Credit: LEGOLANDA California theme park has announced the closure of an iconic opening day attraction later this month.
When you think of ‘California’ and ‘theme parks,’ odds are you picture Disneyland Park, California Adventure, or Universal Studios Hollywood. However, the Golden State is second only to Florida for its number of theme parks, with a whopping 33 in Los Angeles, San Diego, and beyond.
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While Disneyland is the best-known theme park in California (if not the world), plenty of its parks boast dozens of attractions worth the visit. In fact, a study earlier this year by vacation rental company Home to Go concluded that when you weigh up affordability and the number of rides and attractions, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom comes out on top as California’s best theme park.
The rest of the top ten was taken up by iconic locations such as Knott’s Berry Farm (second), Six Flags Magic Mountain (fourth), and SeaWorld San Diego (ninth). Disneyland Park placed sixth, Disney California Adventure Park came eighth, and Universal Studios Hollywood placed tenth.
While LEGOLAND California didn’t manage to crack the top ten, it remains one of the state’s most popular parks – especially for families. Since 1999, the Carlsbad park has provided kids of all ages with over 60 Lego-inspired attractions, such as The Dragon roller coaster, Miniland USA, and the Driving School.
However, come the end of September, there will be one less attraction for guests to enjoy. LEGOLAND has officially announced the closure of one of its oldest attractions: Safari Trek.
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Hop in and explore our LEGO animals for one last safari! Safari Trek will close at the end of September to make way for future awesomeness!
Hop in and explore our LEGO animals for one last safari! Safari Trek will close at the end of September to make way for future awesomeness! pic.twitter.com/cVvCwUIZJc
— LEGOLAND California Resort (@LEGOLAND_CA) September 20, 2023
Described as “a safari ride in a Jeep” that “brings you up close with the wildest LEGO animals,” Safari Trek opened with the rest of the park in the 1990s. It’s currently also present at LEGOLAND Florida, LEGOLAND Billund (the original LEGOLAND park in Denmark), and LEGOLAND Deutschland).
While it’s always sad to see an attraction go – especially one that’s been a part of the park for 24 years and remains a popular choice with young guests – it seems that LEGOLAND has more exciting plans in store for the area upon its closure.
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Fortunately, there’s still plenty more to enjoy in the park. Like Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and dozens of other theme parks worldwide, LEGOLAND California is currently in the midst of its Halloween celebrations. Its Brick-or-Treat Monster Party is set to run from September 16 to October 29, turning the park into a “fun-filled Halloween escape with tons of candy, not-so-scary new shows, and silly monster LEGO characters.”
What’s your favorite LEGOLAND attraction? Let us know in the comments!