LEGOLAND Florida and LEGOLAND Billund are both “LEGO” theme parks, but they are by no means copies of each other. Both parks are run by Merlin and share a common IP and feel, but there are some distinct differences between the properties. These are good differences, not things that make one better than the other, but rather things that make each property unique. LEGOLAND Billund is the original “LEGO” park, opening in 1968, while LEGOLAND Florida followed in 2011, giving it the opportunity to take some of the best of LEGOLAND Billund, but also make the LEGO IP it’s own for a different audience. This article will look at five (5) differences you’ll probably notice if you visit both parks as well as some similarities between the two locations.

Differences Between LEGOLAND Florida and LEGOLAND Bilund

Signature Roller Coaster

LEGOLAND Florida and LEGOLAND Billund have a couple of roller coasters in common, but each park has a couple unique offerings as well. Both have The Dragon coaster and Billund’s “X-treme Racers” mouse coaster is the same as Florida’s “The Great LEGO Race” coaster. However, both have a signature unique coaster that is unlike anything at the other park. At LEGOLAND Billund that ride is the Polar X-plorer coaster: This roller coaster is a custom family coaster that features a unique “free-fall” drop track hidden inside an icy mountain. Drop track coasters are not very common and the effect here is implemented seamlessly in the ice breaking story. For LEGOLAND Florida the signature ride is Galacticoaster, the new indoor family launch coaster. Galacticoaster has a strong story that is quite immersive coupled with great technology including controlled spinning cars. Yes, there is another version of Galacticaoster out in California, but not in Billund. Both of these coasters are great for families, but are also unique rides that roller coaster enthusiasts will appreciate as well.

Location and Weather

The two park locations couldn’t be more different. Of course they’re in two different countries, but beyond that the geography and climate are totally different. LEGOLAND Billund is located adjacent to the Billund airport. It’s literally on the back of it and you get great views of the airport from the LEGOTOP observation tower. The park actually pays homage to this by having an airport in its MINILAND. LEGOLAND Florida is situated right next to Lake Eloise in Central Florida. The lake occupies one side of the park and offers great views. The lake really is only for beauty today, but in the past there was a water ski show on the lake. There’s also a boat ride attraction called Pirate River Quest, but it’s currently in an extended closure.

The weather is quite different between the locations as well. LEGOLAND Florida is in Central Florida with hot summers and mild winters. LEGOLAND Billund is the North American equivalent of Canada, north of Calgary, but ocean currents keep it slightly warmer than its latitude would normally allow. Therefore LEGOLAND Billund is more of a seasonal park while LEGOLAND Florida is open all year and has a water park.

MINILAND

Both parks have MINILAND as a focal point of the park. The MINILAND in LEGOLAND Billund is right near the front of the park and features a local European flavor. There are things like a milk production facility (Denmark is known for dairy), small towns on the water and a working replica of Billund Airport where the planes taxi around. LEGOLAND Billund is somewhat unique in that the rides close an hour before the park does, so it can be best to save your tour of MINILAND to the end. LEGOLAND Florida has MINILAND situated more central to the park and it’s actually under cover which is great for the Florida heat and afternoon summer showers. This cover was added in 2021 and was a great addition. In the LEGOLAND Florida MINILAND you’ll find replicas of many American cities, an area dedicated to NASA and a working Daytona International Speedway. It’s great that LEGO embraces the local area in each of the MINILANDS it constructs including those at the LEGO Discovery centers.

Driving/Traffic School

Both parks offer kids the chance to drive cars in a simulated real world experience on a road system where they can go anywhere, not just a set course or path. At LEGOLAND Billund it’s called Traffic School and at LEGOLAND Florida itt’s called Driving School. There are a few differences though in that Traffic School is a slight up-charge attraction that usually requires a reservation, but at LEGOLAND Florida it’s a standard ride that you stand in line for. At LEGOLAND Billund the cost of a printed “driver’s license” is included in the reservation fee while at LEGOLAND Florida you’ll have the opportunity to purchase it after, but the attraction itself is free. LEGOLAND Billund has an urban electric car focus while LEGOLAND Florida has a suburban neighborhood kind of feel (probably matches each country’s more typical driving environment). LEGOLAND Florida also has a junior version for the smaller kids. This is a signature moment for either park that kids love and is not to be missed.

Adjoining Attractions

Both parks have adjoining attractions you can get as part of a ticket package and some unaffiliated neighbors. At LEGOLAND Florida the main extra is Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida, a separate mini theme park dedicated to the much loved cartoon Peppa Pig. The park has its own separate entrance gate and is outside and adjacent LEGOLAND Florida, but shares the same parking lot. Peppa Pig has a great roller coaster and several flat rides designed with small kids in mind. You can add Peppa Pig to a standard LEGOLAND Florida ticket and visit it as part of your day or buy a separate Peppa Pig Ticket. In addition to Peppa Pig the water park can also be added to a standard park ticket as can the Sea Life Aquarium (which is significantly larger than the one in Billund). LEGOLAND Florida is in Lakeland, Florida placing it only an hour away from the World theme park capital of Orlando, Florida.

LEGOLAND Billund has LEGO House, which has fantastic LEGO displays and interactive experiences. LEGO House is about a 15-20 minute walk from LEGOLAND Billund or a short bus ride. LEGO House is a celebration of everything LEGO and is part museum, part gallery and part interactive fun. LEGO House can easily be a full day itself and can be packaged with LEGOLAND Billund ticket or purchased separately. If you can’t make it to LEGO House you’ll can still have a taste of the experience as you’ll be greeted by a smaller version of the iconic Tree of Creativity in the baggage claim area of Billund Airport along with other recreations from the attraction such as a dinosaur and “The Welcoming Girl” who is a recreation of a “Play Agent” (worker) from LEGO House. LEGOLAND Billund has a few prominent neighbors with the Lalandia Aquadome indoor water park literally across the street. There’s also WOW Park, a theme park filled with giant slides and ropes courses that is just 6 minutes by cab. LEGOLAND Billund does not have its own waterpark like LEGOLAND Florida, but it does have a smaller Sea Life Aquarium included in a standard ticket.

More Minor Differences

There are numerous other minor differences that add to the uniqueness of each park like the famous Granny Smith Apple Fries at LEGOLAND Florida or the marching band that you’ll frequently see performing at LEGOLAND Billund. There are also unique rides found in only one place or the other like the LEGO Haunted House in LEGOLAND Billund or the wood roller coaster, Caustersaurus in LEGOLAND Florida.

There’s also an Egypt themed land in LEGOLAND Florida called “Land of Adventure” and an American West themed land in LEGOLAND Billund called “LEGOREDO Town” (somewhat ironic in Denmark). LEGOLAND Florida also has the beautiful and historic Cypress Gardens you can walk through, part of the original history of the property before it was a LEGO park. Finally there are some differences in accommodations options with both having a few onsite hotels, but LEGOLAND Billund has what amounts to an adjacent campground with campsites and rental cabins while LEGOLAND Florida has a much greater selection of 3rd party hotels and chain restaurants adjacent to the park in its more urban environment.

The Numerous Similarities

It’s also important to note the way both of these locations are similar. The main similarity most people will notice are some of the rides, shows and attractions. This is by no means unique to LEGOLAND as Disney has Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain and many more rides in both California and Florida. Universal similarly has versions of the same ride on both coasts. Some of the rides you’ll find at both LEGOLAND Billund and LEGOLAND Florida include The Dragon, LEGO NINJAGO The Ride, Emmet’s Flying Adventure – Masters of Flight, Unikitty’s Disco Drop and a 4D LEGO movie theater. There are also a few attractions like Fire Brigade (Billund) and Rescue Academy (Florida) that are essentially the same ride with a different name like “X-treme Racers” and “The Great LEGO Race” mentioned previously. However, each park is probably 80%+ unique with rides, so if you’ve done one, the other will still feel like a fresh experience with a comforting touch of the familiar.

Conclusions

LEGOLAND Billund and LEGOLAND Florida are both amazing. They are both based on the same source material and share several attractions in common, but by no means if you’ve done one have you done both. They have far more unique attractions than they do in common and the type of area each resides in couldn’t be more different. If you’re a fan of LEGO you should experience both to see the history of LEGOLAND Billund, the original LEGO park, and the multiple parks in one at LEGOLAND Florida. Both parks are 100% LEGO in their DNA, they’re just different like siblings are different and that’s OK. It’s a great thing that they’re not simple clones of each other as the Merlin Magic Makers can experiment and try different things. Also, certain things work better with certain audiences or in certain climates. If you visit enough theme parks you learn to celebrate differences between them and quickly realize it’s good that they’re not all the same as it would get boring quite quickly. Like a LEGO set, they might use a lot of the same pieces, but the magic is in how they come together and the occasional special pieces!