take care of, just saying. The cafe could be run/stocked better. (Like the there were no napkins out, the menu screen scrolled through too fast to read, etc) Overall, we had such a great time. The staff was friendly and helpful, the displays were cute, it was a fun experience. And yes I would go back, or...

Sadly, after a 5+ million dollar renovation this place is still not worth the money you pay for entry. At most you are going to spend 2 hours there and pay nearly $200 for a family of 4-5 and that does not include food, add-on experiences or any Legos to take home. They removed the best part- the Ninjago room and replaced it with a pay extra VR experience nook- that was empty the entire time we visited- and failed to update the only ride, playground or theater. The food is mediocre but not overpriced, takes forever to "prepare". The new entry area allows you to build your own lego figures but as another reviewer mentions they are all boy figures and you have to return them when you leave! If you are visiting from out of town it is definitely not worth your time or your money.

We are a local family (live 10 miles away) and purchased a premium/anytime annual membership in April 2022 pre-renovation, primarily because it offered a 40% discount on additional admission tickets. Even though we are local, we only go to LDC maybe 2 times/year, usually on weekdays when there is no school- with Atlanta traffic it is impossible to go after school since they close at 5pm. My children love Legos but the Discovery center just isn't one of their top 10 places to go.

The last time we visited was October 10, 2023, a rainy Tuesday during the school fall break. This was our first time visiting since the center re-opened post renovation. I had received multiple emails to come back in and that my annual pass had been extended. I was assisted by the manager, Deborah, who informed me that Legoland had chosen to "gift all pass holders a new pass", but with the lesser Value/Sun-Fri pass. This meant no discount for additional tickets. I had brought my family and some friends to LDC that day anticipating to use my Premium pass for discounted entry. I pulled up the dozen emails I had received and scanned them for information on this change and there was no mention of it, no fine print. I continued to discuss this with Deborah and ultimately she conceded to offer me a 20% discount on our admission that day.

This is where things go south...

Deborah completed the transaction at the register and then hands me the receipt and I realize she up-charged us for admission and then applied the discount. The weekday we visited the admission price was $18.99 per person. She charged us a higher rate of $23.19 and then applied a 20% discount. Essentially there was no discount and in total I was charged more than it would have cost to enter at the regular rate for that day. I pointed this out to her and with a big smile on her face she asked me "Would you like me to issue you a refund?" I told her no, that instead I would leave an honest review and here it is.

Coming to visit Atlanta? Don't waste...