This place wasn’t at all what I expected it would be. I guess that’s why I like to review places like Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham, so that you’re not as surprised as we were. I’d seen a video of the Manchester centre a while ago that another blogger did, and either I mis-remembered or they made it seem huge. The website also makes it seem a much larger site than it is. Anyway, the main thing you need to know is that the majority of the things here are in one room, albeit a very large room!
That doesn’t mean there’s not a lot there though. You get a two hour session currently. I’m not sure if that’s still a covid thing or if it’s always like that. Realistically though, I think that’s probably about the right about of time! Tickets must be pre-booked before visiting. You can book your tickets here*
This review of Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham contains some affiliate links which are denoted by *. I earn a small commission for any purchases that you make using these links, but there is no additional cost to you. This commission goes towards the running costs of the site.
The rides
There are two rides at Legoland Discovery Centre in Birmingham; Merlin’s Apprentice and Kingdom Quest. Merlin’s Apprentice involves you peddling like a maniac to make your Lego sofa rise up. Stop peddling and your drop.
Kingdom Quest is a bit like a ghost train, without the ghosts but with guns! You all get your own laser gun and have to shoot lots of targets to help rescue the princess. Hit the targets to score points. Everyone has their scores displayed on the chariot as you go round. I won!!
The 4D cinema
The main reason we did this review of Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham when we did was because they’ve has just released a new 4D film I thought the boys would really enjoy. I would definitely say that some of the films are more suited to certain ages than others! Smallest Child was terrified of the Mythica film and had to leave half way through. It was basically a cute little unicorn being chased by various scary creatures through numerous perilous scenarios! She hated it. Thankfully they actually show different films throughout the day. Each one is 20-30 minutes long so you could spend most of your 2 hour session in the cinema if you really wanted to !
Lego City soft play
As soon as we walked in all three kids shot off to the soft play. Even Biggest Child. He hasn’t been to a soft play in ages and was genuinely excited that he wasn’t too big for it despite being 12 now. It’s not a particularly large soft play area, but it’s Lego themed (obviously). The kids stuck me in Lego soft play jail, which was nice of them! They didn’t stay in there for that long, but they kept dipping in and out during our session. That’s actually kind of the point of this place, you can move around from zone to zone as much as you like.
Car building and racing
At the Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham there’s a whole section dedicated to building and testing your own vehicles. Once you’ve built your masterpiece then you can either test it on one of the two ramps, or you can race each other down a track.
Earthquake Duplo
Every wondered if you could build a Duplo structure that would withstand an earthquake? Well wonder no more! In the middle of this section are some very cool sky-scrapers, and some wobble plates. Build your best design, crank up the vibrations and see if it stands or falls. Smallest Child thought this was hilarious and deliberately built the worst thing she possibly could!
Speaking of Duplo, there’s another soft play area specifically for under 5’s, with lots of Dulpo to play with as well.
Building areas
It’s the Legoland Discovery Centre, so you’d expect this review to feature quite a lot of Lego building. And that is what the kids spent most of their time doing really. Hubby did comment at one stage did we really drive all this way just for them to play with Lego, which they do at home for free all the time? Well, yes, and no. Dotted all around are little tables filled with Lego bricks. There are some fairly random blocks in there. We found a dolphin and I swear, given half a chance one of the kids would have made off with it! I’m guessing that’s probably quite a big problem somewhere like here? We did sometimes have to hunt quite hard to find some of the blocks I would have thought are fairly standard though.
The biggest self-build area is the Lego friends zone. There’s a massive village complex that is pre-built, and you can build your own things to add to it. That’s quite cool and we spent a LOT of time here. If your kids are Lego friends fans there’s also giant Lego sculptures of some of the main characters for photos.
My biggest frustration here was a lack of minifigures. But, again, I reckon someone had knicked them. Oh, and the music. The incessantly cheery, pinging music that’s on a fairly short loop. If you’ve ever played any of the Lego apps then you’ll be familiar with the music. I even asked one of the staff members of it got on her nerves. Apparently it really did when she first started, but now she just blocks it out.
Mini-land
Did you know that Birmingham has the world’s biggest Primark? Well Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham has the world’s smallest! There’s also the football stadium, cricket pitch, Cadbury factory, the amazing library and even working canal boats. There’s lots of interactive features in here too. You can play a football match, play various instruments in a rock band or play cricket.
It’s not particularly big in here, certainly no match for small land at Legoland Windsor*, but I always find it incredibly impressive how they build these things! There’s actually an area where you can watch them building these giant models which is very cool.
Exit through the gift shop!
To get out you have to exit through the Lego store. Lock up your credit cards people! In here it’s not actually the kids we have to worry about – it’s me. I will not buy the Lego Hogwarts Express. I will not buy the Lego Hogwarts Express. I won’t! (Although if you are looking then Hamleys quite often have significant discounts on their Lego ranges, including the Hogwarts Express.*)
Our Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham Review
There definitely is a maximum age to this place. Smallest (4) and Middle (10) Children both had a great time. Biggest Child (12) did initially, but he did start to get bored after a little while. Which is stupid because he spends hours building Lego at home so what’s the difference?? If your kids don’t like Lego then there’s zero point visiting though as you will spend a lot of time building Lego to get the most out of your day. So are you spending your money just to your money just to build Lego? Well, no, there is more to it than that. But yes, you are also paying to build Lego but in a much cooler place than in your bedroom!
Admission cost
Prices start at £18.30 per person and are cheaper online*. There are parent & pre-schooler tickets for £15 during term time. You can also get tickets that cover two attractions and can save you up to 38%. Birmingham SEALIFE centre is just across the canal from Legoland Discovery Centre and combining the two is a perfect family day out. Read my review here. Or you can get a three attraction ticket and add Warwick Castle. The tickets are valid for 90 days so you don’t have to worry about squeezing it all into one day! Read my review of Warwick Castle here. You can find out more about the multi-attraction tickets here*.
All prices are correct at the time this review of Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham was published or updated. For the latest prices please visit their website.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – The best car park to use is the Utility Arena South car park.
Address – LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham, Arena, King Edwards Road, Birmingham B1 2AA
Toilets
On-site, including baby change. They are suitably Lego themed!
Food
There’s a cafe on-site. No picnics allowed. There’s lots of cafes nearby and we had a nice picnic by the canal.
What else is there to do nearby?
As well as the SEALIFE Centre the canals are definitely worth exploring. There’s a FREE sculpture trail. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is also FREE to visit. Although it’s not free, the kids have been to ThinkTank museum before and loved it!
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Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
