The following post is by a special guest blogger:  Sharlene Earnshaw, Trekaroo’s Blog Editor.  Sharlene is a lifelong California girl who loves nothing more than to hike, travel, write, and then travel some more.  Her 3-year old boy/girl twins and loving husband provide all the inspiration she needs to plan one new adventure after another. She is a self proclaimed National Parks nerd and has made it her goal to see every single National Park with her children. She is a dedicated road tripper and spent last summer on a 24 day road trip across the Western US and Canada.  Her favorite travel memory is being greeted by cheers at the top of Inspiration Point in Grand Teton after being told that her toddlers wouldn’t be able to do it.  She graduated from University of California at Davis with a degree in Communications.

When the temperatures climb and the days grow longer, my kids want to spend every waking minute in the water.  In Southern California we are lucky enough to have the beach, but sometimes I just don’t feel like fighting the seaside traffic and stressing out about one of my 3-year olds getting swept away by a wave.  Water parks can be a great alternative, but most of them are geared towards pre-teen and teenage age groups.

Recently, I checked out LEGOLAND’s new water park and was absolutely thrilled to find an environment perfect for kids ages 2 to 10 years olds! Here are three reason why the new Legoland Waterpark is worth a visit.

Safely splash the day away in the toddler play area

I absolutely fell in love with the adorable Duplo zoo-themed toddler water play area.   The water is shallow and life jackets are abundant, so kids can safely splash and play under alligator shaped fountains and glide down toddler-sized slides.  The water is heated to 80 degrees, so even if the coastal breezes kick up and the temperatures are not quite sweltering, kids can still have a ball without their lips turning blue.

Build your dream raft on the lazy river

Every self respecting water park needs a lazy river and LEGOLAND decided to kick theirs up a notch by creating the Build-A-Raft River.  Here, kids (and those of us who are  children stuck in adult-sized bodies) can find giant legos floating in the water and  snap them on to inner tubes, creating colorful masterpieces perfect for imaginative river navigation.  I couldn’t help but notice quite a few dads crouched behind the lego water forts they had created, with huge smiles on their faces.  Its funny how a few red, yellow, and blue blocks can make grown-ups feel like kids again!

Climb your way up to the top of a Lego dream castle and then pick a slide to ride down

The centerpiece of the LEGOLAND Water Park is a 45-foot tall castle with multiple slides branching off its sides and water crashing in cascades down onto the willing recipients below.  Slides range from the Orange Rush, a four person family tube slide, to the Twin Chasers, side by side enclosed tube slides perfect for racing.  Kids seem to love when gallons upon gallons of water come pouring down on them from the clock tower but personally, I tend to run for cover!

Details, Details

The Legoland Water Park can only be accessed through the Legoland theme park itself.  This means in order to buy a ticket to enter the water park, you also have to buy a ticket to Legoland.  Water park admission can be added to the Legoland price tag for an additional $12. My advice? Plan on spending two days at the resort and purchase a park hopper, then upgrade to a 2-day pass for only $5 and take your time exploring Legoland, the water park, and Sealife Aquarium.

Where to stay while you play:
Homewood Suites Carlsbad:  This all-suite hotel is perfect for families visiting the LEGOLAND resort and the rest of the San Diego metro area.  Each suite includes a fully-stocked kitchen and separate living and bedroom areas which give families plenty of room to spread out.  Daily complimentary full breakfast and complimentary weekday dinners are a plus.  An outdoor pool and spa along with a ping pong table are located in the courtyard.   Click here to read my full review.